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    Updated Dining Room

    By Stacy 26 Comments

    If you have been following along for a bit, then you know that I admitted to never being truly happy with our dining space. After tweaking it over and over I still wasn't in love. I have made some easy changes over the past couple of months (I was slowed down by birthday parties, speaking gigs, a conference, and a business trip) and I think it is safe to say that I now ADORE this space!

    green dining room

    Here is a reminder of how it looked before.... one of the befores :) And don't worry, the reclaimed wood corner unit found a new home and I will share that later.

    The ceiling is still one of my favorite projects I have ever done. I have a tutorial for it too!

    dining room before

    If you follow me on instagram then you have already seen sneak peeks along the way. And now you finally get to see the whole space! I wish I was better with photography because these pictures just don't do it justice.

    dining room

    I kept the mirror as it was before but added a wreath hung by a large coral ribbon. I loved the layered look.

    dining room pendant light

    And I restyled the shelves to be more "dining room-y". If you missed it, there is a tutorial on how to build these floating corner shelves. The are super simple and make good use of otherwise wasted space.

    corner shelves

    And yesterday I shared the tutorial on how to refinish a table. I still love the richness of the Dark Walnut stain!

    dining room table

    I am completely obsessed with this light fixture! It was my splurge. I bought it at Hayneedle for $130. It sold for much more at other places. The green patina on it was what really sold it for me. I would have liked to have had it hang even lower but let's face it, that is basically an invitation for one of my boys to swing from it.

    dining room mirror

    I have had a calendar on the wall in the past but it was not the best place for it. I have had better success recently with the family calendar being in the office by the computer. So I decided to put a chalkboard in here. It can be whatever I need it to be. A menu board, a place to post an inspirational quote, a shopping list, or a not so gentle reminder to my kids to behave themselves :) I just cut a thin board, painted it with chalkboard paint, drilled a couple of holes, and hung it with twine.

    colorful dining room

    small dining room

    I LOVE having fresh lemons around. I love lemon in my water, to clean with, and for cooking. I'll let you in on a secret..... I didn't have enough to fill the large bowl I bought from Target, so I added a few yellow plastic balls! Photoshoot saved, without another trip to the store!

    dining room light

    I don't have a wide angle lens and this is a tiny space. I had to practically sit in the kitchen sink to get a shot of the whole space.

    small dining room ideas

    dining room chalk board "mind your manners"

    The distressed bench ( that started out a big fat fail) works so well with my metal chairs. I would really like to eventuall get two tall tolix chairs for the back side of the table and use two of these shorter ones for the ends. But they are so pricey! I will just have to keep my eyes out. I was able to buy the shorter backed one on sale from Target for about $30 each.

    dining room mirror

    dining room french country modern

    I think we are going to love this space..... at least until my boys grow up and are too tall and lanky. Hopefully by then we will be able to add on to our house :) But for now it totally works.

    So what do you think?

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    « How to Refinish A Table
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    Filed Under: DIY & Tutorials, Furniture, Home Decor, Painting, Power Tools, Staining 26 Comments

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marce

      May 16, 2014 at 4:23 am

      Such a beautiful and calm space. Love the ceiling, it adds the "Oooo, That is Amazing," to the room. Two thumbs up.

      Reply
    2. Trisha D.

      May 16, 2014 at 6:21 am

      In LOVE with the ceiling!! Also really enjoyed the brightness it brings! Thanks for sharing the room makeover!

      Reply
    3. laura

      May 16, 2014 at 6:35 am

      Stacy- This is beautiful! I love the mirror layered against the wood. Would you please link this to Friday Favorites at http://imnotatrophywife.com Great photos too! laura

      Reply
    4. Cath T

      May 16, 2014 at 8:49 am

      Delicious! So many delightful details and a great overall light, airy feel for a "cozy" room. I can see mealtime being a happy time in your house. I think my favorite parts are the table, the ceiling and the curtains. Had to laugh about swinging from the chandelier. That is one of my mother's favorite aphorisms for describing undesirable behavior in children. With three older brothers, I know how energetic a family of boys can be. I like the non-traditional chandelier; it really makes a statement in the room, and suits your male-dominated family.

      Reply
    5. Beth @ Sawdust and Embryos

      May 16, 2014 at 9:06 am

      I absolutely LOVE everything about this space!! Great job Stacy!!

      Reply
    6. Miriam@Hometalk

      May 16, 2014 at 9:23 am

      I am in love. You are a creative genius! :)

      Reply
    7. Heart and Haven

      May 16, 2014 at 9:45 am

      I like the new refresh of the space. I could enjoy a cup of coffee there in the morning (ok, I don't really drink coffee...but you get the idea, haha) I like the new chairs you added....they take up less space visually and make your dining room appear more spacious :-) Is that a lemon tree in the corner? It looks so fresh with the bowl of fresh lemons on the table.
      And I love the pops of color you added with the stacked bowls to an otherwise fairly neutral, calm space.

      And you have another secret space you haven't shared before....what's behind that skinny door on the wall with the floating shelves and chalkboard???

      Reply
      • Stacy

        May 16, 2014 at 6:07 pm

        It is the old ironing board closet that we now use as a broom closet :) I wish I had a hidden room!

        Reply
    8. Funky Junk Interiors

      May 16, 2014 at 10:01 am

      Beautiful, Stacy! I adore that layered mirror so much too! This space is perfection!

      Reply
    9. Kim (TheKimSixFix)

      May 16, 2014 at 11:40 am

      I love this room so much! The bright fresh feeling, the personal touches.. that table! Oh how I love that table! You did a beautiful job and I'm happy that you stuck with it and got it the way that makes you happy.

      Reply
    10. michelle

      May 16, 2014 at 6:02 pm

      You did a great job! What's behind the door on the wall?

      Reply
      • Stacy

        May 16, 2014 at 6:06 pm

        It is the old ironing board closet that we now use as a broom closet :) Gotta love old houses!

        Reply
    11. Donna G

      May 17, 2014 at 9:10 am

      Well done Stacy. There's not a great deal of change but it makes a huge difference. I liked the old chairs, (because I love timber) but the new ones are better. I like them lighter shelves in the corner too. every time I see the ceiling it seems to jump out towards me saying you do love me don't you? Unfortunately I'm not bold enough to paint my ceiling like it and my landlords would say no anyway. I have open plan living areas but for your separate room I think it works perfectly. Keep having fun

      Reply
    12. Emily@Decorchick

      May 17, 2014 at 9:16 am

      Love love love it! That rich stain on the table is gorgeous. Love the new light too! Great job girl.

      Reply
    13. Virginia Fynes

      May 17, 2014 at 3:41 pm

      WOW, wonderful space! I love the mirror and the light fixture, just beautiful!

      Reply
    14. Amy Anderson

      May 17, 2014 at 4:20 pm

      Gorgeous! You did such an amazing job with it.

      Reply
    15. Debbie

      May 17, 2014 at 6:30 pm

      Love it all! I need that amazing light fixture :)

      Reply
    16. DesignedByBH

      May 18, 2014 at 4:11 pm

      I absolutely love it! And your house looks like it has so much character! Thanks for sharing!!!! :)

      - Brooke -

      Reply
    17. Mindi

      May 20, 2014 at 4:00 pm

      Oh wow! Stacy it is beautiful!! Every last bit, I love it all!

      Reply
    18. Deneen@dreaming-n-color

      May 21, 2014 at 6:23 am

      Ooo I love the mirror. Another space worth the work! Pretty!

      Reply
    19. jenny Pittsburgh

      May 23, 2014 at 10:42 am

      So let's talk about those metal chairs. Apologies if I missed, but where did you get them? And how comfortable are they? We are planning on 7-8 foot farmhouse table and I would need 8 of them (yikes!). I love the way the look!

      And the wreath over the mirror...I'm stealing that idea! So charming.

      Beautiful room.

      Reply
    20. Deborah

      March 06, 2017 at 2:58 pm

      Can u tell me how you did the reclaimed wood behind the mirror? Do you have a tutorial?

      Reply
    21. Kallie

      March 09, 2017 at 9:27 pm

      Love the layered look with the mirror and small wreath! I am wanting to create something like the reclaimed wood piece that is behind the mirror. Can you tell me how you stuck them together? Wood glue???

      Reply

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