Dining Room: Then and Now

I have linked this post to Kelly's Korner SUWYL: Dining Rooms!!!

I love my dining room/entry way. It is probably the least used room in our home, maybe next to the rarely used guest room. But it is the first room that greets you as you enter our home, and so I have been slowly transforming it into the room that I want it to be. It still has a long way to go (hence why I called this post "Then and Now" instead of "Before and After"), but I am pleased with the direction we are headed and I think after some added mouldings and maybe a paint color change, I can call it DONE!

First, lets take a look back at what the room looked like before we moved in...

Beautiful, site finished floors were a big selling feature. And the color is neutral. But the curtains were very 90s chic (and dusty! Blah!) and the big, brass chandler had.to.go.

This was the only picture I had of the entryway before we moved in. But as you can see, the window above the door was covered in yet another dusty 90s relic.

 Here is how it looked last summer...

This was the entry way as it looked last summer, shortly after we moved in. The side table was too narrow and short. It just wasn't right for the space. Sadly, it had to go. I hated that because I loved the color!

The rug in the entry way was from our office at our old house. I was happy that I could use it here, because I just love jute rugs! Plus, it's texture makes a great entry way rug, and I like that it gives a casual feel to our home as soon as you step in. I want our house to be comfortable for everyone. It is, after all, a HOME!

Here is the dining room as it was last summer. The mirror that looked so BIG in our old dining room was dwarfed in here! We hadn't replaced the light fixture yet, and the curtains, also from our old house, had a lot of reds and rusts, colors that I really wanted to get away from in this room.

Our TV armoire from the old house now serves as a bar/drink station in our new house, and it has worked AWESOME!

Still one of my favorite pieces. But it looked a little sad over here in the corner all alone.

One last look...

And now...

Here is the dining room now, looking in from the kitchen entrance.

Looking into the dining room, from the living room entrance. I added the sconces to each side of the mirror, and I think it looks much more in scale.

Ava's antique dining chair lives here, and sometimes my ice bucket for entertaining does too. The rug is one of my favorite Home Goods finds EVER! It is a thin, low pile, and super soft! Plus, it hides dirt really well- perfect for under a dining room table!

I don't have a previous picture of this wall, but my little secretary that I painted lives here (and this picture also gives you a little bit of an idea of our home's layout). It's the perfect wall for it, and credit goes to my sister for dropping it off at my door and telling me where to put it! :)

The dresser I painted (Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue) goes perfectly here. I knew I wanted to use a dresser to have more storage for serving dishes, and it was really hard finding one that wasn't too long. But I think it was worth the wait!

I love the inside of the door painted. And it is so much brighter in here without the shade over the top window.

I dressed this corner up with a lamp (FREE- Stolen from my aunt's goodwill pile- thank you Aunt Paula!) and a few fun accessories. You can see the curtains have been changed too...

This is the best picture I got of the curtains- sorry. But I just love the fabric (from Hancock's). It is a tan on white large floral print with blue birds here and there. I love that it perfectly coordinates with the rug without being too "matchy."

My current centerpiece is two large manzanita trees that I used for a baby shower (they are much more brown and much less red in real life). I change my mind on the centerpiece all the time. But I am kinda liking the look. And because they are in two vases, I can put something seasonal in the center and have them on either side if I want. I like options. :)

One last look.

So that is my dining room as it is now. I really want to add some mouldings and do a little painting this summer. We will see what the hubs says. Probably the same thing he says about all of the projects I undertake: "I don't know why you're asking me. You are going to do it anyway..." Oh, he knows me so well! HAHA!