Habiba Tunau MD

I really liked the last house we lived in with its large deck, sky lights and vaulted ceilings but, it was small, dated and did not have a formal dining room. We moved into a larger house a few months ago and I immediately fell in love with the large gourmet kitchen, modern appliances and open concept. Another major bonus besides the extra space and extra bedroom was a formal dining room, even though it was not large. For a while, I decided I did not want to furnish the formal dining room because we already had a round table in the breakfast area where we ate most of the time. Also, having moved several times and gone through the effort of downsizing I did not want to acquire more stuff.

Walking past two empty rooms on either side of the front door did not bother me for months. It was fine I thought. Just because you have the space does not mean you need to fill it. Well that thought lasted until a few weeks ago when I realized how nice it would be to have my whole family at a dining table for Thanksgiving. The round table is only enough for about 5 people and is not large enough to fit all of us as my sons are coming home from college and my mother and brother are coming to town from New York. So it was time to find a quality table that was affordable and large enough to hold all of us. Ideally, I was looking for a table that could sit at least 8 people.

After visiting all the major furniture stores in our area, we found a table and I couldn’t have been more excited! I did not feel the table and two chairs that we ordered were enough or equaled a dining room. Therefore, I added the challenge of decorating, to make the room feel warm and welcome.

I love interior design; mixing new and old, hunting in thrift shops for vintage and interesting pieces. Over the years, I have collected a number of things including African masks and old china. Recently, I also started collecting old silver chafing dishes. All of these things would look perfect in the dining room. Another must have element in my design, besides a beautiful mirror, is plants! I can not have a room without a living plant or at least a small vase of fresh cut flowers. Plants bring life into a room and always make me feel at home.

Overall, I like a space that looks collected over the years with a sense of history and mystique. Everything doesn’t have to match, but it still has to look organized and not cluttered. My style has been described as boho glam, eclectic and sometimes modern with a touch of afrocentric. When it comes to home decor, I just say surround yourself with beautiful things that you love, have meaning and make you smile when you walk into the room.

Watch me set up and decorate the dining room here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZwO9-7bur0