Foraging for… ROCKS??

Dining INNvasion Episode 1

Pow Wow Point Lodge

What do you do when you have a struggling resort with a very small budget, in need of a fresh new look? Why decorate with nature of course!

For Pow Wow Point Lodge (herein referred to as PWPL), the décor was centered around the rock wall along the back of the dining room. This rock wall is elegant and understated; it deserved to be made more of a focal point to the room, but was barely noticeable! I lined up a gorgeous harvest table (that had been - gasp! - hidden under a tablecloth) against this rock wall and created a rustic tablescape, casting light against the rocks and giving the room more texture.

What viewers weren’t told is that the owner of PWPL, Doug, built the rock wall with his own two hands (a DIY attitude born of necessity and lack of funds we see all season), and that the other owner, Dee, forages for large rocks on their property all of the time. She mentioned it to me as something we could use because their property has a ton of these gorgeous stones littered all over. A fun afternoon? Definitely. But it was also a really useful way to use the area’s natural resources to spruce up the joint, and it melds nicely with the rock elements already present.

DECOR TIP:

Unless you’re tearing down and starting from scratch, it’s so important to design based on what the room already has to offer, otherwise you’ll have no flow, no cohesion.

Enter the chalkboard sign… this rustic elegant look has been around for years. I honestly keep waiting for it to be over, but it has the craziest staying power! With the rise of Pinterest and sites like Etsy, the DIY trend is going strong, and a lot of these décor items can be made at home. It’s a classic chicken/egg question… is the trend popular because people are excited they can do it at home? Or are people doing these crafts at home because they’re popular?

Regardless, almost every wedding I plan these days has an element of rustic elegance, and a lot of them are still using chalkboard signs. The beauty of using a chalkboard sign in a restaurant environment is it’s an easy and cost effective way to constantly be updating your nightly menus/features. At a resort where every penny counts, this cute and trendy sign is great. And it was originally an old picture frame we converted for this use.

CHALKBOARD PAINT TIPS:

1. It can take a few coats, so make sure not to work under too tight of a deadline. Make make sure to read the side of your paint when you buy it… some chalkboard paints take days to dry.

2. Some chalkboard paints do best after you have apply a layer of chalk and then wipe it down. This initial layer apparently helps to seal the paint and allows subsequent chalk to show up much better.

3. Chalkboard paints come in a TON of colours these days! Get creative... and colourful!!

Happy crafting!!!