Tag Archives: chandelier

Dining Room Update…

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The Dining Room Project included new paint, wall covering, draperies and re-upholstered chairs. Beanies checking it out!

I can’t believe I am STILL working on my Dining Room. Are you kidding me?  I just looked back at earlier posts and I started this project back in 2008 for my daughter’s graduation party. It is 90% done and I really need to take the time to find a chandelier…one that I both LOVE and Can afford. Somehow, I am always attracted to the expensive ones, haha! The perfect chandelier is the one that my friend Margie has, one I might add that is not in my budget, but it is my inspiration.  I am promising myself that once I complete this two-week purging of my house, I will focus on finishing this decorating project. 

I have added/changed a few quick things though in the past few months and thought I would share. The draperies are ready-made lined silk drapes from Z-Gallerie and I originally hung them by slipping the pocket sleeve over the rod. The Rod was hung at a height that was “a given: because of the crown moulding, but when the draperies were hung, they were driving me absolutely nuts. It my book, short draperies are like high water pants…they are that bad. See if you don’t agree… 

Here's a photo taken of the drapes right after they were hung. It's a bit hard to tell in this photo. Note that the chairs hadn't been re-upholstered yet

 

See in the background from this shot how short they are? Horrible.

 

I had a quick solution in mind though… 

I found these beautifully detailed clips at Bed, Bath and Beyond - on clearance! Gotta love that.

 

I attached slid the clips on the rod, attached the draperies and placed the rod back up - it took maybe 10 minutes in all and cost less than $15.00

 

Doesn't it look better? I love the puddled look and have carried it out into my living room as well. You'll see that in the next few days.

 

One other thing that I really needed to add was two more chairs. I had seating for when the extra leaf wasn’t in the table, but the reality is the leaf is always used. Consequently, I needed a couple of extra chairs. Our folding card table chairs definitely weren’t working for me. 

I was perusing Home Goods a few weeks ago and saw the perfect chair for my dining room. It was fully upholstered in a gold fabric that matched perfectly to my dining room colors. They had me at hello. I didn’t even need a paint chip to know they matched.  They were $199.00 each. Not a steal, but perfect. 

The new chair on the left is a perfect complement to the chairs I already had

 

The fabric was the perfect shade of gold and the details added a nice touch

 

TIP: I find that when adding chairs to an existing set, unless you find an exact match, rather than adding a “close” match, it’s better to add chairs that complement. For example, my grandmother’s chairs are delicate with a multi-toned patterned seat, an open back and cherry finish. The chairs I bought are not delicate -  but they are not heavy either. The finish blends well with cherry, the upholstered back is a nice contrast to the open back and the solid textured gold fabric is a great compliment to the chairs I re-upholstered. I bought two and placed one at the each end of the table. I know I owe you a full shot, but I just can’t do that until it’s all done. I will hurry :)  

It’s getting there, don’t you think? Give me a month or two and I should have it finished…we can only hope anyway! xoxox Amy

My Dining Room Makeover – Part 1

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Before we bought the house

As you can see by this picture, we did not buy our house based on the interior decorating. This is a picture of the dining room that I shot the first time we walked through as potential buyers. At first glance, you are probably saying “oh my!” That is much nicer than my first reaction. But my second reaction was “hmmmm, this room could be gorgeous…” The size of the room is perfect for my dining room table with all of its extensions. The ceilings are 9ft. high with beautiful crown moulding and there’s a matching chair rail around the room.

If you think that the interior of your home does not effect you, think again. When we moved in, I immediately took down the draperies and wall paper; promptly improving my mental state. At least now I had a blank canvas. See for yourself. If you see a pink glow, it’s from the carpet, which I should add – is most DEFINATELY being replaced.

I have lived with this for quite a while, mostly because I have been just too busy with work, but with Ashely’s graduation in less than two weeks, I have been shamed into action. I will admit to you that I don’t have a final vision yet for this room, mostly because I need to find ready made 95″ draperies and that will determine my direction. I do have a set of my grandmother’s china that I love. They will be part of my inspiration. I’m also working with my other grandmother’s antique dining room set, which is not my first choice but for now, it will do. I’ll take a picture of them for you tonight.  Here is what I know about my room so far.

I want a blue ceiliing. A friend of mine who is a designer in Georgia uses blue celings as her trademark and those ceilings are so happy. I want a happy ceiling. My blue will be a tiffany blue. Note that the blue is not a color that I will bring in anywhere else, it’s going to be there to really set the mood of the room. You won’t really notice it at first, until you look up – and then it will be a lovely suprise. I also am going to add a medallion, but the finish that I put on it will be dermined by the chandelier that I buy. Stay tuned for that one. The chandelier really screams the 70′s, and I am not so in love with the style (or the fashions) of the 70′s. It’s definately going to be replaced.

 The color for the walls will be Behr’s Gold Buff – I’ll show you that in part II. It’s a common color that will eventually be used throughout my main level. I like it because it’s warm and really acts as a neutral color. The color of the room constantly changes depending on the time of day and light. My previous home had this color throughout and you’d be suprised how many people didn’t really notice the color, as much as how it made them feel. It’s warm and welcoming – it makes it home for us.

I did want to add some texture to the walls, so I hung a scrolling textured/paintable wallcovering below the chair rail and will paint that gold buff as well. Here is the unpainted textured paper up close. It’s pretty inexpensive and it just adds a nice dimension to the room. It hangs just like wallpaper, but can be a little tricky to trim. I was a little irritated with it, but then again, I wasn’t being a patient laborer. haha! In the end, I would do it again.

That’s it for now, but I’ll have some more updates tonight or tomorrow, so check back in. The pressure is on!  

Some Do’s and Don’ts of Dining Rooms

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white-dining-room-bhg.jpg 

The dining room is one of my favorite places to be with family & friends. Those walls have embraced lots of love, laughter, and even tears over the years. You might argue that most dining rooms are only used on holidays and special occasions, but it’s not a room I would give up.

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts for a great room:

  • Do consider a round dining table. If you have a room that is more square; round can be great for conversations. The new styles have some creative solutions to expand for larger parties.  

  • Do place an area rug under the table, whether you have hardwood or carpet, it can really bring a room together. Make sure it’s big enough so that chairs are fully on the rug when seated and when the table is fully extended.

  • Don’t get a a light fixture that is too small or large for the scale of the table and room. A rule of thumb is to choose a chandelier with a  diameter that is 12″ less than the width of the table. Hang it approximately 30-34″ from the top of the table. If your ceilings are higher, add 3″ for each foot over 8′. Personally, I like to go lower than higher. Just make sure you can clearly see your guests across the table and that you don’t see any exposed bulbs when standing if it is a chandelier with indirect lighting.

  • Don’t forget the ceiling. Add interest with  color, faux painting or a fabulous medallion above the chandelier.

  • Don’t hang pictures too high. The majority of time spent in this room is while seated, so make sure that when sitting, the art is hung at eye level.  

  • Don’t be afraid to mix and match chairs, fabric, and even China; it can give an interesting flair to the room. Especially, if there is a story behind the china.

Finally, embrace your new Dining Room. Why is it only used for dinner parties and holiday get togethers? Break away from habit and occasionally share a candle lit dinner with that special someone or make the kids feel really special with dinner and candles just “because”. Have any other tips? We’d love to hear from you!

Picture from BHG.com