Hawaiian Style

It is no wonder that Hawaii, which means “Land of the Gods” is as close to paradise as it gets. To this day when I think of think of Hawaii it is an island with flowers in bloom bursting with scent and such a variety of color. The sunsets in Hawaii were some of the most amazing that I have ever seen and I was raised in the sunshine state. Though Hawaii and Florida are half way across the world from each other we were able to help the cultures collide in one homeowner’s dining room somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Lots of brown
The homeowner was raised in Hawaii and wanted color! She did not realize how brown the space looked until she looked around one day and said, “I am tired of brown”!

• Paint
We painted the walls Interactive cream 6113. This is a peachy, golden, tan neutral that provides lots of warmth and neutral color to the walls. Even if you are not applying a lot of color to the walls, the walls look much more finished with two nice coats of paint in a satin or eggshell finish. Remember, you should always have paint done in two coats. The first coat protects the walls and the second coat provides deeper and richer color saturation. Most of the better paints always recommend two coats.

• China Hutch
Usually in the Gardenia dining room, I like to place a mirror on the back wall that opposes the kitchen. This is great at collecting light from the kitchen window and throwing it back into the space creating more light. However, the homeowners wanted to keep all the teak furniture from Hawaii. The china hutch had lots of mirrors and was doing a great job reflecting light so we left it, but it filled it with color. We added lots of colored glass pieces from Hawaii and the light from the mirrors made everything come to life.

• Accessorize the hutch top
We added a basket full of lush fern to the top of the hutch. Also, the homeowner had a metal bird sculpture and a stone piece cut in a circle. We used all the items displayed together to help reinforce the idea that Hawaii meets Florida. Remember, when displaying on top of a hutch, that the lights may get hot. Be sure to avoid sitting something on top of a hot light that could be a fire hazard.

• Server
We left the server on the longest wall in its original position but now we needed color. The paintings that were hanging in the before picture were purchased in Hawaii. However, those paintings looked like a cold day in Massachusetts by the bay so we sent them to another room. The homeowner fell in love with the sunset titled, “Sea of Dreams”, we hung it on the large wall over the server and it looked spectacular! The picture is a hot sunset but a sunset here in Florida. We did change the server accessories to a lava bowl, and some stone pieces to interact visually with the stone above the china hutch.

• Chandelier
We replaced the original light with a new chandelier that looked like coral. Hawaii and Florida have coral reefs in common and they are represented in this very unique chandelier.

• Accent lighting
We added three small accent lights to the space. Two accent lights make the sunset alive at night and one accent light highlights the top of the china hutch. The space comes alive with the color and lighting. Also, all the lighting is dimmable for a soft nighttime look. Tip: One of the most underutilized items in décor is lighting. Good lighting can change a space completely!

• Rug
The rug that was in the space was very neutral. The homeowner had just purchased it so we kept it. The rug was an 8×10 and worked very nicely under the table.

• Molding
The large slider sits in between the dining room and the living room and we did not need the vertical blinds because the lanai was enclosed. We removed the blinds and had the window cased out with large molding. The entrance to the lanai looks like a beautiful picture frame to the space beyond.

P.S. –Attention, club presidents! I give free decorating programs! It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today or call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below