Have you ever had a big project that you began with every intention of completing in . . . like 5 days? Then that 5 days turned into 5 weeks and the 5 weeks into 5 months . . . or even longer?
Yup, that’s pretty much the way my dining room makeover went. I felt quite vindicated on Sunday though when our Pastor, who is doing a series called Flip my House, talked about how building anything good takes time. It is a process. So I’m thinking this dining room of mine must be pretty good because it took way more time than I ever could’ve imagined!
It began with my trying to strip some very stubborn wallpaper, only to find out that it was applied directly to the sheetrock. Not a good situation. Believe me, I tried every method known to man to remove that paper and it wasn’t worth the time I would have had to put into it to get it to the point of being paintable.
So I repaired the damage I’d already done and moved on to Plan B, new wallpaper. Shopping, shopping, and more shopping, ordering samples, rejecting samples, ordering more samples and finally finding just what I was looking for The wallpaper application itself also took way longer than expected but it wasn’t such a bad experience because I had a good GREAT friend who came all the way out from Washington to help me. Pain shared is pain lessened!
Of course there was also the painting of the buffet and dining chairs, reupholstering the dining chairs, repairing and painting a hutch . . . you get the picture.
It would’ve been a whole lot easier to pick everything I wanted from a catalog and have it shipped but that’s not the way I roll . . . Mrs. Old Things New here.
This was the style board I originally put together for my dining room using Olioboard. This great design tool actually kept me from making mistakes when I realized that some of the things I originally planned on using in this room didn’t look good together. If you are interested in reading about how I came up with the inspiration for this room you can read the full post HERE.
Dining Room Before
This is a view of our dining room BEFORE, looking toward the kitchen. Very classic wallpaper in a pretty shade of red but, like some of the other changes we’ve made in this house, it just wasn’t me.
Dining Room Before
This is the dining room view looking toward the front door, where Sasha hangs out all day long looking for something to bark at.
And here she is, my somewhat glam, somewhat rustic new dining room.
The hutch is the first piece I worked on, using a color wash in different grey tones. You can find the tutorial for that HERE
These old doors were taken from another large piece that I’m working on for my bedroom. I used liming wax for the first time to give them this weathered look.
Then I attached some vintage wall sconces for that Rustic Glam look that I like.
You may have heard about my chandy before. It was a birthday gift from my husband the first year we were married. Even though we had to pay a small fortune to have it specially packaged and shipped across the U.S. it was worth it!
An antique frame turned chalkboard so I can write messages to myself.
This is a close up of the wallpaper we used. I like that it has a very subtle pattern in pearly greys, cream and tan. The pattern is Brunate Damask from Seabrook Wallcoverings.
This is the little redeemed and restored hutch I recently wrote about HERE
The pattern in the glass of the hutch . . .
. . . matches the pattern in the fabric I used to recover the chairs . . . and also the pattern in the rug that once belonged to my mom.
I’m either very clever or very lucky 😉 You guess which one it is.
I painted the dining chairs with the same color wash technique that I used on the buffet.
One of the items on my style board was tufted and upholstered chairs for each end of the dining table. These are Bennett Camelback armchairs from Restoration Hardware and they were on sale at the time I purchased them. Though the price was pretty good I guess you could still say they were my big splurge since all of the other dining room furniture combined cost less than one RH chair.
That doesn’t include these vintage Florentine nesting tables. They don’t normally hang out in this room but needed a place to stay while the Christmas tree takes up their nook in the living room.
This antique frame holds blue and white vases filled with dried roses.
An antique French mirror hangs between the two dining room windows.
This, of course, is my favorite thing about this dining room makeover! I have loved this painting from afar for years, ever since I began following Sherry’s blog, No Minimalist Here.
Sherry and I at her home. Eeek! #bloggerfriendsnowreallifefriends
Sherry’s was one of the first blogs I followed. I’ve always loved her style (being a non-minimalist myself) and I’ve always admired this painting which hung in her home. Several months ago, after downsizing, she had an online garage sale through her blog. Would you believe that we drove the 7-1/2 hours to get this painting? It was actually hubby’s idea because he knew how much I loved it. It not only makes my dining room but it also has a special history behind it, in that it comes from the Jamestown Plantations in Virginia.
Ever since I put the last sprig of greenery in my centerpiece in preparation for taking pictures for the blog I’ve been walking by my dining room and feeling delighted at the transformation that I knew would one day be. But you know what? When it comes right down to it, it is all just stuff! Temporary treasure that brings some temporary pleasure but nonetheless, just stuff.
Because of that mindset, and because I’ve had times in my life that I’ve struggled financially, I have a hard time spending too much money on the temporary things. That’s also why I like to restore things that others have no use for, or to create things myself to add beauty to my home.
I know that not everyone is like me. Not everyone enjoys searching through junk stores and spending hours in a hot/cold garage restoring their finds, and I certainly don’t begrudge those who have decorated their homes with high end furnishings. In fact, I love going to into their homes to OoHH and AaHH and gain even more inspiration! Like I’ve said on my sidebar, I believe anyone can create beauty on a budget.
Now, because I can’t help myself . . .
Another BEFORE
And AFTER
BEFORE
And AFTER.
Yup, I like it better this way!
Blessings,
P.S. I have one dirty little secret. It is the dirty, scratched up dining room table hiding under the tablecloth I made to hide it. It is a table just like the one on my design board except beaten. One day I will be stripping and restoring that final piece to it’s original wood tone. One day . . . but probably not too soon.
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I have never heard of rustic glam but apparently I love it because your room is beautiful! The board with the sconce was genius. I wondered about the table , did you make that wonderful covering? So worth the wait-says the one who wasn’t waiting..or working.
Looks fantastic! Nice work!
Nicely done Patti! What verse will go on your chalkboard now for Christmas? I’m redoing my “Grateful” one right now.
Oh, my . . .
What great results from all that patience and perseverance. You’ve created a lovely and restful room.
It is really a lovely “after.” I adore the wallpaper. It is a calm, beautiful place. You really did a great job. Thank you for the inspiration.
Patti, Your dining room is beautiful and the cherub painting is perfect in the room. I am so glad you love it as much as I do. I love the tablecloth and your pretty chandelier.
Hugs,
Sherry
Absolutely beautiful! The room has an amazing ethereal quality that I bet you just love to soak up. You made some wonderful choices in there.
How neat to meet Sherry! She left a comment on my blog last week and I felt like I was rubbing shoulders with someone famous. She’s so funny. 🙂
Well, you certainly hit THAT one out of the ball park! That is gorgeous, to say the least. And I love how you can take fancy things and mix them with simple things and come up with a stupendous “thing”. And a stupendous style.
It is my guess that you are cleverly creative and blessed to be so “lucky”….lol
Patti, this is fabulous!!!! I love your creativity, and how you take a piece destined for a junk pile and turn it into a treasure. Your home is a showplace! I love it, and am so happy for you! Hugs
Sparkly and classy! I love all the white …
Patti your dining room is absolutely beautiful. I love everything about it but my favorite is Sasha. A house is not a home without a dog and yours is adorable!
Beautiful, beautiful room! Can you please share a picture of what the doors looked like before you applied the liming wax? Were they old oak, shiny mahogany, etc??? Perhaps do a quick post on liming wax? Thanks for sharing this delightful room!
Tutorials coming on all the elements of this room after the holidays!
Absolutely stunning! What a wonderful job you did and I am seriously loving those sconces!!
Oh! I love this room.
I can’t wait to see it in person, soon.
Your wallpaper is beautiful & that picture – I can see why you drove 7+ hrs to get it.
Everything looks wonderful –
Rose
Patti ! You did a beautiful job! Very peaceful and sooooo cute! A lot of work I know!!! I am in LOVE with your tablecloth!!! Any chance I could PAY you to make me one for my farm table!! I absolutely love it! Don’t worry about fixing the table! Ha! The tablecloth is perfect! Any way, I would sooo love to have one ! My email is papjohngram@yahoo.com Blessings to you girl! Great job! Thanks,Cindy let me know please!
As I scrolled down the page admiring your work and reading the post, I was delightfully happy to read that you chose to do things yourself instead of going to high end stores. I believe that even if we have the money to buy a lot of these things, it does not compare to the satisfaction we derive from doing the work ourselves. By doing it ourselves we are doing custom work and getting exactly what we envision. Your dining room is the result of your brilliant vision and you have done an amazing job, you should be very proud.
Patti, your redo is gorgeous. Great job! How nice that you bought the painting from Sherry. I’m a longtime follower of No Minimalist Here too.
Oh my word, tyou did a FANTASTIC job with your gorgeous dining room – it is so updated, light and bright!
Well big time congrats- it is never easy to do home improvements….and who the heck adheres wallpaper directly onto sheetrock? I just don’t understand some builders, you know it? YIKES.
Well done, indeed!
Oh how I know the 5 day job becoming the 5 month job or longer. The wallpaper dilemma…gosh it seems it gets fused and becomes part of the sheetrock. I love your new look and can also appreciate the beauty of the old paper. It’s lovely to look at but would be too busy for my own house. Your new look is more serene. Thanks for the link to Olioboard. I’ll have to go check it out.
Patti! How lovely your dining room makeover is! It’s true that creating the perfect space takes time, and I can tell by your post that you are very happy with the results and that along with the satisfaction of completing the task has got to make you smile! Great job! Thank you for sharing with us at Brag About It! Hope you are enjoying your week!
~Laurie
Yikes, you did such a great job…so very pretty.
WOW, that is an amazing transformation, Patti! I know it’s always easier to look back, after a project is completed, and kind of forget what it took to get to the finish line. You truly did an amazing job on this room……every single piece compliments the next. Absolutely beautiful!
Patti,
How beautiful is your dining room and that French mirror — gorgeous! I am admiring your style board too, since I just started looking at how to make one — I am impressed! You are so talented — blessings to you!
Wow, what a beautiful transformation. It is really lovely………….
and so peaceful and tranquil looking……..
Enjoy your Christmas dinner in this wonderful room.
Blessings,
Nellie
This is just beautiful! I absolutely love your wallpaper and that painting was worth the drive!
I couldn’t agree more about refurbishing and recycling- all that treasure hunting and painting makes a room so much more personal and unique. So glad to discover your blog 🙂
Your new dining room is so classic and beautiful! I love the softer colors and the overall feel of the room. Great job!
Shelley
Well worth the wait! Your dining room is stunning. I especially love the sconces on the doors. You’ve given me so much inspiration! I’ve been wanting to change my dining room but keep putting it off. Thanks for inspiring me.
What a gorgeous makeover. It was certainly worth taking the time to get just the right look.
What a gorgeous transformation and I love that you drove 7 hours to pick up that painting from Sherry – it was so worth it and was meant to grace your dining room – it fits just perfectly !
I’d probably blog from that room I love it so much LOL !
Have a wonderful Sunday
Stunning! Love it all and your table covering is so pretty; no rush in getting that table done; adds such soft charm.
Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
Blessings,
Cindy
Just beautiful… your time was well spent. What a wonderful story to always share about your painting…I love things in my home that have a story with them…I will be back to check out your Freedom Friday..I also believe in the renewal and transformation that can happen when Jesus gets a hold of someone’s heart.. I love findin bloggers who bring glory to the Lord in their posts..Thanks for sharing! Blessings!
Your dining room is really beautifully done down to the tiniest of details. I ♥♥♥ the chandelier. My table top is water stained in the center so I have to keep something on it all the time…trying to decide whether to paint or sand it down/stain it. Thanks for sharing your hard work!
Have a wonderful week, Patti.
Patti,
I absolutely l o v e your Dining Room, dear friend!!!
A home should be a reflection of one’s heart and soul. . .
and you’ve achieved both within this elegantly designed room!!!
I “Like” both the refurbished and the “new” furniture.
Heirlooms, such as your Mother’s rug,
are the pieces that keep our loved ones close at heart!!!
Well done!!!
Fondly,
Pat
Such a gorgeous, gorgeous space! Visiting you from The Dedicated House.
Omg, the sconces on the old doors are magnificent!! Love this room… 🙂 Thanks for linking up at Share It One More Time!!
MAtching the chair fabric with the bold color in the rug was brilliant! THe updated room is very nice. It’s a great room for gathering!
What a beautiful makeover! I love the sconces on the wood! That chandy is fabulous! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!
Beautiful, beautiful–and so YOU! You did a great job with this transformation. I love that you used the rug that used to belong to your mom. (By the way, that rug is part of the Karastan 700 series. I own the same rug, and I still love it many years after I bought it!)
Your house there in South Carolina was already lovely when you bought it, but I’m so glad you’re re-making it into YOUR space. Way to go.
I will feature this today at Home Sweet Home!
Your dining room makeover is beautiful! I cannot believe the other owner wallpapered directly onto the Sheetrock! Gah! You did a wonderful job!
Patti, oh, my goodness! It’s stunning!! You did such an amazing job!! Thank you for sharing. You are one of the features at this week’s Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link to this week’s bash! http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/12/make-it-pretty-monday-week-161.html I hope your week is merry and bright! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Your ‘new’ dining room is simply gorgeous! So much inspiration! Can you tell me how you did the vases in the antique frame? Did you cut the vases? If so, how did you do that? How did you attach them to the wall? I would love to do this and cannot figure out how!!!!! Thanks in advance!
We were out of town all last week, so I didn’t get to visit many of you, but I had a great time going thru the links picking features this week. Amazing what lies behind those little thumbnail photos that are posted! Here are just a few of the wonderful links from you all last week, that are full of vintage Fall and Halloween inspiration.