Room of the Day: A Place for the Whole Family to Gather
A designer helps a Southern California homeowner hone her style and rethink her dining and living rooms for entertaining
A pipe collapsed under this Southern California home, leaving Therese Casey and Oscar Delgado with a remodeling project at their feet whether they liked it or not. They used this unfortunate event to rethink their home’s layout and to create a space that would truly work for them and reflect their style.
The floor needed to be replaced, but beyond that, they decided to widen the entry and to paint the walls in both the living room and the dining room. This is when they decided to swap the two rooms. Casey knew that moving the dining room to the front of the home was a little unconventional, but she was determined to make the switch in hopes that it would enhance the home’s flow.
Once they switched the furniture, Casey started to question her decision. “How was I going to tie all this together? What rugs and window treatments do I select? Should I even change the rooms at all?” she says she asked herself. “That’s when I reached out to Lisette Young.”
The floor needed to be replaced, but beyond that, they decided to widen the entry and to paint the walls in both the living room and the dining room. This is when they decided to swap the two rooms. Casey knew that moving the dining room to the front of the home was a little unconventional, but she was determined to make the switch in hopes that it would enhance the home’s flow.
Once they switched the furniture, Casey started to question her decision. “How was I going to tie all this together? What rugs and window treatments do I select? Should I even change the rooms at all?” she says she asked herself. “That’s when I reached out to Lisette Young.”
The table and chairs fill most of the dining room, which is what the family needed. “Seating for at least 10 in the dining area was a must,” Casey says. “With a large extended family and friends all close by, we have visitors and family drop in all the time. The dining area is where we gather on these occasions and throughout the day.”
On top of ample seating, Young also needed to design a dining room that was kid- and family-friendly. She had an 8-foot table to work around. Casey and Delgado brought it home from Mexico 15 years ago, and Casey has since stained it darker.
Young used three types of seating to meet the family’s needs and to keep an eclectic style in the space. On the left, a long bench made of wood and metal seats at least four adults or six little ones with ease. The pillow covers are removable and washable, a detail Casey greatly appreciates. On the right, Young chose four chairs also made of wood and metal. These materials are low-maintenance and durable, which means they can withstand food spills and stray crayon scribbles. On the ends, Young chose two jewel-toned velvet chairs to give the parents a more sophisticated place to sit.
“The space works perfectly!” Casey says. “The children didn’t skip a beat and broke out the homework, crafts and messy stuff the very day the table was in its new spot! The bench is their favorite place to sit.”
On top of ample seating, Young also needed to design a dining room that was kid- and family-friendly. She had an 8-foot table to work around. Casey and Delgado brought it home from Mexico 15 years ago, and Casey has since stained it darker.
Young used three types of seating to meet the family’s needs and to keep an eclectic style in the space. On the left, a long bench made of wood and metal seats at least four adults or six little ones with ease. The pillow covers are removable and washable, a detail Casey greatly appreciates. On the right, Young chose four chairs also made of wood and metal. These materials are low-maintenance and durable, which means they can withstand food spills and stray crayon scribbles. On the ends, Young chose two jewel-toned velvet chairs to give the parents a more sophisticated place to sit.
“The space works perfectly!” Casey says. “The children didn’t skip a beat and broke out the homework, crafts and messy stuff the very day the table was in its new spot! The bench is their favorite place to sit.”
Casey owned a lot of art and collectibles because of her own antiques shopping and family inheritance. “She has a good eye and a good sense of style,” Young says. “I wanted to incorporate her belongings, but there was a lot of stuff, so I knew we would have to edit.”
Young believed that a gallery wall behind the dining room table would be a great way to showcase many of Casey’s art pieces. “It’s also right inside the front door,” Young says, “and it’s nice to see some of our favorite things when we walk in the door.”
The art gallery hangs on a wall covered in wallpaper. The couple was surprised that Young wanted to introduce this into the room, but once they saw the gray paper with a touch of shine and texture, they were sold. “It adds a little bit of drama,” Young says.
Young put a rug underneath the table to help define the space, give the room more color and make the expanse of light-colored flooring more cozy.
Young believed that a gallery wall behind the dining room table would be a great way to showcase many of Casey’s art pieces. “It’s also right inside the front door,” Young says, “and it’s nice to see some of our favorite things when we walk in the door.”
The art gallery hangs on a wall covered in wallpaper. The couple was surprised that Young wanted to introduce this into the room, but once they saw the gray paper with a touch of shine and texture, they were sold. “It adds a little bit of drama,” Young says.
Young put a rug underneath the table to help define the space, give the room more color and make the expanse of light-colored flooring more cozy.
The wall across from the art gallery serves as a welcoming and seating area. The couple have a lot of pop-in visitors, so they frequently need a cozy place to just sit and chat.
The rocking chair on the right is a family heirloom that Casey wanted to have in the design. Young paired this must-have with a wicker chair the family already owned.
Young used the small slot of wall inside the front door to display more of Casey’s antiques and to create a small bar area. The gold shelf comes out about 9 inches, which was perfect for the items she needed to display and store.
Drapes: custom
The rocking chair on the right is a family heirloom that Casey wanted to have in the design. Young paired this must-have with a wicker chair the family already owned.
Young used the small slot of wall inside the front door to display more of Casey’s antiques and to create a small bar area. The gold shelf comes out about 9 inches, which was perfect for the items she needed to display and store.
Drapes: custom
The dining room leads into this redesigned living space. Young broke the long room into two spaces: a sitting area with a TV and a fireplace, and a place to play piano.
This space keeps a similar color palette, with bursts of gold, emerald and sapphire. “I enjoyed working with clients that were OK with bold colors.” Casey bought the green sofa before Young started on the project, so the family was already headed in a bold direction before Young arrived.
The two chairs and multiple ottomans give the family additional seating options. “I hosted a baby shower a couple weeks ago, and it was amazing how many people fit in this space,” Casey says. “Because of the creative use of ottomans, we went from seating for five or six in our old living room to now being able to seat 12 comfortably.”
Flynton chairs and ottomans: Office Star Products; Sven sofa: Article; pillows: Target; Diamond Elayne rug: nuLoom
This space keeps a similar color palette, with bursts of gold, emerald and sapphire. “I enjoyed working with clients that were OK with bold colors.” Casey bought the green sofa before Young started on the project, so the family was already headed in a bold direction before Young arrived.
The two chairs and multiple ottomans give the family additional seating options. “I hosted a baby shower a couple weeks ago, and it was amazing how many people fit in this space,” Casey says. “Because of the creative use of ottomans, we went from seating for five or six in our old living room to now being able to seat 12 comfortably.”
Flynton chairs and ottomans: Office Star Products; Sven sofa: Article; pillows: Target; Diamond Elayne rug: nuLoom
One challenge in this room was the lack of light. Young brought in an overhead option with lots of bulbs. She supplemented that with sconces above the art along the wall.
Young also curated Casey’s green glass collection and helped her display her most-treasured pieces on the shelves around the fireplace. Many of those pieces have been in Casey’s family for more than 30 years.
Read more Room of the Day stories
Young also curated Casey’s green glass collection and helped her display her most-treasured pieces on the shelves around the fireplace. Many of those pieces have been in Casey’s family for more than 30 years.
Read more Room of the Day stories
Dining Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Therese Casey, Oscar Delgado and their 10-year-old son, Paul
Location: Ontario, California
Size: 144 square feet (13.4 square meters)
Designer: Lisette Young, principal designer at Lisette Young Interiors
When Young walked into the home, it had gray walls and neutral belongings. “At first, I thought that was their style,” Young says, “but then I started to notice all the art and antiques they had, and I knew they really wanted pops of color.”
With a sense of their style, Young moved on to figuring out how the room needed to function for the family. The couple has one child who still lives with them, five grown children and 16 grandchildren who frequently stop by to visit. This large group needed a space that could accommodate the constant flow of activity, Young says.
The more Young looked at the front room, the more she agreed with Casey that it should be the dining room. Not only does the family spend a lot of time eating around the table and entertaining, but the front room is also closer to the kitchen. The hallway at the back of this photo leads straight to the kitchen.
Bullion wallpaper: Albany Lustre collection, Wallpaperdirect; navy accent chairs: Murano; Clorinda Tribal Medallion rug: nuLoom; Ella mirror with Sunbeam frame: Office Star Products; chandelier: homeowners’ own