The Look for Less: Dining Room from Traditional Home, Part 3

Here is the original room (and cover) from the May, 2012 print edition of Traditional Home magazine:

I've previously offered suggestions for less expension versions of the table, chairs (post 1), the metal cranes, and the white porcelain chandelier (post 2).

Today, I'm looking for reasonably priced alternatives to the silk rug offered by taipingcarpets.com and the "Malabar" pattern wallpaper in sage and pale blue by Cole and Son (no price listed - of course!)  I won't be offering alternatives for accessories, cushions, window treatments. 

Area Rug:
The minimum size I shopped for was 8' round.  Assuming at least a 60" diameter table (5 feet wide), one would need a minimum of an 8' rug underneath to allow for chairs to be pulled out for seating without scooting off the rug.

From overstock.com, it's not a smooth, velvety looking rug like the one in the inspiration photo, but it looks like it has the right color-tones:

This is the Manhattan Tweed Green/ Blue Shag Rug (8' Round), priced at $249.  It is a 1.9" thick synthetic green with blue blend shag.  Hmmmm, not sure I'd want a shag textured carpet in the dining area, but the color is pretty!

The inspiration rug is solid-colored, and one always has the option of going to one's local home improvement store and discussing whether it's possible to special order an 8' or larger round area rug in a plain texture and color.  However, since I was shopping on line, I also looked at some patterned rugs.  I thought the colors in this rug would work in the space nicely:

This is not a picture of a round rug, but the pattern does come in an 8' round size.  It's from Bed, Bath & Beyond, Crochet Aqua Indoor/Outdoor 8' Round Rug, its polyacrylic and can be used outdoor and simply hosed down for cleaning!  It costs $460 plus shipping.

At Penney's, I found several different round area rugs that were close to or at least 8' diameter, but many of them were braided , and I felt that style was not "formal" enough for the style and feeling of the inspiration room.  I liked this damask patterned rug and its colors, very complementary to the colors in the inspiration photo:

This is the Covington Chesterfield Round Area Rug in Chesterfield Neutral, 7'7" diameter, it's a little smaller than that 8' diameter I was looking for, but the price - are you ready for this - $100.  This rug is polypropylene with jute/polyester backing. 10 mm pile height, vacuum to clean and spot clean, occasionally professionally dry clean.

I found at least two other patterned rugs at Penney's that I thought would be wonderful in the room, but no matter where I looked I could not find a diameter for the round rugs -- therefore, I have not included them here. 

I did not do a general internet search for rugs - there are probably dozens of other possibilities at good price points to fit your budget.

You may wonder why I'm looking at rugs with pattern when the wallpaper in the inspiration room is so dynamic - it's because the wallpapers I found that I thought might give a similar feeling/look were a lot less dynamic, generally, that the "Malabar" pattern wallpaper in sage and light blue.  Depending upon what your price point is, I expect you'd be able to find a solid color rug elsewhere on line that would look more like the rug in the inspiration photo.

Wallpaper:

This was the hardest task - to try and find a wallpaper that looked similar to that in the inspiration photo. 

I looked at several different discount wallpaper websites online, and I have to say I'm not really satisfied 100% with any of the picks I eventually made -- none had the exact two-tone colors of "Malabar".  On the other hand, I'm pretty sure the picks I made cost less (maybe a lot less) than "Malabar."

There is a nice selection of papers and patterns at Steve's Blinds & Wallpaper, but he does not list the color or pattern name or book name (only book numbers) for his offerings - bad idea, Steve.  I saw these papers that I liked but as we all know, computer screens can be notoriously unreliable when trying to determine colors!  This one looks like a pale sage green damask pattern - but - who really knows:

$54.29 at Steve's for double-roll. 

I like this one - a little more light and airy looking than the inspiration photo wallpaper - it is classified under "mint" green:



$81.97 at Steve's for double.roll. 

And also from Steve's, a slightly different look, but still in the "mint" green colorway (although it looks more blue and grey, doesn't it):

$69.85 at Steve's for double roll.

I thought this pattern and color (based on green, and what looks like a taupe color) would go well with the patterned area rugs I selected - probably selections 1 and 2 as well (but not 3):

$56.15 at Steve's for double roll. 

Moving to American Blinds:

This one caught my eye immediately as refreshingly light but still within the theme of the inspiration wallpaper:

$44.67 at American Blinds for double roll. 

This pattern is called Wind River - gorgeous!
$47.67 for double roll at American Blinds.

From Evolution pattern book, $54.40
double roll at American Blinds.

Fontaine - Celadon, $148.87 double roll
at American Blinds.  The detail of the colorway
of this paper is gorgeous!

This next sample features a darker blue-green contrasted with a light sage green (that is what the colors look like to me - the detail is very pretty):

Color by Design Blue.  $44.67 double roll
at American Blinds.

Just in case, I did a quick google search for "Malabar" knock-off and "Malabar" look-alike.  I have to tell you, darlings, I don't like the look of Malabar in other settings nearly as much as in the Traditional Home dining room, which makes me wonder if the pattern would really work in your (or my) space -- only way to really tell would be to see a room papered in the pattern in person, or pay to have samples sent to you if you cannot find them locally.

So -- sorry for not being able to put together one of those design board thingies.  There are two reasons for that: first, I have no idea how to do that and, second, it's because I can't settle on just one option and say "this is it" but try to offer at least two options and price points for what I'm looking at.  Some things cost more, some less, and I think taken all together, one could put together an absolutely beautiful room that would look very similar to the inspiration dining room from Traditional Home based on what I've found here.  But I'm sure most of you are much better shoppers and much more determined to find the very best matches for the very lowest prices than I am -- I reach a point where I say "okay, that's good enough!"  But, ultimately, one must alway put one's own spin on a design, whether it is a "copycat" or not! 

The Look for Less: Dining Room from Traditional Home, Part 2

In an earlier post trying to get the look, below, for less, I left off after offering two different chair looks.  This fabulous look is from the May, 2012 edition of Traditional Home:

I had looked at some shield-back chairs but and chairs from other sources, but concluded that the best bargains and matches were the chairs I posted from overstock.com.

The remaining items that I want to try and duplicate for less are the chandelier, the rug, the wallpaper, and those gorgeous metal cranes.

The Cranes:

The inspiration cranes are very tall, as you can tell from the photo (40 to 50" maybe?), and they are vintage bronze and beautifully patinaed.  I suspect they were rather pricey.  I subscribe to Gump's online and also get their print catalogs in the mail. When I saw the inspiration photo, I was instantly reminded of cranes I'd seen in a recent Gump's catalog, and so I went looking for them, and found them, but they are shorter than those in the inspiration photo, and would probably need to be placed on pliths or pedastals to give them the necessary height and importance to anchor that area of the dining room.

This first pair of cranes from Gump's are on back-order, they have proven so popular!  The price is $199 for the pair (plus shipping).  Dimensions: 9"W x 29"H and 9"W x 36"H.

This second pair of crames, also from Gump's, are $149 for the pair (plus shipping) and are smaller/shorter:  15"H and 16 1/2"H.

Bellacor offers two different looks for a pair of crane "fountains" (image below, can be used without pumps as sculptures) - a bronze look and a verdigris finish.  They have the necessary height - 43" and are weighty - 40 pounds for the pair.  The price is $1,014 on special with free shipping (regularly $1,628).  As you can see, they have the height and the heft of the cranes in the inspiration photo, and a hefty price, too:

Crystal Fox Gallery also has some lovely bronze sculptures of cranes, I found this pair there:

They are very similar to the pair of bronze cranes in the inspiration photo.  The pair is $1,325, 46.5" H and 38"H - not sure about shipping (and insurance) charges for these original works of art. 

Chandelier:

The original is described as "Metropolitan White Porcelain Chandelier" #ME-N950127, Lightingshowroom.com."   This is a two-tier white Italian porcelain chandy by Metropolitan Lighting, $4,130, that has the same model number as the chandy in the inspiration photo:

I have seen this 15-light chandy at other vendors for somewhat less than $4,130, so if you want the original, you can find it for a few hundred less if you're willing to hunt around online.

This is an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous chandelier - somewhat more frou-frou than the one in the inspiration photo - priced at $2,990 from Lighting Showplace.  It is white porcelain.

My budget doesn't allow several thousand dollars for a chandelier, no matter how beautiful it is.  Such a chandy would also look rather ridiculous in my modestly sized and styled home.  So, looking at chandeliers within a price range I might be willing to pay will not yield the same look, but I don't need a 15-light chandy, either!  First up:

This is the Chella 5-light chandelier in frosted Argent White finish by Laura Ashley, from Home Depot for $258 and free shipping.  It has many less lights but gives the multi-tiered effect and, like the inspiration chandy, doesn't have a lot of excess bling but has great lines.

The chandy below is NOT white, but I absolutely fell in love with it anyway, which just amazes me because normally I'm not attracted to what I consider excessive bling, and this chandy has lots of bling!  What it is about this particular shandy I don't know, but it just really speaks to me. I have no idea if it could be painted white (to get more of the "look" of the chandy in the inspiration photo) - it has a lot of bling on it and I don't know if it could be removed to paint the chandy "frame" or not.  But, here it is anyway:

This is also from Home Depot, the Roxy Lighting Heritage 6-Light Chandelier, Aged Iron Finish with Crystal Light Pendants, for $169. Maybe it's the price as much as the chandy I find appealing :)

I also really like the look and feeling of this NOT white chandy, from Home Depot:

It's got such a light, airy feel to it despite the dark finish on its metal frame, and if it could be painted white, I think it would be a big WOW, but truth be told, I love it as it is.  Hampton Bay 5-Light Hanging Tuscana Copper Chandelier, for $189.
I found an antique white alternative chandy at Lowe's on line:

It the Bel Air Lighting 5-Light The Olde World Antique White Chandelier, for $124.  This chandy, while priced great and already white, does not present the same "tiered" effect as the three lower-priced chandys pictured above.  It does, however, feature classic lines and some glitter while maintaining a more modest "footprint."  "Spaceprint?"  Hmmm, let me rephrase that - it takes up less visual space than the inspiration chandelier and would be more suitable for a modest dining area (not really much of a separate room at all) like mine.

Another possibility is this blingy little pretty chandy:

Some of the crystals are colored pinky as you can see, but I find that oddly appealing :)  This is also from Lowe's, Westmore Lighting 3-Light Minique Antique White Chandelier, for $133.  It only has 3 lights.

I did not write down or compare the relative measurements of any of these chandeliers, so when shopping seriously one would have to note such things.  I was lazy.

Wallpaper and the area rug next!

The Look for Less!

Nope, I haven't died (much as some of you might have wished for it - admit it - you know who you are...)

I SURVIVED TAX SEASON ONCE AGAIN, bwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaahhhhhaaaaaaaaaa!

I wanted to get this post started tonight.  It is image intensive and long, so I'm chopping it up into sections.  Tonight, I do tables and chairs!

I saw this dining room in the May, 2012 Traditional Home print magazine, and just loved it!

It also happened to be the cover of the magazine!  It was designed by (hope I got this right) Jeff Andrews of Jeff Andrews Design, Los Angeles, CA.

I thought it would make a PERFECT room to do the "look for less."  Now I'm lazy, I admit it.  I did not price out the various items in this photograph, such as the wallpaper, which is "Malabar" -- love that name! -- in sage and pale blue #66/1005, by Cole & Son; Lee Joffa.  Well, come on, anything offered by Lee Joffa doesn't have a price tag on it at a website one can visit, and that means that us ordinary mortals CANNOT AFFORD IT.  I was actually shocked to see that Lee Joffa has a website!

The area rug is silk - SILK!  The dining table is custom-made.  The chairs, which I absolutely adore, are "Loop-Back" chairs by Council Furniture.  The chandelier is white porcelain (!!!) from lightingshowroom.com.  The bronze cranes are from the 1950s -- from 1st Leap, Inc. 

You can get the full list of items (including the window seat fabric, pillows, the light bulbs, etc. etc. and even who made the damn nails, I think) from page 172 of the print edition of Traditional Home, because they are just so wonderful that way!  I would type it out here, but the print is very tiny and even with my Walgreens readers on it's hard for me to make out.

I limited my shopping to readily accessible sources where the prices are posted up front -- but occasionally I broke my own rules.  My aim was for a reasonable facsimile, not an exact copy, because I don't have the budget for an exact copy!  Also, no Craig's List items, only shopping retail new online.

TABLE:

Absolutely adored this Elba Round Dining Table by Thomasville -- no price listed.  Damn!  From  the - get this - Hills of Tuscany Collection.  Sigh.  Sounds so romantic.  I want to get my butt to Tuscany before my butt is too old to move over dem der hills of Tuscany...  It is 60 inches diameter and seats six (the table in the "inspiration" photo also seats six so I figure it it at least 60 inches diameter). 

The Magnolia round dining table in dark oak is also 60 inches in diameter and gorgeous!  Priced at $1,875.00:

This is a lot more than I would want to pay for a single pedestal table, but its pedestal is particularly appealing - it's graceful and not bulky looking.

I found this budget alternative but the table top is glass, not wood.  Still, the price is right and the look is fab.  It's from Macy's, the Andorra glass top round pedestal dining table, 60" wide, and priced at $899.  For about $1000 less than the beautiful Magnolia table, above, one could afford to have a nice piece of luan cut to size, stain it to match the pedestal, and plop the glass top on it:

This next table is not large enough to seat six. It is 54" in diameter. I have a 56" diameter table that comfortably seats five, but seating six, I don't think it would work. Everyone would be banging elbows. But for a slightly smaller table than the one pictured in the "inspiration" photo, check it out:

It is by Riverside, Round Pedestal Semi-Formal Dining Table, Width (side to side) 54" W
Height (bottom to top) 30" H, not all wood (as you know, I'm not adverse to "fake wood") -- Composition Wood Veneers & Solids Finish & Paint Options. Dark wood finish. The table is normally listed for $901.00 but where I found it at Papaya Furniture it was on sale for $410.00. Smaller but for $410.00 - definitely an option!

CHAIRS:

I did not find a chair that was a "spot on" look-alike, but I did find the chairs below that I felt gave the feel of the look and was a good approximation of the "inspiration" look.  The chairs in the inspiration photo are all arm chairs, and they have that "square back" with "circle" effect, and light-colored upholstery, so that's what I was looking for.

From overstock.com, are these Somerton Crossroads armchairs, about $320 for a pair:

I like this chair for its gracefully slanted arms and great proportions, and it has the open circular work on the back.

Also from overstock.com is the Somerton Signature Upholstered Arm Chair, about $350 for a pair but being offered at a special price if I put them into my shopping cart :)

It's not as close to the look in the "inspiration" photo -- it's got a solid upholstered circle in its back rather than the airy, graceful curved wood effect of the original, but it has the "circle within the square" effect and has nice lines and good proportions.  I also like the somewhat taller back.  It looks like it would be a very comfortable chair to sit back in after a delicious dinner and settle in for apertifs, dessert and sparkling conversation.