.
After Desi finished prettying up the exterior of our house
this summer, we went to work on the Dining Room. (With a
chef in the family, the mealtime setting is very important!)

Inspired by Desi's birthday trip, we decided on a rich,
luxurious New Orleans theme, with a delicious color
scheme of raspberry, gold & merlot.

We agreed to not to change the walls, which are painted a
lovely deep raspberry color, and which form a wonderful
background for dining.

The furniture, too, we decided to leave in its current tones
of white mahogany. Desi recovered the chair seats with a
beautiful white damask fabric we had on hand. The only
other change she made was painting the interior of the
china cabinet a metallic gold.

I installed a ceiling fan in place of the nondescript
chandelier (which found a home in the entry hall).
Actually, I installed TWO ceiling fans in there. When the
first (a Hampton Bay fan) stopped working after a month, I
replaced it with a Hunter--the only brand we use now.


While Desi painted the French doors & window frame the
same metallic gold, I went to work sewing curtains.

The fabric (bought on sale, naturally!) is a wonderful,
semi-sheer, slightly crinkled paisley patchwork in the
colors of the room. Because of its sheerness, I lined the
draperies with an ever-changing material, cross-woven
with gold & burgandy threads. (Not a soul would ever
guess it cost just $3/yard at Walmart!)

We decided to play up the beauty of the fabrics by merely
draping them over ornate black wrought iron rods.
The wonderful rose picture is really comprised of TWO
pictures. Desi gilded & matted the picture of roses &
centered it on another picture we weren't as fond of,
creating the look of very expensive double matting. She
glued a fabulous golden fringe on a pair of bargain buffet
lamps. When lighted, the beads look like golden rain.
Meanwhile, I made up the buffet runner from curtain
scraps.
We brought in the large plaster cherub from the living
room & Desi brightened up the two floral arrangements
which we've had for years. The small table, rose picture &
decanters were already there. Later, we'll make a faux
fireplace on the wall which adjoins the kitchen....