the dining room.

Published on by Quandie

My dining room needs a makeover.

dining room with barn wood walls

I’ve already established that I can’t bring myself to paint the walls.  If I were to paint over that original barn wood patina there would be no going back.  But I’m going to try to lighten up the room with furnishings.

Starting with the chairs.  These chairs are really dark, and they aren’t very comfortable.  I know exactly what I want to replace them with, french cane back chairs like these at Edith & Evelyn Vintage …

dining chairs

and I found a set on craigslist (unpainted).  They were a splurge at $75 each, but I’ve been looking all summer and not coming up with any more budget friendly options that I liked as well.  So I went for it.  I’ve already begun painting them and hope to have them done soon.

Next, the IKEA lights hanging over the table, they have to go.  I have a plan in mind for replacements.

dining room ceiling

As you can see, I also have a legit (by legit I mean actually hardwired and works off a wall switch) ceiling fan fixture in the room.  It’s off center, and the light on it is tacky as can be.  But this fan is super functional for us (no air conditioning, remember?), and the fan itself is pretty innocuous stylewise.  I need to do some research on just trading out the light kit.

As for the table, well, Mr. Q made that table.  He is rather emotionally attached to it.  So it stays.  But I plan to dress it a little bit differently.

dining room table

Next, the buffet.  This black one is already long gone.

waterfall buffet painted black

I replaced it with a smaller china hutch that I painted.  I think it might be a little small for the space, but I’m working on some ideas for dealing with that.

I also need to re-work this wall.

dining mirror wall

I initially added all of these mirrors to try and bring more light into the room.  It never really worked.  I love the gold frames on these, but they aren’t working on the red wall.  I have an idea about working some of these into the room still, but I’m not sure if it will work.  I also know exactly what I want for this wall.  A large graphic sign.  Finding such a thing at an affordable price might be another story altogether though.  But next Saturday is the Oronoco Gold Rush, so maybe I can find the perfect piece there!

Meanwhile, in addition to my new chairs, I had a couple of other painting projects going on this weekend.  I hope to get the final details finished on those and share them with you later this week, so stay tuned.

 

22 thoughts on “the dining room.”

  3. I LOVE barnwood! I’m so glad you aren’t going to change those walls. I bet you could find more barnwood and things at Gold Rush Days. I love Gold Rush!

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      2. Yep, she does. I got mine at Decor Steals, and I think she may have been advertising it for them. Unfortunately, the way Decor Steals works, things get sold out really quickly and it looks like the rug is not available there at the moment.

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  4. Sigh, I just love your dining room and still can’t believe this is where you let us sand and paint our furniture pieces!! However, I also understand the desire to make changes. Once those little brain-worms take hold they just demand to come to fruition. Definitely keep the ceiling fan – the best home improvement project one can do for their home, AC or no AC. I am going to be very excited to see what develops for this room because the “bones” are great and your imagination is deliciously unexpected.Thanks for the tip-off that you are going to the Gold Rush show…now I need to get there even earlier before everything is gone! (The Hubby and I were in training this weekend, hitting all 3 Minneapolis art shows to build up our endurance for making crucial spur-of-the-moment shopping decisions amid extreme crowds, heat, and humidity!). See you there…

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    1. I usually wait until Sunday to go to Gold Rush. My strategy is to get good bargains on stuff that vendors don’t want to load back up and take home on the final day. However, truth is, I don’t usually buy that much. The prices are a little high for me. I might get one or two things that I absolutely can’t live without, but that’s about it. Here is the post about my visit last year. So, no worries, you don’t have to get there early on my account 😉

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      1. Oh, and P.S. did you see the Sue Whitney will be conducting a discussion on ‘to paint or not to paint’ furniture on Saturday at 1 p.m. Might be interesting!

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  5. I have similar chairs in my breakfastroom area the backs of mine are a bit higher than these lovelies you scored. Ours were that pinkish pickled look and they are rubbed black to coordinate with our custom island. Sharing your inspiration photo of the chairs creates anticipation. Cannot wait to see what you have perking in that noggin.

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  6. Looking forward to seeing your finished room. Will miss Gold Rush this year for the first time in a long time. Went to Walnut IA antiques weekend this year instead. If you have never been there it is well worth the trip.

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  7. Yes, I have a beautiful dining room table that I found at a resale shop that has French legs and I would love to have 6 French cane back chairs to place with it. Painting does not bother me. Could you direct me in the right direction? I have looked everywhere I can think of. I would be so appreciative!
    Sincerely,
    Deborah

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    1. I would say just keep an eye on your local craigslist too! It took several months before some came along that I liked, but if you hang in there hopefully you will find some. Do you have a fairly decent craigslist community where you are? Also, don’t forget to consider mismatched chairs … and by that I mean you don’t have to find a full set of six, but if you find a set of 4 and then a pair, and they are fairly similar, you can paint them all one color to unify. Or, take another look at my inspiration room, she used 4 cane back and 2 upholstered back chairs, plus two wing back chairs at the ends. Mix and match!

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  8. Thank you Quandie! I do not live in an area that really has a good Craig’s List community for things such as vintage, tasteful chairs, however I am only 2 hrs. From St. Louis and if I go to some estate sales maybe I could locate some there! Great idea about the Wingback at the ends! Thank you for the tip!

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  9. Love your noodling for new room! (Advice, your cane chairs are right on, table your mr made, yes! Now add more rounded edges, like barrel shades on lamps and an iron or metal chandelier, those beams!., beauty! A modern floral, maybe lattice or fretwork even, rug!) Keep on! Only wish I knew about your sales when I lived in metro!

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    1. Thanks for those ideas Claudia! I hadn’t thought about rounded edges or adding a floral. Hmmmmm. I’m going to give some more thought to how I can add those components into the mix!

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