Choosing And Designing The Other Dining Room Fabrics (I’m Having Trouble With This)

Here’s the vision. I had ChatGPT update the picture with my new landscape painting. I’m not quite sure why it made it rectangle instead of square, but it is what it is. I’m still working on framing the real one.

I found this solid magenta fabric that might work for the seat backs. I might order a sample of this one, or I might just create my own from a color directly from the curtain fabric. I think this one might be just a touch too purple, and I really want it to be more on the pink side. But when I compare this to the picture above, it looks really close.

Where I’m running into trouble is with the striped fabric. I like the striped fabric in the mockup, but when I start designing the fabric, I want to add more colors. But when I add more colors, it leaves less room for the white. So I’m not sure if I should use fewer colors to leave more room for white, or if I should stick with more colors and less white. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far. The scale is obviously not right. These striped are way too wide. But right now, I’m just trying to get the colors right.

I took the colors for the stripes directly from the drapery fabric, so I know the two coordinate as far as the colors go.

I’m also trying to figure out what fabric I should use on the new benches that I’m going to build to flank the pantry doorway. I can’t remember if I even shared this, but I’ve decided to go wtih the scalloped bench.

If I keep the cushion neutral, I already have fabric for that. I bought about 13 yards of Krypton fabric in a neutral color to reupholster a sofa many years ago, but then I never reupholstered the sofa (I painted it instead 😀 ) and then I got rid of the sofa. So I still have most of that fabric left over.

But I kind of feel like using a neutral color in a room that I want to be really colorful and fun is a lost opportunity. But I have no clue which direction to go with the color. I’m considering going with a dark purple color that brings the buffet color to the pantry wall, but I’d make it maybe a shade or two lighter than the buffet. This isn’t exactly right, but it gives us an idea of what a dark purple might look like on that bench. The dark purple would kind of ground the benches and give me a good foundation for some bright, colorful pillows.

Or I could go with a green that’s a couple of shades darker than the dining table.

But I’ll probably go with one of those solid colors — neutral, dark purple, or green. And then I’ll use pillows to bring in the other colors that I want on that wall. The bottom line is that I’m feeling stuck with the fabrics for this room. I know I’ll figure it out, but the process isn’t going as smoothly as I had hoped.