Southern Lady Magazine

Inspired Design: Sumptuous and Serene

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Inspired Design: Sumptuous and Serene
Against a fanciful seafoam backdrop, adept pairings of pattern, texture, and style combine in a harmonious dining room that feels both classic and current.

By Elizabeth Bonner Czapski
Photography by Lance Selgo

After holding onto dining furniture from the family patriarch’s bachelor days through four previous dwellings, Liza and Ryan Schlitt were ready for something different in their refined Dallas abode. An eye for timeless design plus a knack for infusing houses with unexpected flair made Texas-based designer Emily Johnston Larkin of EJ Interiors just what the Schlitts needed to update the aged aesthetic of their dining room.

The large-scale lotus print helps elevate the space and makes it feel more grand,” Emily says. “It also gives it an organic quality with its feather-like appearance.”

Though Emily maintained a traditional layout and a tailored look, she called upon her more daring instincts to instill character in the space, cloaking the room in a captivating yet tranquil botanical print accented with luminous top notes. Emily covered the walls with Farrow & Ball’s intriguing Lotus paper, which bears an artisanal design from 19th-century French archives.

On crisp white drapery panels, an embroidered flange with a seafoam coral design echoes the scheme.

The wall covering’s blue-green shades ensure the splashy pattern doesn’t overwhelm the surrounding neutrals that allow the motif to be center stage while offering added dimension. Eye-catching features like a coffered ceiling and a rug woven with geometric diamonds contrast with the more whimsical wallpaper. Gathered around a stately table with a rich espresso finish that grounds the airy space, chic French chairs repeat the wall palette with a solid light turquoise on the fronts and an understated print on the backs.

Subtle yet impactful accents add depth with a gleaming blend of silver and brass. A polished nickel chandelier presides over the room, and a mirrored buffet with an antique sheen serves as a glamorous showstopper. “I love to mix metals,” Emily says. “The brass warms up the cooler tones.” Above painted-wood demilune tables, acrylic mirrors with silver edging take a playful, stylized approach to the typical pagoda silhouette. “We used a lot of opposites,” she says. “I like a good mix so a space looks collected versus predictable. You want pieces that contrast but also complement each other. We went for classic elegance and a look that was between traditional and modern.”

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