This Dining Room Has the Coolest Walls You’ve Ever Seen
One might expect April Pride, founder of the women-centric cannabis brand Van Der Pop, to live in a home of bright colors and contemporary silhouettes that aligns with the branding of her company. Quite opposite: The Virginia-born entrepreneur and former interior designer’s style is quirky but rooted in tradition. One room in particular stands out in the Madison Park, Seattle, home she shares with her husband and two teenage sons: a dining room in which the walls are covered floor to ceiling not in wallpaper or even upholstery but caning.
“Her youngest son was 11 and her other in high school when we started this project,” explains Liza Curitss of design firm Le Whit. “That chapter of young childhood was coming to an end, and [Pride] realized she could a more nicely designed home the kids would respect and keep clean." Inspired by the beautiful Marcel Breueur cane Cesca chairs of the owners, Curtiss had the idea to cane the walls allover, a move that would both cozy up the formerly white dining room and connect it with the adjacent green kitchen.
“It’s a great conversation piece and references the rest of the house with the interplay of the old and the new,” she says.
Contractor Estee Clifford, who is a friend of Curtiss’, was brought in for the fabrication. The home was originally built in TK by George Suyama, a local architect known for “using beautiful classical elements of architectural design,” says Curtiss, but its timeworn elegance meant that the room didn’t have perfect 90 degree angles, so there were some challenges to its custom tailoring. “She built it off site and it took about three days to install,” says Curtiss.
Once complete, it provided a warm backdrop for the owner’s white table and retro chairs, and the banquette was reupholstered to bring the whole space together. Benjamin Moore’s Black Door Green on the windows ties in the kitchen casework, which is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Waller Green. The banquette was refurbished in Sunbrella Canvas Bay Brown, an indoor-outdoor, family-friendly material, while the final detail—a 3-D mask sourced from 1stDibs—adds an artistic flare. “Originally there was a sconce there, so the art piece felt like it was meant to be, like it belonged there,” Curtiss says.
Pride, originally an interior designer herself, is thrilled with the result. By “sourcing vintage lighting and fabrics, plus choosing timeless materials like cane, it ensured that our redesign retained the well-earned patina of a well-loved home,” she says.
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