September 1, 2012

My Current Favorite Room

I want to join in the "Favorites On The First" blog party over at
Alison's gorgeous blog The Polohouse so here is my party post.

This month's party is themed "Your Favorite Room".

My current favorite room in my house is my dining room.
I have recently done several projects in the dining room which
have lightened it up and cut down on the amount of wood tones.


One of the things that I liked about the dining area when
 we bought this home eight years ago is that is
open...almost like part of the foyer of the house.
That makes it feel bigger than it really is.

Originally there was an opening to the kitchen on the short wall
but we had it closed up.  That provided a solid wall to place this
large piece of furniture against and added kitchen privacy.
(The white door in the above photo goes into the master bedroom. 
 Going on around down the small hallway leads to the kitchen area.)

The dining area is also open to the family room which you
would enter if you walked to the left after coming in the foyer.
The lamps are made from vases that I found at a garden center.

The dining room table is a French reproduction.  It has survived
"the cuts" of combining two households AND downsizing.

Poor pretty thing also has to serve as my crafting table and
has the scars and paint splatters to prove it.
It also serves as a good place to stage seasonal vignettes.
Oh yeah, and sometimes we actually have company and eat here.

My husband got tired of sitting in wobbly antique chairs so we
bought these sturdy but not spectacular chairs from a furniture store. 
 We call them "The Big As# Chairs" because the seats are so wide.  I have plans for them to give them more personality.

So one change I recently made was to add back a chandelier.

When we moved into the house, we took down the very tacky
chandy and just had a ceiling mounted light in the dining area.
That allowed me to have tall elements on the table like


I had been saving photos for years of Italian chandeliers in
hopes of making a low budget copy and I finally did.
You can see the process if you would like at the post The Chandy Challenge.

Probably the biggest change I made was to paint the antique
bookcase/chest.  I debated myself for years about this and
finally took the plunge.  Below are some before and after photos.






Two blog posts about that piece are "To Paint Or Not To Paint" and

Another paint project for the dining area was to paint the
dark green mirrored screen a more fun color.

 You can read more about the screen at the blog post "A Chalk Recipe to Try" .

Something that I would still like to do for the dining area
is to make the wall sconces and the foyer light fixture a
little more like the chandelier.  It don't want matchy-match-y
but some similar elements could be added.







Also I want those "Big As# Chairs" to have some sassy
slipcover skirts added to further decrease the amount of wood
 tones in the room.
  Eventually, they will probably be painted.
Stay tuned to see more changes and vignettes from my dining room! 
 If I get more projects done in other rooms of my house,
they might replace the dining room as the fav.


15 comments

  1. Hi Miss Kitty,

    I adore your dining room and all the beautiful changes you have done.

    Dee

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  2. It looks great~It's funny- you usually see people opening a wall from dining room to kitchen and you closed yours in with wonderful results. I think it was a smart move.

    I love your cabinet that you painted. You are braver than I am! It looks really good against the walls. By the way, your walls are almost the same color as my dining room walls. xo Diana

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  3. Yes, I would love this dining room too, it's lovely! Our dining room and breakfast room is closed from the kitchen, therefore, it's great for entertaining..I'm sure you love yours too. Thanks for sharing. I'm visiting from, Favorites on the First, The Polo House.
    FABBY

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  4. I loved this post. Everything youchanged look very nice. I had to laugh about the name of your chairs. :):)Smiles, Susie

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  5. Your dining room is lovely! I love the divider with the mirrors.

    Carolyn

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  6. I love your dining room, too! My favorite thing is how your screen matches the back of your hutch. I love turquoise....such a cheerful color!

    Linking from Alison's,
    RIcki Jill

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  7. I love you big A*** chairs. That is so cute plus the chairs are very nice. Love the dining table. It must have a zillion stories to tell. I love your dining room you have really made it a perfect favorite. I love it. Hugs, Ginger

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  8. loving the sconces!

    smiles to you.

    michele

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  9. No wonder it's your favorite! It's lovely!

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  10. I think you have did a wonderful job on your diningroom, especially painting the cabinet, love it! Oh, and the chandy too♥

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  11. I LOVE everything about your dining room!! Your hutch looks beautiful painted and I love the pretty displays inside! Great shots!
    Looking forward to seeing your other changes!

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  12. Beautiful room with special vintage charm! I would like to dine there:))

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  13. Beautiful room! Thank for saring and inspiring!

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  14. Love your gorgeous dining room!!! And those chairs.... those kick a@# chairs? Oh my heavens. Love them. So much character and charm!

    Your French buffet is extra special. Love the bow front on it. Very unusual.

    Thanks so much for sharing this LOVEly room with us, Miss K!

    xoxox
    A

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  15. Your dining room is so pretty! Love all of your pieces in there!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia :)

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