Sarah's House 4: Dining Room

The second episode of Tuesday night's Sarah's House, featured the new home's dining room. Finding inspiration in a set of china from Around the Block, Sarah and Tommy aim to create excitement and interest in the dining room by using vibrant shades of blue. Sarah sums it up when she says, "...make it lively, be daring, go out on a limb and try something new...".


Sarah takes the colour up onto the walls of the room, using a blue denim grasscloth on the upper half of the walls, with a vibrant blue on the lower half, separated by a chair rail. Note the vintage brass wall sconces, as well as the tray and candlesticks Sarah uses for accessories. These warm metals tie into the gilded beads of the room's statement chandelier.

Upper Walls: Thibaut Grasscloth Wallcovering

Lower Walls: SR11, Ocean Liner

Sarah finds a beautiful paisley for the drapes, which incorporates several different shades of blue, as well as a hint of gold. Tommy discovers a plush blue velvet for only $9.99 a yard, which turns out to be the perfect fabric to upholster a tufted Lindsay bench. Three more fabrics are incorporated into the dining chairs: blue mohair, blue linen, and an awning stripe.

Mill Creek Fabrics Blue Paisley
via InVU Drapery Company

Sarah & Tommy search high and low for the perfect dining table, scouring consignment shops, new furniture stores, and even Kijiji before settling on the Sutton Sheraton dining table from Elte. They choose this table for several reasons: the beveled edge, the double legs, the large size (46"x114"), leaves which include the apron, and a price tag that is within the budget ($1985).


Sarah & Tommy agree on a striped rug for the dining area that features all of the colours found in the paisley drapery fabric. Tommy reasons that the stripe is a timeless classic, plus it lends a casual element to the room. Sarah goes out on a limb and selects the art deco sideboard on her own, and receives a questionable response from Tommy. The artwork above the sideboard, Ulan the Horse, is certainly another brave choice.

Judging by many of the comments I've read in various forums, there has been a strong reaction to the way Sarah & Tommy decorated this room. To be honest, when I walked through the space during the home tour, it didn't come across as blue as it does on television and in these photos. Some of my favourite elements were the beaded chandelier, the strong blue grasscloth wallpaper and the paisley drapes. What do you think of the dining room?

All room photos courtesy of HGTV Canada.