TOUR MY
Dining Room
A real-live adult dining room, with so many pieces I adore.
For years this was a catch-all junk room that we couldn’t even stand to walk through. We weren’t formal eaters so I could not bring myself to purchase a dining room set. Then, I saw one I fell in love with. I must have looked at it for a year before I pulled the trigger.
That was in 2015 and lead to a complete transformation in this room. It was also the launching pad for the rest of our renovations, which we picked back up in 2017. Since this room was finished a while ago, I don’t have a ‘before’ image to compare to current day. But I’ll tell you all about what we did…
Topics covered here
Overview
All the Details
Room Views
Features I Love
Shopping Links (separate page)
PROJECT overview
JUST THE FACTS, MAM
There were a couple of big-ticket items in terms of furniture. Regarding the work, we did all of it ourselves, except refinishing the hardwood floors. The dining room set and the bar were big splurges, and I decorated the rest of the room around those pieces. I continue to change and update the details of the decor to match my mood and the seasons. I just love all the warm tones, it’s a wonderful place for dinner whether it’s just the two of us or a crowd.
COST BREAKDOWN
Decor: $1,065
Wall Art: $300
Floor refinishing: $635
Furniture: $5,107
Lighting: $650
Paint Supplies: $35
Window treatments: $294
TOTAL: $8,085
Money doesn’t grow on trees. So how did we pay for this? Check out my post 6 Ways You Can Finance Your Renovation and I’ll fill you in!
Time to complete: approximately 3 months total, a couple of years apart
Most of the work was done back in 2015, but we re-painted and refinished the hardwood floors and added a rug and some other items in 2017.
2015 Cleaned out the room (lots of trips to the dump). Purchased a dining room set, the bar (fav!) and the Pottery Barn Paxton chandelier (love!).
2017 Refinished the hardwood floors (Northeast Flooring). Added an area rug, all the wall art (designed by yours truly) and changed up all the decor in the baker’s rack.
Nothing out of the ordinary on this project!
How this room improves our lives (sounds silly, I know, but it’s true…)
- Because this was the very first room I remodeled, it proved to me that I could convert a space from one that I detested to one that I absolutely loved. How do you put a price on that?
- This is a space that is perfect for dinner, whether it’s just the two of us or a crowd. Everything is in its place, which makes cleanup a breeze. And it’s a beautiful spot. Eating in this room, or just walking through it, never fails to put a smile on my face.
Paint
Cost
There were a couple of big-ticket items in terms of furniture. Regarding the work, we did all of it ourselves, except refinishing the hardwood floors. The dining room set and the bar were big splurges, and I decorated the rest of the room around those pieces. I continue to change and update the details of the decor to match my mood and the seasons. I just love all the warm tones, it’s a wonderful place for dinner whether it’s just the two of us or a crowd.
COST BREAKDOWN
Decor: $1,065
Wall Art: $300
Floor refinishing: $635
Furniture: $5,107
Lighting: $650
Paint Supplies: $35
Window treatments: $294
TOTAL: $8,085
Money doesn’t grow on trees. So how did we pay for this? Check out my post 6 Ways You Can Finance Your Renovation and I’ll fill you in!
Timing
Time to complete: approximately 3 months total, a couple of years apart
Most of the work was done back in 2015, but we re-painted and refinished the hardwood floors and added a rug and some other items in 2017.
2015 Cleaned out the room (lots of trips to the dump). Purchased a dining room set, the bar (fav!) and the Pottery Barn Paxton chandelier (love!).
2017 Refinished the hardwood floors (Northeast Flooring). Added an area rug, all the wall art (designed by yours truly) and changed up all the decor in the baker’s rack.
Problems
Nothing out of the ordinary on this project!
Improvements
How this room improves our lives (sounds silly, I know, but it’s true…)
- Because this was the very first room I remodeled, it proved to me that I could convert a space from one that I detested to one that I absolutely loved. How do you put a price on that?
- This is a space that is perfect for dinner, whether it’s just the two of us or a crowd. Everything is in its place, which makes cleanup a breeze. And it’s a beautiful spot. Eating in this room, or just walking through it, never fails to put a smile on my face.
all the DETAILS
WHAT WE DID AND HOW WE DID IT
We did much of the work on this room back in 2015, but put the finishing touches on it in 2017.
The first order of business was getting everything out of the room. Much of it was junk, so there were lots of trips to the dump.
The catalyst for getting the room ready was that we had purchased a new dining room set that I had fallen in love with the year before. I looked at it for a year before I pulled the trigger because I didn’t think we were ‘dining room’ type people and didn’t want to spend the money.
But that table changed my mind.
Once we had purchased the table, I added a bar – the Ludlow Trunk Bar from Pottery Barn (another difficult purchase because of the price point but one I’m so happy I made). We added the Paxton chandelier, which almost gave both of us a hernia when we installed it (it’s never leaving that spot).
The room was coming together, but it would be another two years before we added the finishing touches.
We also had the floor refinished as part of our overall floor refinishing project. Then we added a chunky wool area rug to protect the floors.
With the recent completion of our kitchen remodel, I moved the plates that were taking up space on the baker’s rack and changed up the decor in that space (which I continue to modify as the season change).
I added a new centerpiece to the dining room table. Read all about how I created that piece here.
I added wall art, and except for 1 piece I designed all of it myself. Are you interested in downloading the same files I used for my own walls? I’m making them all available in my freebie library. Click here to access my library and all the free resources there.
I also added a side table and did some work with my built-in china cabinet.
Even though this is a dining room, a room that I never thought I’d have a need for, it’s one of my favorite spots in the house.
Roomview
Here’s the finished room, from each of its 4 corners.
features I LOVE
Hover over the images for details (unless you’re on mobile, then tap on the image).
Dining Room Bar Decor
From the wall art to the decor on the bar, each piece hand picked, in some cases hand-made. Love them all!
Bar Cabinet
One of my big splurges. Love this cabinet, see below for link.
Side table & greenery
All the greenery in the room adds a warm, homey feel. Most of the plants we've had forever.
Wall art
Pieces I created myself, you can download these exact pieces for your own walls, see link below.
Built-in china cabinet
You gotta love old houses. Where else do you find these?
Pocket Doors
Back in 2015, we refinished the doors and the hardware so the doors slide open and closed like a dream now.
Dining Room Set
It took me over a year to decide to purchase this table, but I'm so glad we did. See link below.
Baker’s Rack
Another set that I change out with the seasons. Most items purchased at local HomeGoods or HobbyLobby, other links below.
SHOPPING (and other) links
For more information
- Shopping Links for this page
- Read about the process for refinishing all the hardwood in our house here.
- Read about how we refinished our painted-over hardware
- Read about how to craft a centerpiece here.
- View my online shopping tips here.
- Get more information about our Free Resource Library here, including all our available printables.
- Click here for the Main House Tour page.
How about you?
Do you have a favorite area or room in your house that you’ve renovated? I’d love to hear about it. Please share in the comments below!