Steep downward sloping garden; how to make dining room feel safe&cosy
How do I fix this NW-facing room without knocking it down (yet)? Our step-down, lowered-ceiling, dining room has a large bay window looking down onto a long, steep, downward slope, and I can't figure out how to make the room feel safe and cozy. Grounding the space with rugs and the outside chair has helped a bit, but psychologically, the room always feels like it is about to tumble down the hill. At least, I think that is the problem with it. We're not yet ready to do the big renovations, like raising the ceiling and replacing the floor. What can I do in the meantime?
Comments (32)
Sonia
3 years ago
Lynn Baba
3 years agogood point--thank you. I have a small, 3-4 foot space before the diagonal rocks mark the next level, which is about a foot down. (The large rocks form a stepping path down to the next major terrace.) We don't use it for seating because it is almost always shaded, but I have put a chair there for visuals.
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Comments (143)Hello donned2004, Well you could remove all the things from the hearth.. So it has more space.. Hang the mirror and paint the chimney breast a nice colour to bring the fireplace into full focus.. If you wanted to have an even bigger recess.. you could open the fire out up to the sides of the wooden surround.. So taking out the 30's tiles.. Make sure the lintel is in place or doesn't need replacing and keep the surround it's rather nice.. Remove the current tiled hearth if you chose to open it out more.. and install a flat piece of slate.. So then you would have an open brick recess and a lovely iron basket could sit nicely inside for logs! Another idea to continue into the room.. might be to look at painting the woodwork a colour to compliment any wall colours you have.... Some lovely painted floorboards, or parquet or a natural Jute or Coir flooring if you have not already decided upon something.. : ))...See MoreWhite fence..did we make a mistake? Help!!!
Comments (80)While white fencing isn't for me in a back garden, I have seen loads of pics here on Houzz with white fences and, although they mostly seem to be over in the USA (let's face it - they tend to have better daylight in parts of North America than we do in the UK) I do like the look of it, though. I especially like the whitewash appearance if you're going for a Cottage Garden as it adds a weathered appeal. I went for black in my garden which looks pretty stylish, especially with the greens and whites in front of it. I used to live in a house with a roof terrace and we were advised at the time to not use white on the inside of the parapet walls as it would glare too much. The chosen option for the wall was pale grey (before it was fashionable) and it worked really well. For this reason, I wouldn't have gone for white fence or white furniture....See MoreIndustrial Style Dining Room
Comments (13)Hello elfie, I first want to talk about lighting.. It may be a darker day that your image was taken, as I write today, there is a lack of sun.. I think you can create more light for that room. So my first suggestion is to buy the largest mirror you can get into the home and situate it if possible on that rear wall. I would suggest moving the rad to that section between the door to the garden and the arched doorway if at all possible or one that will fit into that space.. In this way you can have something like an 8ft by 6ft mirror to lean up against that rear wall.. It will not only be fabulous at reflecting light, but will also give you the appearance that the room is twice the size.. If you are to dine in here, candlelight and your main lighting will also look fabulous reflected back... It's a gr8 way to add interest whatever the size of room.. If you could perhaps consider another way to store the books.. In this room it might be most beneficial to keep it as light as possible with less dense objects.. So have a think about the idea (if you want to retain the books) that you halve what is currently on the shelves, and divide them between the alcoves. Leaving the upper half bare, in this way you're re-distributing what you have but thinning out visually its impact. You might also want to take out the stove in favour of a basket and logs for an open fire.. If the chimney breast is intact. They can look good as they are without an original surround.. You could add a mantle of some sort but it's not a necessity at all, and I would also suggest a large mirror for the chimney breast.. It too will add to the feature and focus of the room and reflect more light back into the room... For pendant I would suggest something narrow and wide.. It will maximise the room spatially and balance it more.. I'll add a few things I think will work beautifully.. I also like Jonathan's idea of a roll top bureau which were also prevalent in the 50's up. Or you could have some small cabinets to store the books or what's on the shelves and remove the shelving entirely.. I'll add a visual. I have purposely left the wallpaper, so as to encourage you to consider the idea of something lighter but textural or interesting.. See how large reflective objects such as the mirrors offset the wall coverings beautifully.. :)) This kind of wallpaper would also give you texture and retain a lighter aesthetic which I feel is right for the room and your blonde furniture. I would use it on the chimney breast.. I think it has a lovely bright but warm feel plus it works with an industrial feel such as the metal table and chair in the image.... For actual lighting consider paring a pendant shade like the one in my image with interesting wall lighting, such as something like this... So it's a sophisticated mix of mid century elegance with an industrial twist... You can angle the light to where you want it.. Architecturally, perhaps consider opening out that arched doorway to unify the two rooms which will in turn add more light.....See MoreHelp with kitchen extension full of damp low sloping ceilings
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3 years agoEllie
3 years agoEllie
3 years agoLynn Baba
3 years agoSonia
3 years agoAnother good bench manufacturer is Footstools & More. I bought a storage footstool from them and the quality is amazing, so strong. They do about 25 designs with hundreds of fabrics, including leather, and huge range of leg styles too. Really good customer service. Look at their Facebook page for lots of pictures, here’s just a few
Juliet Docherty
3 years agoJuliet Docherty
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoLynn Baba
3 years agoLynn Baba
3 years agoaisling
3 years agoJuliet Docherty
3 years agoLynn Baba
3 years agocolourhappy--yes, thank you, I do see. The bright ceiling lights in my initial picture accentuate that contrast. This is a better representation of what the room usually looks like. But you are right, if I think of the window as a picture in its own right, then thay opens up other possibilities.
Lynn Baba
3 years ago
Carolina
3 years agoHere's a visual, hope I picked the right(ish) colour for the wall. I've also lowered your paintings and added the bench
Juliet Docherty
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoCarolina
3 years agoJuliet Docherty
3 years agoLynn Baba
3 years agoOk, next round. Pictures lowered and make-shift bench in the window. It does look better already--thank you! And colourhappy, you somehow got exactly the colours of the rug, which also explains to me why it seems to work there. It is an antique Azerbaijani piece, but the deep purple in it might be the deep aubergine you two are thinking of--I will have a play. But...I might need somebody to hold my hand if I am to paint the wall purple!
Lynn Baba
3 years agoCaroline, are you a wizard in your spare time? That image is magical--thank you. It absolutely showed what was possible. Here, I have removed the last picture, too.
Juliet Docherty
3 years agoaisling
3 years agoLynn Baba
3 years agoThanks colourpro and aisling. The floor tiles are a white, slightly cream vinyl. (The carpets are also a white cream.) I think the previous owners of our house were trying to replicate the bounced light effect they had seen on their travels in the middle and far east. My personal taste would run towards painted floorboards for that effect, but I do enjoy the light for now.
But. I have accidentally withheld some key information, which may explain why I try to keep a picture on that wall. The view from the dining room is stupendous, and the outside garden is amazing. This is not a complaint, but a bemusement: May I present the view from the kitchen counter, where I spend 90 percent of my kitchen time? ;)(The radiator is on the old rear wall of the house, which had a window on the right and a patio door on the left. For some reason, they left the wall in when they added the dining extension.)
Carolina
3 years agoCarolina
3 years agoLynn Baba
3 years agoand, coulourpro, this is a close up of the rug's colours, just because I think it is a beautiful palette that you might like to see. It is an antique made with vegetable dyes--the yellow is turmeric-- and I don't think it is a colour palette I have often seen in the West.
Carolina
3 years agoKXD
2 years agoKXD
2 years agosharon sutton
2 years ago
Carolina