For years, I would see the wallpaper mural designs of Susan Harter pop up in magazines, and I immediately fell in love with her gorgeous watercolored landscapes. I loved the idea of using wallpaper to create a stunning, large-scale scene in a room. I was giddy with excitement when I finally got the chance to display a custom section of her Cotswolds painting (in colorway Sky) in our dining room. It makes the room seem taller and a bit other-worldly.
I had a clear vision of echoing the mural’s scene in the room decor. By painting the ceiling blue, it continued the mural’s sky and created a calming hue in the room. The décor in the middle of the room is mostly green and filled with plants to echo the tree leaves and the grasses. The rug is light brown to represent the ground.
Making the room even more special was the addition of two fantastic furniture pieces, the first of which was my great-grandmother’s 1930’s dining room table and chairs. It is such an honor to carry on the tradition of hosting this table as a central family meal-gathering place. My mother assisted me in reupholstering the chair seats with blue and green paisley fabric that plays off the feel of the mural. The second furniture piece is a late 1800’s Italian-made mahogany sideboard & mirror whose ornate woodwork continues to take my breath away. I stalked this piece in a consignment shop in Cambridge, MA, for over a year before making a low-ball offer and, surprisingly, having it accepted.
I added some more personal touches by installing a stained-glass panel designed by a local art glass artist. Its branches and leaves reference the mural. I had a vintage Louis XVI style chair reupholstered in sage velvet and a section of a favorite tree of life tapestry. A watercolor painting and a pastel drawing hanging in this room are both works by my husband’s late grandmother. These personal works of art evoke nostalgia as they are scenes from places we’ve frequented when visiting her in the Northumberland region of England.
I had wainscoting installed to make the room more formal, to provide a frame for the wall mural, and to complement the existing woodwork in the adjacent living room and grand stairway. A clear Pottery Barn chandelier brings a light and airy grace to the room without blocking views of the mural. Antique tables holding urns, ferns, and other greenery round out this arboreal room.
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