white wood would pop against the red, that is what my new dining room is, but I love the deep richness of the dark in your house. I would use accents to pop it up, I think your drapes will lighten it up tremendously, look for white iron candle sticks for the buffet, I would not add much red in the fabrics but instead use more white. I also like the touch of blue from you other stuff.

I love red dining rooms, I think they are warm and cozy and very inviting.

Love the chandelier

J

What a surprise you are, Ttodd! I do love the red with that old dining set. Your blue & white jar collection looks very cool in there now, too. I love it.

Red

Love the red, but I would leave the dark wood. It gives a very dramatic feel - white would be ordinary.

I think the white drapery will give you the lighter feel you want. I know you said you are going to ditch the blue and white stuff, but you might think about using the larger urn on the center of the table, filled with red poppies. I think it would be lovely! I would also keep the two ginger jars together, perhaps on top of the white cabinet?

I might be inclined to line the inside of the white cabinet with fabric that matches the wall color, or paint it with the wall paint if you want something more permanent. That would set off the white dishes, and make the cabinet feel 'seated' in the corner. I would also look into a few plate racks, etc. to show off the dishes, rather than just having them in there in stacks. Perhaps that is already in the plans. Just have a few of the place settings and accessory pieces on display, and store the rest of it below.

One question. I think I see a window seat by the bow window? Have you ever considered turning the table and using that as seating on one side? I realize you would have to realign the lighting, but it seems like such an unexpected yet cool way to use the space.

Love your house.

I love it! I also really love the way the dark woodwork plays against it ... combined with your blue & white pieces, it's gorgeous!

The photo with the blue vases and candles made me gasp. Seriously, it looks (but for the modern pendant lamp) like a 17th century Dutch still life.

I don't know of any Vermeer's with red interiors, but many of his paintings have maps (like you) and floral rugs (draped on tables more than on the wall, not suggesting that!) and several include gold frames. So it all works for me!

That being said, the dark trim is perfect. A big vase of mixed tulips on the table in one of those gorgeous blue & white vases, and a smaller bowl of oranges, wow that would be amazing in an art-history-lover way.

I like the color, and the woodwork, but not necessarily together. Would you consider lightening up the red, so that the value of the color is not so similar to the woodwork? Your blue and white porcelain looks wonderful against a red background. I would paint the inside of the cupboard either blue or red,and find a great fabric with a blue and red pattern on a mostly white background for your curtains.

What a wonderful old house!

I LOVE the red! It looks great.

I have a red dining room also.

And while I'm a big fan of painted woodwork, I'd say hold off on that for a bit. I really like your woodwork with the red paint. It's a great look!

Try the window treatments first and see if that lightens up enough for you.

Wow! Look at you go, girl! I love the red. I love that rug, too. I think you're going to notice a big difference the next time you hold a gathering in that room. I think people will open up and talk more, eat more, be more passionate. Let us know how that mom's day dinner goes, huh?

Wait.. did you say you are taking those candelabra to the attic??? They are great--are they brass?

The red looks great, and would look great with either wood or painted, although I too agree white is more ordinary.. your door and window sills are just gorgeous... but then again, they would be gorgeous painted too!

To carry over from a previous thread .. I read on the Nesting Place, to use SCRAPBOOK PAPER on the back of a cabinet to showcase the dishes in front.. maybe you could find some pretty red stripe to coordinate with your red toile pillows/cushions... or just plain red paper...
or red dots.. etc.. I think it would be inexpensive, or you may even have some already!

Beautiful.
They say(some people)a red room really works on a man's
romantic (yeah, right) side.
So be on guard Mothers Day that DH doesn't go beserk and throw you up on the table
for dessert with guests present.
Heehee, that would be sooooooooo funny! Well, maybe not.
Your DR is going to be magazine beautiful. Good job.

Thanks everyone - it's coming along pretty well so far. Yesterday I got the ceiling painted.

Curtains aren't hung yet & the chandelier isn't hung, but that's okay - Rome wasn't built in a day!

DH brought his grandmother's mirror home & it is much larger than I remembered. Very heavy too. It fell off the wall & DH fixed the frame for me this morning & rehung it while I was in bed. I LOVE IT!!!!!! So much so that I am keeping it there permanently as I think that it balances out the candelabra's that I have & was always having such a hard time w/ due to their size. They always overpowered my buffet. But taking Bettycbowens advice I looked at things again & I like the way that between the largeness of the mirror, candelabra's & mass of blue & white I think that it works. At least for me!

I threw some landscape pics up. I will work on their arrangement later.

The table is set for Mother's Day dinner (I wish that the pink roses outside the window were blooming):

And my center piece that I threw together w/ fruit & strawberry runner flowers & other foliage from my garden:

Ttodd,
You are the paintingest (okay, so not a real word) person I have ever seen!! Love it:)

Your DH's grandmothers mirror is out of this world gorgeous & looks wonderful over the buffet.

The candleabra are wonderful, too. I really like them alot & they really make a statement!! Good one:)

Smiles:)

That mirror is really beautiful and I like it above your buffet. I have a similar round mirror above mine and while I know that the two styles don't mesh.............I don't much care. Your dishes are so cool looking. You may need to edit them down a bit eventually, but for now, more is more and it's a lush look.

Red

It all works perfectly together! Wow. It looks like an antique collection of heirlooms. That mirror is so great- and looks awesome with the candelabras. I never would have thought the red would be so great with the blue and white collection- but it is. Someone referred to Vermeer, and it has that lush feeling! Your old landscaping pictures are the finishing touch.

So, how was mother's day? Your table settings and centerpiece are lovely;-)

Gorgeous! I actually was going to paint my dining room red...however, the exposure to the DR is poor & it's a small room. You are fortunate to be able to pull it off. It looks like you have great ceiling height and great windows. Red toile will look great...I also see blak/white toile. Think it may break up the red alittle. Great carpet choice too. The only thing it looks like a bigger print...would it get lost under the table?? Don't know it's just a thought.....Lastly, could you put fabric or wallpaper inside the hutch. If you did fabric, I'm sure you can get coordinating accessories for example, a runner. I know you have helped me before (remember silver sage girl). Considering the size of the room I decided just to do both the LR and DR in the silver sage with white wood work. Thank you for your help!!

I think your room looks so rich now! Could you please consider keeping the blue and white...it looks so pretty there!

OMG, it looks great! I LOVE the bluse and white against the red. Just like you have it too! The mirror balances out the candleabra, although I would like to see the mirror a tad higher. It all looks wonderful! What a wonderful Mother's Day gift to yourself!

WOW! You know, I don't normally like unpainted wood trim (I'm a wood painter) but I really like the way your trim looks now. Very dreamy room!!

Great color of red. I'd kill for that woodwork around the windows.

Since I will only be in this home for a short period of time & I think that the style of the home lends itself to that sort of 'cluttered antique' look, I've decided to take all of your advice & leave it all the way that it is. While it may not be the style I want to live w/ permanently I do like it. Thank you all for your kind words and gentle prodding about keeping the blue & white & not painting the trim.

Soon I will begin my mission of the back of the hutch & curtain rods. Thought DH would get the chandelier hung this wknd. coming up but other things are calling him.

Kmcg, I'd go a bit higher too w/ the mirror but I think I'll wait to spring that on DH a little bit later. He went through so much getting it for me (stuck in Philly traffic for over 3hrs trying to retrieve it for me), fixing it for me & then hanging it twice. I don't want to give him a heart attack.

It makes me feel so good to look around my DR & have his grandparents dining set & mirror in there. He never really had a chance to know them & I swear someone could offer me a brand new high end table & chairs & I'd turn them down to keep what I have.

Lisa, until the huge tree fell down in the back yard I don't think that I could have ever seen this rm. in red. I too can see black & white in here as well as my fave color, green. It's so easy to just store the blue & white in the window benches for a quick new look.