A good friend recently asked for assistance in decorating her new dining room. Her (soon-to-be) husband and she purchased a beautiful home in Columbia, SC just a few months ago, which looks as if it fell out of the South of France *sigh*. Her dilemma was that the home has a modern interior, but they have two gorgeous heirlooms they wanted to include in the space that are very traditional. The traditional pieces are a beautiful glass and mahogany display cabinet and a equally divine side board. Can't be done? I don't think so! 

First, I took to the web to find inspiration and came across this design by Alex Papachristidis. 

Design by Alex Papachristdis, Photo credit Thomas Loof

I loved how the space focused on the traditional furniture, but was given a modern feel through the velvet chairs and structured rug.  Because the pair already incorporate shades of navy throughout their home, I thought it would be a great touch to include a different shade of blue in the chairs, while tying in the navy through the piping.

My style board.

My next step will be to take to the streets of Manhattan and scour the best consignment shops. Since we were going to be recovering the chairs in the blue velvet and painting any wood white we wouldn't want to be spending a fortune on them. 

*Tip: Since it will be difficult to find a complete set at a consignment shop, don't be afraid to mix and match the chairs. Remember they will be recovered and painted, so as long as their styles blend it will look great! 

Stay tuned to see what I find and the final product! 

Xx Allie