A piece of milky white ethnic art inspired designer Thierry Buisson to
create a spectacular black and white dining room for Christmas.

Thierry, who was born and raised in Paris and spent weekends scouting
flea markets and antique shops with his father, decorated the dining
room for the Summit League Homes for the Holidays tour in early
December.
“I wanted to mix earthy and a casual feeling with a really formal
environment,” Thierry said.
The inspiring artwork was a painted piece of carved mahogany that a
friend lent him from artist John Byers. It rests on a credenza at the
end of the room, with a pair of modern lamps in the foreground.
To add drama, he used a zebra skin rug as a table runner layered over
a piece of pale burlap he custom made with a Greek key border. He also
found some white dishes with stark black geometric patterns.

Perhaps from his Parisian roots, Thierry loves to bring the outside in
with vintage garden urns (adding metallic orbs and snowglobes on top
for sparkle).

The antique garden credenza, the base from the 18th century, has a
modern cement top. It’s one of his favorite pieces.
He kept the flowers simple, he said, using paperwhites on the
credenzas, and adding mini Christmas trees and cabbage plants on the
table.

For whimsy, he had a custom topiary created to look like his Norwich
Terrier “Winston,” stuffed it with moss and placed it in the center of
the table.
“Winston is such a huge part of my life. I just adore that dog, so I
put him right there” he said. “It’s pure whimsy, quirky, different and
unexpected.”

As he puts it, “I had fun in that room.”

If you’re looking to add fun to your own rooms, and want Thierry’s
help, you can contact him here:
Thierry Buisson Interiors
thierryinteriors@gmail.com.

Here’s the complete slideshow: