Dining Room

Astrid Denelle

 I'm so attracted to modern art in a traditional setting, who isn't?  It looks fabulous, it has that frisson of gorgeous energy ... the pop of modernity within the boundaries of architectural detail, tailored upholstery and historical fabrics, it's just so attractive.  I think we can safely call this ZEITGEIST.  Every single image in a design book or magazine that catches my eye these days somehow incorporates modern art within a traditional dining or living room.
Funny because the concept of "zeitgeist", or the "spirit/essential ideas" of our time, is so often disparaged.  Why?  Well, if we were philosophers (heaven help us) we would like to think of ourselves as individuals, yet so often we will in fact behave as a group, a group of ideas, or thoughts, realized.
 I think we are all influenced by things around us, whether they be visual, political or sociological, and in fact I think we are influenced by these things beyond our control.  How so?  We believe we are in control of our own opinions but somehow the Zeitgeist creeps in... it happens to the best of us.  These days I'm sensing a larger feeling of unease and a corresponding longing for the small comforts.

Yet the everyday things are not small... they contribute to the way we live out our hours/days/lives in profound ways.  When times are anxious embrace the small comforts... well it certainly couldn't hurt.

Shiny copper:  industry matters, whether personal or on a larger scale.

Dining room rug.
Dinner, so important!
Much Depends on Dinner

I'm really focussed on dinners right now, and I've had to ask myself what this is about.  Our Rascals getting older?  Likely.  Zeitgeist?  Probably, and in ways I'm not even able to articulate in the moment.   I'm thinking about the week ahead, the holidays arriving, the years going by so quickly.  When times are fraught, how do we reflect that anxiety back upon ourselves?
 Somehow the dining room, and those dinners... what is the magic, the solidity, that happens there?  What has occurred in those moments, how did it form my Rascals, how do I keep those ideals alive in a family that grows older, more mature?  How do I honour the larger family and our network of friends?  Preparing dinner, gathering around a table, it's such a balm to anxiety, so essential during changing times.
How about the environment?  I'm re-decorating our dining room to better reflect our family and lifestyle, I've just put the order in for the new draperies, would you like to see the sample?
Would love to hear about your dining room (or eat-in kitchen), your dinners, and how you organize this increasingly precious time.
Hope you are well and happy,
xox
Dani