Friday, July 16, 2010

Dining Room Makeover Reveal!

Hello friends.  Lately I have been going through a 'Out With The Dark..In With The Light' mood when it comes to home decor. I have been restyling my home these last few months and am excited to show you some results so far. I have more work to do and will be showing you photos as I progress. But this is what I have completed so far....... 
Ten years ago I painted and papered my dining room in a green and gold pallette. I loved it then and for many years after.
Lots of crocheted doilies and runners and assorted picture frames..some wood..some not.
Dark floral valance...dust collecting berries on the chandelier. I needed a major change and I was tired of all the dark.
 First to go was the border
After admiring the many design blogs (is there a seat on the bandwagon Nester?) and all the other post about board and batten wall trim, we decided that was what we wanted for this room. Note: these are not the boards we ended up using..you'll see why.
I went with Behr Ultra paint & primer in one. My colors were Silvered Sage and Bleached Linen. This stuff was wonderful! Went on smoothly, no lingering odor, dried fast and it covered beautifully!
I used a satin finish for the top and semi-gloss for below the rail. Already I was loving the change
We went to our local Home Depot, followed Nester's advice and bought a sheet of MDF and had them cut all our boards for us. How is that for easy! Hint: insist on a new blade for a clean cut. We asked nice and they we happy to oblige. Hey all they could say was 'NO'...it is worth asking.
 My hubby cut the slats to the correct height and I sanded them. I applied one coat of paint before I adhered them to the wall. I used Liquid Nails Paneling Adhesive to glue the boards to the wall. Let me tell you...this stuff grabs and holds like an iron grip and was so easy to work with..lots of play time if needed. Leaving it set overnight, I then caulked around the boards and painted the whole bottom wall with more Bleached Linen.
I bought this gold frame years ago from a ritzy shop going out of business. I never knew what to do with it. The giant M was picked up at Hobby Lobby on sale. It was a creepy gold and I spray painted it black and mounted it inside the gold frame..perfect!
 I also spray painted all my outdated and old wood frames black. Much cleaner and I think the photos are presented better.
All the plates on the walls were found at my local Salvation Macy's (Army). They ranged from $1 to $6 and are all vintage or antiques. Such an inexpensive and beautiful way to decorate. 
The window treatments are my favorite feature of this makeover. I wanted a clean and simple white panel look. I searched for drapes and was not happy with anything in the stores. On one of my thrifting trips, I spotted a large white Ikea heavy cotton bed sheet for $1.99. It was Wednesday and you all know everything is 25% off at the Salvation Macy's on Wednesdays. So for $1.50 I was the happy owner. I cut the sheet in half and used the hem for the header pocket...No sewing!!!!!!!!! Does it get any easier than that?
PS...I am sooooooo tempted to paint my dining room set! Not sure if I have the nerve ;-(
This is exactly the look I was going for..I am so happy with the end result.
This sweet thrift store tier table got the spray paint treatment also...can you tell I becoming addicted to spray paint? 
Gone are the many doilies and table runners (I'll use them for my aprons!) Gone is the heavy, dark area rug. Now when I come into this room I get a feeling of serenity and simplicity. I'm sure the whole makeover was done for less than $100.00...paint (2 gal), wood, plates and bed sheet. I can handle that.
I still have a few more things to change. I will be spray painting the chandelier and recovering the chair seats. I'll keep you posted on those jobs.
Next I will be revealing the living and sitting room and kitchen. I liked the color 'Bleached Linen' so much, I decided to paint my kitchen cabinets. I'm such a glutton for punishment.
Until next time...be kind and stay creative.

22 comments:

Kathleen Grace said...

It looks wonderful Janet! I hear you on whiter and brighter and simpler, that is what I am going for too. Love the colors and the changes, and I can't wait to hear about your cabinet painting. I'm still hanging back on that becasue I dont want to start something I can't finish.

Miss Mustard Seed said...

It looks so pretty! Very fresh and light. It definitely was looking a little tired and over decorated. We've all been there and it seems like we're all ready for some space. Beautiful job and I love the color.

Marie said...

Very nicely done. It is light, airy and creative with all the openness. I can hardly wait to see the next room.

Hugs - Marie

Kelly Ann said...

we might have to sit down and have a cold drink and you can explain to me the whole painting kitchen cabinets deal....I want a lighter kitchen...btw...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your new dining room.

claire said...

Wow Janet what a difference a can of paint can make. The room looks so light and fresh and serene, amazing.
Loooooove the thrift store plates, particularly the turkey platter. You certainly are the Queen of the thrift store finds. The little tiered table has come up a treat too.
You must be so pleased with it, all that effort for such a great result, well done.

Claire X

Wanda..... said...

The dining room now has a calming quality...I love the paint choice!

Aprons and More said...

I LOVE IT!!! Doesn't a little change make it feel like a brand new house?! But go slow...it's easy to get caught up in the moment and have all these great ideas, only to burn out from all the work! But I love it...can't wait to see more...whenever!

Katy :)

Did you feel the earthquake? I thought of you when I saw the news!

Tweed Thoughts said...

How fantastic - you are such a clever lady, an interior designer no less!! It all looks so lovely and fresh :) Is there no end to your talents??? x

Anonymous said...

Oh this is beautiful. I love your dining table and the flooring is so inkeeping too.

CJ xx

Anonymous said...

Much lighter and brighter and nice that the old floral border is gone. You've done a great job!!

Di

Diane Cransac said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diane Cransac said...

I love the crisp clean new look, very well done!

Audrey said...

That's amazing!! I would love to add color to my house. Unfortunately hubby thinks white is the only color available. :(

Bargain Hoot said...

What a beautiful job!! I love your drape idea!!
I bought a thrift table the other day that reminds me of the one in your pic!

Rene' @ bargainhoot

Mrs. Cherry Heart said...

Ouuuuu I love it!
Paint is an amazing tool to change anything!
I am addicted to spray paint too! LOL
I had to tell you I have that same wallpaper border in cranberry in my living room... I love it!

Thanks for sharing, Hugz, Dolly

My Life Under the Bus said...

It came out great Janet ! I am in the middle of planning my redo.I am also tired of all my dark items and yellow walls. Start with your chairs I bet they will look awesome : )

Anonymous said...

so lovely! i really like the color choices:) also love the Salvation Macy's:) stuff

Annette said...

Simply beautiful, Janet!

Marilyn said...

There is a reason that I always come to your blog for inspiration!! Very pretty and I love the "drapes"!

Unknown said...

I am trying to looking for a house which have a great dining room, once I saw a beautiful house through costa rica homes for sale
I think those houses are very wonderful. I am really interested now because they are very wide and beautiful.

Sue said...

Janet, Your dining room looks fresh and lovely! Love the wall color and the addition of the faux board and batten below the chair rail. The plates on the wall looks so nice. Great job of re-decorating! :-) Sue

Jennifer Juniper said...

I had a few minutes this afternoon and I am trying to catch up with you (man, these kids are running me ragged this summer!). You've been a busy girl! I love the change, so light and bright. Clean and crisp!