It’s hard to believe that we have been in our home for over 7 years now. I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising that the 7-year décor itch started knocking at the door. Although we did a full remodel of the entire house when we moved in, it was right before I discovered the wonderful world of Pinterest and thus have been regretting some of my décor decisions for quite a while.
I didn’t want to make our house overly girly during the first remodel but rather make sure Eric felt like it was ‘our’ home not just what I liked, but I think I went a little too far the other way, with dark floors and dark furniture. All the wife points, none of the décor goals! Cut to two years later and I was falling in love with everything white and bright. After our girls both got out of the baby stage, Eric and I were a bit more ready (and less exhausted) for some updates we would both love.
We started with changing our floors to a light grey which gave the whole house a new fresh feel. Of course, now the dark furniture felt even more out of place.
After a fresh paint update two months ago, to a bright white over the original grey, and repainting our fireplace hardware gold from black (we had it professionally sprayed), it was time to move onto the furniture!
The table: we love our dining room table, not to mention it was quite pricey and after looking forever at options I kept coming back to the fact that we would basically be buying the same table in a different finish. So, when Eric finally suggested we look into getting our table refinished I pushed him, Elaine on Seinfeld style (get out!!) and yelled “that’s genius!” After doing some digging, we found a local company (on yelp) that was fairly reasonable and also comes to your house to pick up and drop off the furniture. I loved that we were supporting a small family owned business! We had the table sanded and restrained a light color. I love the result! After the table was done, we also had them do the dining room chair legs (we wanted to make sure we loved the table before committing to doing the chairs as well). We got our chairs at Restoration Hardware and I was so ecstatic we didn’t have to give them up. They were definitely an investment item I wanted to keep for a long time. The legs ended up matching the new table stain color perfectly.
SHOP OUR DINING ROOM MAKEOVER ESSENTIALS:
SHOP OUR DINING ROOM MAKEOVER ESSENTIALS:
Next was the lighting situation. That black chandelier (what was I thinking??) had to go! We both agreed that we wanted a statement piece, especially since our dining room is the first room you see when walking into the house. We also wanted something that we would love for years to come, aka not too trendy. This was the longest hunt and ironically after a month of online searching and not really finding anything we were in love with, we quite literally stumbled onto this chandelier while on our way to another store. Eric saw the chandelier hanging inside Arhaus as we walked past it and literally went in as I was still talking to him and walking along. A man on a mission!
I walked in behind him saying “dude what are you doing?” Standing with a smug look on his face he pointed up and said “found your chandelier”. I looked up and squealed. Ah I hate it when he’s right! We bought it on the spot. It was perfect, and now I could really see the room coming together.
SHOP OUR DINING ROOM MAKEOVER ESSENTIALS:
Now we just had the accessories like art for the buffet wall to find and I would have never thought this would end up being the hardest part! Again, I spent countless hours online searching for what I had in mind with no luck. I found lots of good options but all were ridiculously out of our budget. I am a firm believer that you shouldn’t spend a lot of money on items that could be interchangeable, if you are the kind of person who likes a refresh every once in a while. After our last remodel I learned that if I keep the main décor neutral, I would be able to change out accessories and art frequently to keep the space fresh and thus would have to opt for items that were not too expensive.
After buying and returning a few art pieces that just didn’t look right once we got them on the wall, I stumbled onto the perfect 2 pieces of all places, the T.J.Maxx site. I have always loved a good bargain hunt, but have to give myself double points for this find! Both pieces together were under under $100, frames and all. And I swear to you it’s exactly what I had in mind as the perfect vibe for the room. I think that’s a good lesson for anyone who is looking to redecorate. Stop looking at the price as the barometer of the item. You can find absolute gems at HomeGoods as much as you can waste your money at an overpriced department store. It’s all about the quality of the item for the price. Definitely invest in long term pieces like furniture if you are able. Things like throw pillows, accessories and even rugs however, I always ball on a budget with.
SHOP OUR DINING ROOM MAKEOVER ESSENTIALS:
The last thing to note, are live plants. So funny how trends really do get ya after a while. I used to HATE live plants in a home. Don’t know why, but it was something I thought I’d never have. Especially a big ole fiddle leaf fig plant! Maybe by the power of Instagram or Pinterest, now I am a total plant convert. Aside from the obvious fact that plants make your air clean, I think having a ‘statement’ plant is such a great way to dress up a corner of a room. I snagged these planters at West Elm and absolutely love how they fit into our living and family room.
SHOP OUR DINING ROOM MAKEOVER ESSENTIALS:
While this dining room makeover is technically done, I am still not 100% finished accessorizing it. I am looking for more accessories to add to the buffet, maybe a big white and gold lamp and this gorgeous gold olive wreath. I’ve had my eye on it forever! As Eric says, as soon as I’m done with a project, I want to start changing everything all over again, so maybe best to leave it 2% unfinished!
Now onto the girls bathroom!! Can’t wait to share with you guys what we’ve got planned!!
PS: If you likes this living room makeover, you’ll love this home redesign post, click here now to see it!
