Colin and Justin: Delicious dining
May 8, 2010
Colin and Justin
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Please don’t think us fickle. As much as we pride ourselves on adding colour wherever we can, we’re also not afraid to take colour away should we decree there’s already too much. As designers go, we’re hardly shrinking violets and have, in our time, concocted colour arrangements that have made certain commentators suggest we’ve raised the bar just a little too far. However, as we’ve said a million times, we’re all about “client relevance.” Which means that when we composed a pink kitchen, it was at our client’s behest. And when another style deprivee asked for a purple food prep zone, we were only too happy to oblige. No point, after all, in delivering anything less than our paymasters’ expectation.
Of course, in any good designer debate, there exists a flip side to the same decorating coin. Which is why the dining room witnessed in our before shot became somewhat controversial. Our clients, you see, an adorable family with a penchant for colour, admitted they got into a pickle as they composed their previously overpowering space. Definitely an eat and go zone (would you have lingered in that red painted room?) rather than somewhere to gather en famille, it needed serious reparative attention. Having met (and subsequently fallen in love with) the family, we knew we had to do something (okay, pretty much everything) to create a room they would love, one which would reflect their warm, friendly personalities.
So. Red. Actually a regular stop-off point on the C&J colour wheel. Considered by therapists the world over to be a vibrant an uplifting shade, we’ve used it, in its variant guises, to add impact and drama on a million occasions. But we’ve always cautioned that dramatic shades like rich berry or deepest crimson can, in the wrong hands, overpower and confuse. Particularly if your project room, like this one, has no windows to help brighten proceedings.
Arranged, semi-open concept to the living room beyond, it made better sense to take the room in a whole new direction. Mom, a talented painter and sculptor, saw certain wisdom as we proposed a neutral backdrop against which she could subsequently layer different accessories as and when required. But there was a snag. Ain’t there always? As we were also tackling a massive bathroom reno as part of the same project, we would have to limit our spend as we went about our transformative duties. While our purse strings were somewhat constricted, our imaginations were anything but.
Floor
Bliss! A floor that didn’t need to be replaced or even, for that matter, resurfaced. As much as our busy mom has a gaggle of little angels to care for, she’d always found time to maintain her nest and had looked after the floor, resulting in its near perfect condition. With a little designer spit and polish (no of course not literally, we actually employed clear wax) and a sweep of the Swiffer, it was as good as new. Bearing in mind that even basic new floorboards can run into thousands of dollars, we were already saving much needed cash.
Wallpaper
Rather than use latex, we lavished the walls with “mock croc” paper to add subtle detailing. While the “barely there” pattern may be hard to discern on newsprint, in the flesh (make that, ahem, faux flesh) it actually boasts a three dimensional quality.
Tip: These days there are loads of animal print papers available, but we’d counsel restraint. Unless, that is, you want your space to resemble the props department of Jurassic Park. If you still feel the need to employ a bigger print paper (what, even after our guidance?) then, for the love of all that’s good and just, limit application to accent walls or discreet zones.
Trim
As an attractive framework for our brand-new look, we coloured trim (doors, skirting boards, etc.) using satin black, water-based eggshell. The composition of product such as this has changed dramatically during the last years and we’re glad to report it now shares similar resilience with its oil-based cousins. It’s also worth noting that required drying time, between coats, is a fraction of oil-based paint and odour emission is negligible.
Tip: The key to a successful result, as always, is good prep. In the first instance, sand existing paint, then lightly abrade between undercoats and subsequent layers.
Dining table
Our client explained her existing table was perfectly sized for family dining. But she was concerned its reddish brown stain would be at odds with our proposed new vision. After animated dialogue (“You can’t paint that, it’s real wood” versus our rejoinder, “Yes we can, it’ll look so much better”), we set to work. For the record, we’re always respectful of quality furniture. Had this table been a finely crafted antique (or even a good quality modern reproduction) we wouldn’t have been so inclined, perhaps, to lacquer it dramatic jet. However, this table was simply a mass-produced carthorse with little, if any, design provenance.
Chairs
We love these hand-built timber fellows. In fact, we love them so much that, when we discovered them in a beautiful store manned by dedicated artisans, we ordered an extra set for our own Toronto condo. With yielding timber struts spanning the perfect back width, they boast traditional lines but are brought bang up to date with a satin black paint treatment. As much as we’re often modernistic as we compose our visions, we also love to massage the past to make even better of original ideas. During a recent loft project, we used these same chairs again, but specified them in bright, funky colours and dressed them around a massive glass and steel table. In any incarnation, they look fabulous, though in a gold dressed room like this, they seem particularly at home.
Credenza
We’ll come clean — we’re currently under the spell of the blessed consignment store. For the last while, we’ve been plundering these meccas for all manner of bargains ranging from coffee tables to wardrobes and from bedsteads to kitchen cabinetry. Stores like these, by their very definition, boast regularly changing consignments of product. Therefore it’s difficult to know exactly what you’ll find each time you visit. On this particular pilgrimage we found (for $150) this gorgeous credenza which, in its original life, adorned the foyer of a grand Canadian hotel. Updated with a large sunburst mirror and flanked either side with curio lamps, it is instantly reborn as part a commanding vignette.
Light fitting
To echo the long shape of the table and provide an even spread of illumination for diners, we tracked down this rectilinear black shade with its myriad droplets of crystal clear glass. Whether switched on to softly diffuse electric light, or switched off and illuminated from below by intimate candlelight, it’s a surefire winner in the style stakes. We love the way that, in even the slightest breeze, the gorgeous droplets dance and swing creating visual, sculptural interest.
Next week: One for the guys! We transform Canada’s messiest garage (you gotta see this one to believe it) into a slick workshop complete with macho tool storage and ample space for the car!
Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan are the hosts of HGTV’s Colin & Justin’s Home Heist (Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m.) and the authors of Colin & Justin’s Home Heist Style Guide, published by Penguin Group (Canada). Follow them on twitter @colinjustin or on Facebook. Contact them through their website, www.colinandjustin.tv.
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