Dining Room Makeover | The Design Plan

Hi friends!  Welcome to a brand new week!  I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day, as different as it was this year.  I got to see my Mom and it was truly awesome!  She looks great and it was the best gift just being together.

And here’s hoping this week is better than the last.  Some days lately are just so rough!  We were chatting about that on Stories lately and I so appreciate all of your DMs commiserating.  It truly helps me feel like I’m not alone and we are in this together.

To help us get off on the right foot this week, I created a new Daily Fitness & Goals printable.  It’s free, just subscribe to my blog to receive it (and all my free printables) in your inbox!  If you’re already a subscriber, the link to all my free printables is in the Weekend Newsletter.

Daily Fitness & Productivity Goals | May 2020

DINING ROOM MAKEOVER

Today, I’m turning my attention to something new and exciting and couldn’t wait to share it with you! My dining room is getting a makeover!

I’m so happy to have something else to channel my energy into, instead of just homeschool and quarantine life!  I needed this project for myself in a big way!  Ever since painting the room grey and white last year, I’ve been stewing over how to finish it, not quite sure how to pull it together.

Lucky for me, my friend Aryn at Oyster Creek Design Studios collaborated with me on this one and came up with design boards quickly, where I had been paralyzed with indecision for months.

Aryn helped design my master bedroom, so I know she’s an amazing designer, but I love that she really listens and helped me flush out what I wanted.  She understands how things will work together (or won’t) and came up with options and pieces that I wouldn’t have found on my own.

She’s also seen many things in person that are online only (or that I can’t see because I can’t get to the store), so she’s able to offer guidance and perspective about how they look in real life.  That’s certainly invaluable right now!

My dining room is right off of the entryway, across from Jordan’s playroomIt’s never been a room that’s gotten a ton of use, we typically eat in the cozy breakfast room, but it was wonderful for family get togethers at the holidays.  For a change of scenery, I would sometimes sit and eat my breakfast here on the weekends while enjoying a magazine. 

HWH Fall Dining Room Decor

Thanksgiving Dining Room 

Since it’s the first room you see when you enter my house, I want it to be beautiful and inviting. 

Several months ago, before quarantine hit, I donated my dining table.  #oops!  I knew I wanted to replace it because the wood was a dark brown/reddish color and I wanted a lighter feel for this room.  Lately, it’s been homeschool central and where my kids do their schoolwork during the day. And since I didn’t have a proper dining table, we pulled two card tables in to make do.

Chandelier

The dining room used to have white molding and light blueish-aqua walls.  It was very pretty and soothing, but after painting Jordan’s play room, I thought it would look better and more cohesive if both rooms were painted the same way.  I’m really smitten with the contrast of the grey trim and white walls. 

Toddler Playroom

Jordan’s Playroom

But, after painting, I never hung the drapes back up because they were always too short.  And I didn’t rehang the mirrors because I kept thinking I could find something that went better.  The console table is a great piece, but probably too small for this large dining room.

Console Table

Sooo, since last year, the room has felt completely unfinished.  Throw in the card tables and we really needed to whip this place into shape!  At least we have a fresh, blank slate to work with!

I didn’t know exactly what I wanted the dining room to look like, but I did find a living room photo as inspiration and shared it with Aryn.  We talked it through and I explained why I was drawn to that room so she could understand the vibe I was going for. 

Now for the fun part!  The design boards!  Aryn sent me several design options and every one is beautiful! To save money, we planned to keep my existing dining room chairs.  They (hopefully) just need a good cleaning!

DINING ROOM DESIGN OPTION ONE

Fiddle Leaf FigDining TableChairs ChandelierSideboardLampsMirror

DINING ROOM DESIGN OPTION TWO

Dining Room Design Plan

Fiddle Leaf FigChandelierDining TableSideboardLampsMirror 

DINING ROOM DESIGN OPTION THREE

 

Dining Room Design Plan

Fiddle Leaf FigChandelierDining TableSideboardLampsMirror

Below are a closer look at some of the furniture and decor options Aryn suggested.

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Sideboards

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Chandeliers

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Lamps

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FINAL DINING ROOM DESIGN BOARD 

After talking with Aryn about all the options, we settled on the pieces below, with custom white linen drapes to beautifully frame the windows.  As you can see, we kind of mixed Design Boards 1 & 2 to come up with the final look.  I love it!

Fiddle Leaf FigChandelierSideboardLampsRugMirror

I loved the simplicity and light wash on the dining table and how easy it will be to “dress” up or down with different table settings.  The chandelier was love at first sight!  It will definitely be the focal point in the room, but the airyness of it will allow your eye to see all the way to the end of the room.  My current drum shade chandelier blocks your eye.

I’m also thrilled to be getting a grown up sideboard for the room that is larger and will fit the room better.  This one is 80W x 20D x 35H , whereas the one I have now is 70.9W x 15.7D x 31.9H.  And, the new sideboard offers lots of storage space for dishes, servewear, and table linens.  The pulls are acrylic with gold trim, which remind me so much of the drapery rods I have in my office.  I plan to use those same rods here!

I’ve always been a fan of white lamps, and I like the unique shape on these, plus the lucite base that ties in with the sideboard and drapery rods.  Finally, the gold mirror is really big (34.5W x 1D x 47.5H), so it will nicely fill at that back wall, flanked by the lamps on either side.

Aryn doesn’t typically recommend rugs in dining rooms due to the food issue and so that the chairs can move in and out easily.  But, I like a rug to ground the space and, since my floors are so dark, I wanted something on the floor to lighten them up.  I chose the same rug I’ve had in here before- I had moved the original one to Jordan’s playroom.  The quality is amazing and it feels nice and soft underfoot.

I have the fiddle leaf fig tree in my living room already, so I may just move it.  It’s the best faux fig tree I’ve ever seen (20% off now)!

I think the succulents I have in the back patio will be a beautiful, low maintenance centerpiece!

AMAZON DINING ROOM DESIGN OPTIONS

And, I had some fun seeing if I could find similar pieces solely on Amazon.  I know that y’all appreciate seeing ‘looks for less’ so I hope this helps if you want to freshen up a space in your home, but don’t want to spend a ton of money!

Lamps and Chandeliers on Amazon

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Dining Room Decor on Amazon

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Amazon Dining Room Decor

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Has quarantine given you the bug to spruce up areas in your home?  At first I was all about decluttering and organizing, but I’m happy to be moving onto decor!

What do y’all think of the design plan?  I’m really loving the neutral vibe and think that it will be grown up and pretty, but still accessible for our family.  I’m literally so giddy to see it come together and will keep you posted along the way!  Join me on Instagram Stories for behind-the-scenes sneak peeks!

Now go kick Monday’s booty!

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

14 Comments

  1. Those are some gorgeous choices for your new dining room. I like so many of the choices from each group. How will you choose? I sure do want the cheetah pillows shown in Aryn at oyster Creeks design studio photo!! My living room is done with creams and aqua and I’m a big fan of animal print. I actually had a custom chair made with aqua and cream with a leopard print on the back and the seat with a contrast fabric in the same color on the sides and back of the chair. It turned out great. As far as the console table in your dining room……I would definitely sand and paint the entire table to put in another room of the house. White would look good with gold hardware. 🙂

  2. This is off the subject for your post today, but I’m wondering if you received your walking treadmill from Amazon and if you like it. I ordered a similar one from QVC a few months ago that I returned for several reasons. I’ve had several regular treadmills so I’m comfortable with lubing and adjusting the belt, but this small one seemed like it might be difficult to maintain. Also, it was tricky to plug the power cord into the front of the machine. The power cord didn’t seem to fit properly. If you love the one you got, please let me know. I really need a treadmill now.

  3. Gorgeous home! Where did you get your sectional couch? It doesn’t look like the same one listed in your “shop” menu…

    1. Hi Hazel, that was in inspiration image, so sadly I don’t know the source of that fan. I’ve seen some like it on Amazon though!

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