Tour Lexi's Dramatic and Ornate Dining Room designed like an art gallery
Our dining room really has been the heart and soul of Always Sunday. They say great ideas are created around the kitchen table? Well, Always Sunday was borne around that very table, with the shoppable supper clubs that started it all. Everything I’ve learned about hosting, I’ve channeled into my business. It’s proven how much I thrive on intelligent design and functional and adaptive spaces and I think that shows not just in the designs but in Always Sunday as a brand. We’re always on the hunt for the exceptional pieces that elevate a once one-dimensional environment into a space that feels luxurious yet lived in, capturing that Sunday morning feeling every day.
-Lexi Wareham-Dart, Founder of Always Sunday
How did you choose the aesthetic for the dining room space?
Like many of the rooms I’ve had a hand in designing whether for my home or our Always Sunday Boltholes in Bath, the dining room came together because of some deliciously bold wallpaper. We’re lucky enough to have some highly detailed cornicing and crown moulding in this room so the Brunshwig & Fils paper was chosen to felt traditional enough to nod to the age of the house but also play host as the organic, neutral backdrop and subtle colour palette that would later prove to be remarkably forgiving when I inevitably get the urge to re-curate the artwork hanging in the room.
As the room became the centrepiece for our often lavishly decorated supper clubs, I didn’t want to miss out on sharing artwork by local creatives but I found the idea of hammering a nail into the gorgeous wallpaper too painful. To combat this we fitted a traditional hanging rail like those you’d find in a museum gallery or old estate homes and then added a contemporary twist by fabricating a custom brass bar that was less decorative and more utilitarian in design that allows me to hang and interchange artwork via chains and hooks. So simple it could be dismissed, but so well finished it could be admired if you’re observant enough to notice.
Although not wall-bound, our retro eighties mirrored sideboard is pretty much a piece of art. From Vine Street Vintage in Brighton, it was an early Christmas gift from my husband and it’s served us so well. Traditionally in the eighties these sideboards were used as buffet tables and often still get named as such and i’ve absolutely loved using it for large meals and cocktail parties but it also houses my extensive collection of table linens and mostly just gives an injection of playful youth into what could be considered a very mature room. On top you’ll find two lamps made of brass and clear acrylic so you can see through them and means the wallpaper can still be the primary focus.
The rest of the lighting I chose to keep minimal but it needed to be a chandelier in that room to capture the grandeur of the architecture with those tall ceilings and ornate cornice details. I chose an antique chandelier from a nearby antiques dealer alongside brass candle sconces set into each corner of the room to give that romantic ambience that only candles can give.
Did you design the space knowing you’d host the Always Sunday supper clubs?
Not at all, we’ve had everything from dinners to yoga retreats in there and then recently it’s been simply a workspace for Tommy while we renovate our home office, but I think I knew early on that it would need to be adaptable. I find dedicating a room to only one purpose without opportunities to use it in other ways very claustrophobic. I don’t have an issue with committing to a purpose for each room but we do want to have flexibility. Who doesn’t want to pull back the dining table and make room for a good boogie?
Have you had a disco in your dining room?
Absolutely! Our antique table was found in Frome Reclamation, a well known salvage warehouse around here. The table it seats up to twenty and then separates into two side tables that can be pushed up against the wall, ideal for the impromptu disco as needed!
What other unusual occasions have you hosted?
This dining room has definitely seen some incredible parties thanks to the Always Sunday Supper Clubs. Once we transformed the space with these huge floral installations that felt like another world and probably one of our most memorable nights has to be the immersive murder mystery event that actually utilised the entire house. This room had a gramophone DH, the guests all wore 1930’s attire and a local acting troupe transformed us back in time!
What would you say is the best advice for achieving a sense of drama in a dining room?
Lighting is a gamechanger - Make it dimmable, complimentary and warm! And stock up on candles of course. The Ester & Erik tapered candles from our store come in the most incredible colour palette and have become a hosting essential for me, they’re so finely tapered they’re like pieces of design rather than just candles. I normally pick a palette based on the mood I’m looking to achieve.
Only choose really excellent tableware - I prefer to ensure our glassware, crockery and cutlery are unique and hand chosen for the event (hence why I now have such a large collection of crockery). I also like to use items that aren’t the everyday pieces to make my guests feel special. Curate a mix of vintage champagne coupes, art nouveau coloured glassware and vintage china from a local flea market. And don’t skimp on the table linen, it doesn’t have to be expensive but it does have to be well made like our French linen shot with metallic. It’s the backdrop and layers that will make or break it.
Take advantage of the natural features - I’m blessed with an architectural gem in the large Georgian features but I love Victorian fireplaces as the gothic focal point for a dramatic candlelit dinner. And those gorgeous French-style cornices and shutters? You’ve got the start of a Parisian speakeasy right there. Even a contemporary new build has potential, don't think of it as featureless - it's a completely blank slate so it's an amazing neutral backdrop to showcase your weird maximalist art collection.
Remember, most meals in a dining room last two hours are more and there just aren’t any other spaces in your home that guests will be seated for that amount of time in just one place. Your dining room is your conversation starter, so go bold with the artwork, wallpaper and architectural features. A guest has even commented on the direction of the floorboards before and triggered an hour long debate about the right or wrong way for floorboards to be laid!
If there’s one thing our supper clubs have taught me, it’s that it’s not just a bunch of people eating dinner in a room. It’s the table around which conversation, creativity, and even entire companies can emerge.
