Vivez Bien * Live Well
Showing posts with label dining room. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dining room. Show all posts

Sunday, January 27, 2013

An Ode to Oval


I have a rectangular dining table which I love, but I am starting to think that an oval shaped table would be my choice if I was in the market for a new one. It really is a very practical shape. It can have the capacity of a large rectangular table, with the flexibility and conviviality of a circular table.  It is easily possible to seat 2 or 3 people around either end if you have a larger crowd without it feeling too cramped. Here are some oval shaped tables in pretty dining room settings that appeal to me and hopefully to you.





















Till next time

Sharon x

Image source: 1. Country Living (South Africa) 2. Cote de Texas 3. Dying of Cute (Tumblr) 4, 5, 6 Tumblr 7. Blue Room Lady 8. Decorpad 9. Design Labyrinth 10. furniture-cn.com  11. Tumblr  12. Home  13. nicespace.me 14. rajeesood 15 Trouvais

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Delectable Dining

Via Decorare on Tumblr

How divine....



Via Rajeee Sood

...to dine....


Via Eclectic Revisited

...in such exquisite surroundings...


Via Decorare on Tumblr


...exuding such wonderful atmosphere...



Via Conspicuous Style Blog


...with tasteful table linen....


Via e mag deco


...opulent objets...


Via Particular Poetry on Tumblr


...charming chandeliers....


Via House Beautiful


...abundant art...


Via Euro Antique Market


...covetable candelabras...



Via Eclectic Revisited


....tantalising tableware....


Via Belgian Pearls

 ....and fabulous furniture...

The meal itself hardly matters!

Till next time

Sharon x


Sunday, October 30, 2011

Wonderful wicker

It is early Sunday morning here in South Africa. My husband is away in New Zealand, my 9 year old twins are away at a sleepover, my older 2 boys are still fast asleep and I am very content in bed with a cup of coffee,  a sleeping puppy and my laptop, taking advantage of the peace and quiet to compile a new blog post.



I love the casual feel of wicker chairs paired with a rustic table for informal dining!
 
  

One can just imagine this table filled with luscious Mediterranean fare like meze or tapas and, of course, a carafe or two of wine. (I shouldn't be thinking of wine so early in the morning, should I?)



I like this idea of interspersing wicker with upholstered chairs. Make sure your kids use the wicker ones!



I love the cabinet in the background and the contrast between the crystal chandelier and the rustic wicker.




These chairs look more like banana leaf than wicker, but pretty all the same. Love the lanterns.




What a lovely, cozy room.



There is something very comforting about wicker.



Love the stone fireplace.


Beautiful vaulted ceiling and lantern!


This home is in Simonstown, a naval base just outside Cape Town - hence the naval references.


Love those chairs!




Love this table!

 

While I am content in bed with my puppy and my laptop - I would be even more content breakfasting here with my husband and a view of the Eiffel tower! (Just in case my husband is reading this.)


Till next time

Sharon x


Images: 1. Isobel Lopez Quesada, 2. Estilo Rustico, 3. Cote Quest Mag 4.www. francevacantionvilla.com, 5. Decorpad, 6, 8 & 9. Gap Interiors, 7. Unknown, 10. House and Leisure mag, 11. Room Seventeen blog, 12, LaGrange Interiors 13. The Honeymoon Project

Monday, July 11, 2011

I'm exhausted!

I am going to take a little break from blogging. The first reason is that we have the sweetest new addition to the family - Baxter, our new Beagle pup. It's like having a newborn baby in the house, only harder! He's so full of energy he has the whole family exhausted!



I wonder how my veggie garden is going to survive?





The other reason is that my boys are having school holidays at the moment, and if you read my blog you might think my home looks like this.....




or like this......






or sometimes like this.....




But the truth is that, during school holidays, it mostly looks like this.....




in every room of the house, which you, my dear readers, don't need to be subjected to!!


I'll be back soon.


Till then

Sharon x


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Photography - the dark side

One thing that has become very apparent to me since I started blogging is how much skill is required to take a really good photograph. After posting photos from the web often taken by professionals, my own photos seem so inadequate in comparison! That's why I tend to use them less and less. Yes, we have tools such as Photoshop and Picnik, that can improve our photo's but I'm talking about that perfect composition and the quality of the light that some photographers capture so well. Taking photo's of light and sunny interiors is easier, but trying to take photo's of interiors with a darker, more moody atmosphere is very difficult. I have learned that a flash is a no-no! But if I don't use a flash, they often appear so dark, you can't really see anything. When I use various computer tools to change the exposure, I tend to lose the moody sort of atmosphere that I was trying to capture. I know that professionals use various artificial lighting sources to create the mood, but I have seen some of the excellent photography by you bloggers who aren't professional photographers. I need to know your secrets. Not your deep dark secrets, just your secrets about taking deep, dark photographs!

The photo's below illustrate the type of mood and atmosphere that I am trying to capture. Notice the quality of the light in these pictures, and how the light and shadow in these images creates a soulful sort of atmosphere.


Via tumblr

via Arcobelano

Source unknown


Via Here and Abroad


Via Flanelle et Prune

Via The New Victorian Ruralist


Via Happy Scout


Via My French Country Home


Via Simple Everyday Glamour


Via Violet Bella's World

So, my wonderful and talented readers and blog friends, some photography tips are badly needed by me. Can you help?


Till next time

 
Sharon x