Preface:
The trees are sage green, but there's a dreary breeze rustling through the leaves. It still feels summery with the sun casting its intense rays and making the flowers hang their precious little heads. As I step outside, the warm air rushes against my face. I inhale and smell the faint fragrance of a fire lingering in the air. Haze covers the beautiful blue sky, while the sun is smouldering with a fierce red glow. Fires are burning. This is September in California.
I remember when I was a child, September use to be a backpack filled with yummy back to school treats, a light sweater, and the fresh scent of newly sharpened pencils and bubblegum scented erasers. When the final bell rang to send us home, I would meet my older sister and we would take the bus and walk to our home. At dinner time, mom would make us a nourishing meal. We would lay the table with flowers and linens, and mom would serve the food. We would spend the evening replaying all the events of our day over the dining room table. Life was so simple, so engaging and this feeling seemed to give me ease.
Today, my purse is filled with mosquito repellent, sunblock, a face mask, hand sanitizer and blotting wipes, not to mention Eucalyptus oil to help me breath. These early autumn days don't feel the same. I am working from home, but what does that even mean. The days move so fast, I don't even recall what I've done the day before. Some days, I spend on endless hours of calls without breaks to move around. My body aching from being sedentary and my mind yearning to get out of the routine. My two little loves move actively about the day. No in person school, and no help for mom and dad to get them on their way. My husband and I juggle to give them attention between the reports, emails and lengthy calls. Giving these loves something to look forward to each day. The last scheduled call of the day comes to an end, and I wish I could get just 30 minutes of "me" time to just decompress; but no, its snack time and dinner is quickly approaching. I look at my family and then around my house, I wish there was an oasis for us to retreat to. Something to cheer us up... as I think back to the days spent on the dinner table, I think "AHA At Last!"
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Creating an Oasis in Your Dining Area
The last few weeks I have looked at our dining area and dreaded the thought of dinner time. The sheer thought of having to come up with another dinner menu that will fill the two picky eaters in my household (husband and daughter) accompanied by the ongoing snacking and cleaning (as we are all at home) just have me at my wits. To get my juju back, I knew I needed to protect this space and give it a sense of purpose again.
Several months back, I had removed all the table linens and decor from our dining table because it seemed to be easier to orchestrate dinner time without getting a stain or having to move something because of fear it may break. The table sat there naked and cold without any furnishings to bring it to life. It is astonishing how much a naked table impacted my feeling about this space. I suppose a blank canvas can spark an emotion. When I asked my husband about his thoughts, he concurred; his feelings about eating on the dining table was "whatever" during the past few months. He felt more inclined to eat on the couch because he felt more comfortable.
This feedback triggered me to bring our space back to life. Our dining area would remain naked no more. I was determined to create an ambiance that was comfortable, uplifting and could provide us refuge from a busy and long day.
Color
Autumn ( or Fall) often becomes associated to the wonderful holidays that take place during its duration (September 22 to Late December 21). However, I would argue that Fall decor does not need to be about holidays, but rather about the colors you select in your decor and how they make you feel. Trust me, I love pumpkins and fuzzy throws; but color has the ability to spark emotion and feelings (I will explain further). Typically, colors tend to create emotions and evoke a mood that can fill a space and define that space. This is very useful when you are re-imagining a space in your home because you are transforming it from what it was to what it will be. Specifically, in this case I wanted to create a comfortable, uplifting and secure space so I turned to the color wheel for help. The color palette I selected included blue, green, orange, and pink.
Blue - attributes a sense of security, loyalty anranquility (primary color) - cool
Green - attributes a sense of health, growth and freshness (secondary color) - cool
Orange- attributes a sense of confidence, courageousness and being approachable (Secondary color) - warm
Pink- attributes a sense of balance, transformation and passion (tertiary color) - warm
To some people this color selection may seem busy, however it is based on the tetradic color scheme. In a tetradic color scheme, a neutral based is used with four colors to provide balance to the space. The temperature of the colors plays a significant role in this and it is suggested that two of the colors should be warm hues and two colors should be cool hues. Trust me, this transformation from a blank canvas has sparked so much excitement for my family. I often just walk by or sit down to soak in the feelings I have when I am in this space. I should note, that selecting a color palette with this amount of color variation should be done in a strategic manner. You want to break up solid pieces, textures and patterns otherwise the room could be a overly stimulating, specifically for young children.
Texture and Function
You may be thinking to yourself; how can setting the table work for me? I have children who will not keep it like this and will destroy it. If you read the previous section, you know, I was right there with you. I have two little ladies. A 1-year-old who loves to throw food and make a mess, and a 4-year-old who refuses to eat any food. When looking for table linens, dinnerware, or stemware; I always suggest to look for function in your fabrics and textiles. The linens I use are all cotton based and can be machine washed on a cold setting and tumble dried. You can keep your linens lasting a long time by hanging them up instead of folding. This will allow the fabrics to breath and be wrinkle free when you are ready to use them. An added bonus is adding a dryer sheet between your linens to keep a fresh scent. For dinnerware and stemware, specifically with children I would suggest implementing melamine dinnerware. I used melamine dinner plates and salad plates in my dining room transformation pictured above. Melamine is break resistant, most are dishwasher safe, BPA, phthalate and lead free. Below are a few of my favorites.
Utilizing textures in your dining area is a great way to hide spills or any mess as well. The runner and napkins used in this transformation are cotton but have a velvety look and a patchwork design. In addition, I used Round Pressed Vinyl Gold Placemats that can be cleaned easily with soapy water and a sponge. For the chairs, I used a darker blue hue and went with a velvety finish. Velvet is a tricky fabric to clean, but velvet can usually be cleaned easily with soapy water, a sponge and a brush. I do kn
ow my 4-year-old does love the texture of these velvet chairs. She said, "Mommy the chair feels like it's giving me a hug!"
Last, the decor I chose for early fall does have a Bohemian Global Chic vibe. If you are looking to have a more neutral color palette then the Multicolor Patchwork Haveli Table Runner and napkins, I have linked a few other options on my LIKEtoKnow.it page. These alternative options will provide you brown tones that evoke a earthy, natural and wholesome mood to your room.
Bring joy to your home by defining the meaning of dining together
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