Ask the Designer

Readers ask design expert Sandy Sutton questions about interior design. Sutton is the owner of The Design Center with Sandy Sutton.

Dear Sandy,

I am so glad that you are doing this feature in the Hot

help a lot of us! Springs on the Go! magazine. It will

I recently inherMy design dilemma is very personal.

china that she loved ited my mother’s Wedgewood bone

her dining room was so dearly. It is an elegant pattern and decorated in beautiful silk fabrics for the windows and a

always used starched lovely silk stripe on the chairs. She

a lovely centerpiece. white linens, crystal and silver and

perfectly and she She would plan her dinner parties was a flawless hostess. Her menus

were the talk of the town! My dilemma is that I am not as proficient a hostess as

the shabby chic. So my mom and my style leans towards

decorate my dining how can I enjoy my prize china and room in a fresh modern way? Can

this possibly happen ? By the way, any hostess advice

you want to toss my way would be great! Thank

you,

Mary Ann

Dear Mary Ann,

We actually have a lot in common. I recently inherited my mother’s beautiful china and she was the consummate Southern hostess! (Sounds like our Mom’s were two peas in a pod.)

I enjoy mixing abstract art, antiques and modern furnishings together in a design scheme and this same principle will work for you. We will breathe new life into this timeless china pattern!

Let’s start with the walls. Today, our wallpapers are enjoying a revival of the traditional prints and patterns but in fresh new colors such as this beautiful damask pattern in a fresh Hep Green.

The walls will set the stage for us to introduce a linen-blend fabric that features a more open pattern than the paper giving us an airy shabby chic feel! We will use this fabric to create relaxed drapery panels with simple hardware that reflects a casual approach.

You didn’t mention your dining chairs, and whether they have fabric on them, so my advice on this issue is to keep it simple. Part of the charm of shabby chic is that it melds together old and new. If you select a linen