So I didn’t have a chance to post properly on this before our winter holiday trip but the Saarinen table was delivered just hours before we left for the airport. Yay! You can see that I went off to vacation extremely happy as the table looks even more amazing in the space than I had hoped!
For those of you just tuning in, earlier this fall I posted a three-part series (here, here and here) on trying to decide what to choose for our dining room. Years in small homes in NYC and Tokyo meant that we never really had space for a proper dining room set up. After writing about the Saarinen table as option 2, a dear friend living in Malaysia wrote to say that she had one and didn’t need it anymore as she was moving back to an already furnished home in the US! Since the table is not available here in Doha we looked into shipping and it really wasn’t an unreasonable proposition for a table this fabulous. Six weeks or so later, it arrived.
I always planned to do a mix of chairs as I find a matched set around the oval table to feel very heavy and dull (peek in Google images and you’ll agree). Mid-century chairs are one of my favorite looks but there are none to be had here. On the other hand, a curvy French chair, like this bergère, also sets off the lines of the table perfectly.
French chairs look great mixed with more modern ones too.
Remember those French chairs I got for free? That story still needs to be told but when I got them I knew they would be perfect for the table – it was just a matter of reupholstery. While I am still considering patterned fabrics, the light backgrounds on those seem like they might disappear against all that white and pale gray. I’ve also been weighing up using a solid, in particular a strong clear green to pick up the color from the Japanese screen at the other end of the room.
To balance out the more serious formality of those (and perhaps because I just don’t have many other choices here) we are going with 4 IKEA Tobias Chairs to round out the seating. Using a clear lucite chair with the tulip table is common as it lets the lines of the table shine through with less leg clutter. Typically people use a Louis-style Ghost chair but I have seen only a single one for sale here and I never actually find them that comfortable to sit in. The Tobias is very comfy, simple and so inexpensive that they can serve as placeholders until I find something else.
I’ve been assuming the addition of a Madeline Weinrib dhurrie underneath for some time. I’m thinking Mandala in Platinum or Steel, but more likely the former as I love the striations in the weave.
The fun part is layering in the unusual accessories. The long stored Chinese embroidered bed valence is coming out for the window treatment.
A pair of Italian gilt sconces that I scooped up antiquing in New Jersey this summer will be the new family coat of arms.
A gallery wall of favorite art including this etching by Shinji ANDO as well as my many shrine sale finds will grace the wall above the Empire dresser, which funnily enough is the first real piece of antique furniture I ever bought as a young adult. It has followed us from home to home, country to country and is still one of my favorites.
And a massive gorgeous painting by Doha based artist Pip Hoy will be the centerpiece of the opposite wall.
So not to get ahead of myself, but here’s a sneak peek of progress as I publish…
Not finished with all the art hanging, but as you can see, I’ve been a busy beaver since we got back.
Related Posts:
Dining Room Option One…Inspiration from Isabel Lopez-Quesada
Dining Room Option Two…Inspiration from Angie Hranowsky
Dining Room Option Three…Inspiration from T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
Image credits: All photos via my Instagram feed or as linked with the exception of #2. Lilly Bunn, #3. credit unknown, photo via The Green Room Interiors.
Pip Hoy
OMG….. I’m in your blog!!
Thanks Jacqueline!!
Are you OK if I post your blog on my website and social media sites?
Px
PS am seriously loving the table. It’s stunning.
Sent from my iPhone
Tokyo Jinja
Just you wait Pip, there needs to be an entire post on you and your paintings! And yes, please feel free to share this with your social media sites!
Sent from my iPhone
vanessa
I love it all! The table, the green fabric on the chairs, the amazing painting!!!
Vx
Tokyo Jinja
Thank you so much Vanessa!
lisa jardine
wow. ab fab. right out of a magazine. nice work.
Tokyo Jinja
Thanks!!!
Steve@AnUrbanCottage
What a fantastically eclectic, or eclectically fantastic–I’m not sure which–room! That green totally makes it.
Tokyo Jinja
Thanks so much Steve!
Katie Keller
You are brilliant…I’m not thoroughly familiar with your process in this new location so forgive me if you’ve already explained your intentions for the floor. Are you okay with the tile? The rug will certainly help. If you don’t like it, there’s always the old wall-to-wall sisal. That would supply cohesion as well. The green is so straight forward and beautiful! Seems too that a little more “earth” (wood, etc.) might be welcome- since you didn’t ask! Seriously love your musings, as well as your abilities!
Tokyo Jinja
Thanks so much! There is no choice on the tile – its a rental after all – but if you want more on that subject there is an earlier post “Bringing Warmth to Tile Floors”. As for the need for wood/earth, I agree and there is an inlaid trunk on the wall you can’t see and a brown leather Chesterfield nearby.
Angela
Its looking good Jacqueline, love the artwork by Pip!
mountainsandmagnolias
Hi Jacqueline,
I just discovered your wonderful blog while searching for design & decor in Tokyo. It’s beautiful! I will be joining the ASIJ community this fall…I’m sad our paths didn’t cross. Thank you for all the information on shrine sales; I will most certainly be visiting those!
He Giveth…And He Taketh Away | Tokyo Jinja
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