The Dining Room Renovation

Last night, hubby and I stood in the dining room {cocktail in hand} and saluted the end of the dining room renovation.

And….yes….

there were a couple of high fives involved.

As well as endless, well deserved, compliments going back and forth.  

Honestly, if there had been a bottle of Cristal in the fridge, I would have popped the cork.  

We can now draw a figurative line through another room on the seemingly endless renovation list.  I have to admit, we are getting quicker, and much better, with each room, and I can’t say that we are “rookies” anymore.

The dining room had a few minor challenges and, what I am learning with each room, is that rarely does anything go simply, or as planned.  But we are getting better at rolling with the punches {instead of sobbing on the floor} when something unexpected happens…..and trust me, some unplanned thing, always happens.

If you haven’t been following along, you can see the beginning of our rookie DIY renovation journey here.  We started with the kitchen, then the den, and now {thank The Good Lord}, the dining room is finished.  

Here is what the dining room looked like before we started.

Dining Room~Before

It was still rockin’ it’s 1970’s avocado green, flocked, wallpaper, hot pink drapes, baseboard heat units, and popcorn ceiling. 

Dining Room~Before

Some of the positives were the original parquet wood floors, stunning French chandelier, a built in china cabinet, and an amazing, arched stained glass window.

Dining Room~Before

The dining room also had some architectural interest with two brick walls, one featuring two antique, cast iron, Italian plaques built into the brick, and an amazing arched brick doorway leading into the formal living room.

And here she is, after the renovation is completed!

Dining Room~After

We began the renovation by scraping the popcorn ceiling {I use the term “we” loosely, hubby and I flipped a coin to see who had to scrape the popcorn…he lost} , removing the baseboard heat units {new heating system was installed last Fall}, and attempting to remove the flocked wallpaper.

One wall of wallpaper came right off…….I immediately thought, “Wow, this is going to be a piece of cake!”

But, alas, I spoke too soon.

The second wall of wallpaper wouldn’t come off no matter what we tried…..

steaming,

professional solutions,

homemade solutions,

yada, yada, yada.

Nothing. worked.

Every piece of wallpaper that we pulled off brought huge pieces of sheet rock with it.  So we took the easy route.  

We planked the walls.

Everything got fresh coats of paint, pale gray walls, crisp white trim, and the double doors leading into the kitchen received a coat of darker gray for contrast.

We extended the crown moulding to give it a little bit more depth and also added more decorative moulding over the doorway to give added height to the room.

The stained glass window was thoroughly cleaned of years of build up and now, the newly painted window trim really showcases the beauty of the stained glass.

The built in china cabinet was updated with ASCP chalk paint in French Linen, and I painted the inside of the cabinet in Provence for an added pop of color.

Bringing the furniture back into the room and getting everything styled is always my favorite part.  And I’m sure it will get tweaked many more times before I’m through with it for awhile.

I love my old European trencher and it usually stays on the table, just getting the contents switched out with the seasons.  The old French side chairs are mostly completed……the two cane back chairs still need a coat of wax, and the seats need upholstering…..I may just do some ruffled slipcovers for the seats.

And I need to find a rug for the floor, but I’m not completely sure what I want yet, so that will wait until I decide.

I love my antique French wingback chairs, bought several years ago at one of my favorite antique stores in Alabama.  They are gold leafed and upholstered in burlap…….love the contrast.

Old books, white ironstone, burlap, and preserved boxwood…….all favorites.

The beautiful Italian mirror belonged to the previous owner of the house {Ms. Irene}.  When we bought the house, there were several French chairs and this Italian mirror still in the house.  We asked if they could be included in the purchase, and Ms. Irene’s estate was kind enough to leave them.  The dining room is the perfect place for her gilt mirror.

This gorgeous statue is one that I bought locally a couple of years ago.  I had every intention of selling it, but once I got it home, I decided that I couldn’t part with it.  She’s very unusual and her imperfections make her……well…..perfect.

My mama {Edith} loved bird nests, so I find myself using them a lot in the Spring decorating.  They make me think of her every time I look at them.  

An antique oil of the Madonna and Child finds a perfect place in the dining room.  The colors tie in beautifully with the gilt mirror, the color Provence inside the china cabinet, and the other shades of blue and gray.

Photo Bombed by Lulu Bean the Schnauzer!

Dining Room~After

I love the way the dining room turned out, and now, I think we’ll take a few days off before we start on the next room on the never ending list……the master bedroom…….can you say, “pink rose metallic wallpaper?”

Cheers ya’ll,

          Cindy

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