Decorating Modern - Part 2 Dining Rooms

The next challenge in decorating modern at auction is the dining room. Let's see what we can find at future or recent past auctions to make a modern statement while dining.

Let's start with the sideboard.

Wright Mass Modern auction July 10th - Lot 106

I love this sideboard for it's clean lines and the bleached walnut wood. It's being offered at the Wright July 10 auction 'Mass Modern'. It's circa 1965 and has an estimate of $300 - $500. This seems a bargain to me, and is a very modern and chic. 

Now we should put a vase as decoration on top of the sideboard, and this one would work very well.

Wright Mass Modern auction July 10th - Lot 132

This vase is perfect. It's for Venini (Murano) and is designed by Sergio Asti, circa 1980. I love the blue and green swirls. It looks like the ocean. It has an estimate of $100 - $150, and is being offered at the Wright Mass Modern auction July 10th. 

Dining tables are the centerpiece and can be simple or not. They can also be expensive, or not, and still meet the modern aesthetic objective.

The dining table on the left above was sold at Doyle New York at one of their Doyle + Design auctions, and is a statement piece. It was designed by Richard Meier for Knoll, circa 1982, and sold for $4,688. 

The dining table on the right above falls in to the bargain category and was actually purchased by us at a Stair Galleries auction earlier this year! It's a Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams mahogany table (so it's used 'new'), and we picked it up for $325. It will suit our modern house dining area very well.

I think we now need a chandelier to make a statement. 

Wright Mass Modern auction July 10th - Lot 133

This circa 1965 chandelier would make a terrific modern statement. It's being offered at the Wright Mass Modern auction July 10th with an estimate of $1,000 - $1,500.

We will need chairs. The style of chair may be somewhat influenced by the dining table you picked above. I think these may work with either. 

This set of six Danish Modern rosewood chairs sold for $100 at a Stair Galleries auction earlier this year! Yes, $100. I think that they would work with either table.

I would also add sconces to the room. Dining rooms should have multiple lighting options and sources so that you can vary the mood depending on the dinner party. 

This set of four deco style sconces have clean lines and would work with the chandelier we chose. Two could go over the side board and two on the opposite side of the room. If you have an open plan room, they could help define the dining space if over the side board. The other two would find a home on a wall somewhere, I'm sure. They sold at Stair Galleries for $1,400.

Finally, let's finish would some interesting serving pieces that add some interest. 

The vase on the left above is not ultra-modern, but quite pretty. It's an English silver plate and cameo glass pitcher being offered at the Christie's Interiors sale July 22/23. It's late 19th or early 20th century. It has an estimate of $700 - $900 (lot 181). 

A centerpiece is always a good addition to the dining table and the one offered at Wright Mass Modern on the right above is by Just Andersen. It's Danish circa 1950 and is hammered pewter. It's Lot 117 and has an estimate of $1,000 - $1,500.

We'll tackle another room with modern designs in the next blog.