Maison21's OCDD Design Challenge - A Lofty Oasis Dining Decor

The "Obsessive Compulsive Decorating Disorder Design Challenge” on Maison21's blog has really captured my interest. Christian sure knows how to make interior design fun! I just had try since I love hunting for treasures and putting design elements together. I thought it would make a great post for my new blog too.

Christian is redoing his Client's new lofty abode and that's got him wanting to spruce up his place too, especially his dining room. We get to help by designing a look for the room. “The objective is to take a few disparate elements” from Christian's collection at Maison21 and "incorporate them with our own choices." There are a few requirements but it’s up to us to put it together and create a beautiful design. My goal is that I hope the "Client" loves their place and that others love it too.

We will pull in elements of Christian's current obsession with animals and nature, Francois and Claude Lalanne's iconic sheep stools and Michael Taylor's Interior Design and the art of Cy Twombly together with some concepts for his Client and apply them to the dining room at the Maison21 Atelier. While it is a rather small place, it has a lot of light as there are windows on three sides (walls). The primary color that Christian has chosen to work with is beige… Yep, B E I G E. Christian said we can add a splash of black to the palate but feels that beige can be rather, ah... blahze. Let’s see if I can change his mind!

Christian and his Client like antiques and vintage items and modern things. They want to add industrial chic and ethic flavors to the mix as well. What a combination! The industrial loft part was a challenge for me. In the process of trying to get this overall look, I ended up creating a few other faux rooms that just didn't seem right based on the requirements. The other rooms seemed to evoke a different style in the end, one even turned out ultra modern. So I kept going back to the drawing board. I didn't give up and tweaked my ideas some more. Perhaps my design conveys a softer side of the Industrial style, more polished. I'm still not sure if I've pulled it off, I don't think it's beige enough, but I'm open to your thoughts and suggestions.

So, here's the plan. Some of the elements have already been chosen... the floors are cerused oak and the walls and ceiling are painted beige. We must choose one or two items from Christian's Maison21 inventory. I've snagged the ultra fabulous dolphin table for myself. I mean the Client... and I took the drapes... and that fish wanted to come along too.

I’m very excited to present the dazzling new lofty oasis dining décor! The dining room was created using beige and black, bronze and copper, a chunk of chocolate and a hint of soft blue and white with carefully chosen antiques and vintage items, and some modern pieces too. Hopefully the room exudes a glamorous chic ambiance with a softer side of Industrial decor and ethnic undertones to create a relaxing place to dine in style! Here are my picks and pics.



The floors at Christian's place are cerused oak with a glaze wash.



The walls and trim are painted in soothing colors of beige. The paint is by Benjamin Moore and we will use White Dove oc-17 for the trim and Malton #1073 on the walls. Christian might even wash a glaze of the White Dove over the Malton for a venetian plaster effect.



The mesh curtain panels are from West Elm. They were in with Christian's collection for the dining room. They are in a nice shade of beige and look kind of sparkly as the light shines through them into the room.



The gorgeous ceramic room dividers called "Xwall" are from Naxos, a high end Italian tile company, and exude a lofty mid-century modern aesthetic. I discovered their company and products through Trendir. The dividers would look good at the entrance to the dining room or to break up the space if needed.



The contemporary hand-knotted rug is designed by Chris Baisa for Delinear and the pattern is called Doppler. I discovered the company through Industrial Storm. Chris Baisa and Delinear are members of RugMark, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the illegal use of child labor and creating educational opportunities for the children in South Asia where many rugs are made.

I think the Doppler rug looks like air bubbles from fish in a pond. The beige circles pick up on other circular elements in the room, such as the glass table top, the fishes eyes and the chandelier.



The fabulous bronze dolphin table shown in the first picture is from Christian's spectacular inventory at his Maison21 Atelier in Los Angeles, California.

Christian's dolphin table can be seen in greater detail on 1st Dibs, the greatest source of antique, mid-century modern, and vintage furniture and lighting, and jewelry too. The 1970's bronze dolphin table has a base in gray and gold patina bronze with a thick glass top surface but it may be a bit too shiny for Christian and the new dining room.



I found another dolphin table that is slightly different than Maison21's. It's listed as an Italian Bronze Table with Glass Top c. 1940's with 1st Dibs via Craig Van Den Brulle. If I had to choose between the two, I would pick this one as perhaps it has the more desirable toned down patina.



The fabulous french metal cabinet is also from 1st Dibs via Michel Contessa. The beautiful and rare French metal cabinet is made of copper with brass pulls and there are glass shelves on each side. The craftsmanship is exceptional "like a jewelry box." It was made in France in the 1970's and is attributed to Maison Jansen. Decorati has another photo and description of the fantastic buffet too.

I hope the copper metal adds a bit of the industrial element, although it may not be enough, and that the earthy golden hue casts an ethnic feel over the room. The triangular handles form a square motif that plays well with the three dolphins and the square room dividers.



The chairs are from a company called Oly. "Oly was founded in Berkeley, California in 1999 by Bay Area designers Kate McIntyre and Brad Huntzinger, who's vision was to simply provide good designs at affordable prices. Oly's furniture and accessories present a fresh blend of clean lines and antique motifs. The line consists of dining and occassional chairs and tables, beds and case goods, mirrors and sconces, chandeliers and ceramics, silk pillows and quilts, plus a large collecion of home decor objects. Blending the traditional with the contemporary, Oly provides retailers and designers with a style that works well in a wide range of environments." Oly's website also offers the excellent ability to print a beautiful tear sheet for reference.

The Oly chair I have chosen is called "Maude." They have an open back with an upholstered seat and are shown in black with bronze leather. I thought the back of the chairs mimicked the curve of the dolphins. Plus, they look comfortable and will slide in around the table well. This also adds black to the color palette.



Let's add a pair of French laminate side tables from 1st Dibs via Caira Mandaglio. They were made in France in the 1960's and are a pair of chic chocolate brown laminate side tables (or night stands) with one drawer and shelf beneath. They have very smart metal frames and are attributed to Maison Jansen too.

The color and design go so well with the buffet cabinet. Hopefully their strong lines create a bit of industrial strength the room needs and the deep brown laminate blends in well with the other tones. They will come in handy for extra serving pieces or bar ware or displaying other treasures.



The chandelier is also from Oly and is called "Serena." It is made of natural rustic capiz shells. The chandelier is pretty big and casts a glamorous warm shimmer of golden beige light over the room.



The Shell Lamp by Rougier is also from 1st Dibs via Las Venus and would look great on the buffet. The unusual and rare design is by Rougier and was made in Canada in the 1970's. It is a fantastic oyster shell lamp which opens up to reveal a soft "pearl" of light. Now that's fabulous!





The mirror is from Oly too and is called "Natasha." The carving on the frame creates a bit of an antique ambiance. If there isn't a place for it in the dining room, perhaps we can hang it in another room, and find a frame like this for the oil painting in the dining room.



There are two modern abstract oil paintings that I like from Soicher Marin. They both have a companion painting so if we got the pair, they could be placed above each side table or one could go above the buffet. I can't decide which design I like best for the dining room. Perhaps I will let you decide!

The first painting is called "Fractals." There is another painting similar to this one that is also called Fractals, incase you would like two. I think I prefer these paintings because the circle pattern ties in with the rug design and it brings in a bit of the blue color as well. It is also kind of scribbly circles in white on a dark background like the Cy Twombly painting.



The second painting is named "From the Sky II" and also has a companion piece, "From the Sky I" if you'd like another. This one is my personal favorite of the two but I think the Fractal painting above would be better for the dining room.



The fish is from Christian's inventory at the Maison21 Atelier. He swam along for the ride! I hope you've enjoyed the journey too.