One of my favorite rooms in my house is my dining room. I spent so much time obsessing over which chairs to buy, the overall look I was trying to go for, and setting a budget for the dining furniture.
Knowing that a large table would only be used a few times a year, I wanted to weigh the balance of cost and aesthetic. I decided that I wanted a classic, timeless look and just went for it!
Here is the before and after:
What a huge difference! I was able to save thousands of dollars by purchasing furniture items from Facebook Marketplace with a chic style, and was able to give them new life.
If you are willing to take on a few small weekend projects, you, too, can complete a room transformation without breaking the bank.
So, what exactly did I do to transform this space?
First, I refinished my dining table. Ya’ll. That is the SAME table in the Before and the After picture. That one was a true labor of love–but we will get into that one later.
Next, I spent months and months drooling over these chairs (until my hubby agreed to let me buy them). And I will say that these were definitely a splurge. I reasoned with myself that I could spend a little bit extra on these chairs because I didn’t have to purchase a new dining table. I probably could have gotten away with some that were a bit less expensive but was in love and just had to have them.
Then, I set out to find either an oversized china cabinet or a long buffet table that could take up a decent amount of wallspace. I knew I wanted a solid wood piece so I took to Facebook Marketplace to find the perfect piece. I couldn’t find a tall cabinet that was quite what I was looking for but I did find a gorgeous buffet table that I knew would work perfectly.
Because my room is so tall, I knew that I wanted a large piece of artwork to help give the room some height. I began my search for a piece of oversized art that would tie everything together.
I quickly realized that purchasing art from a local artist was not in the cards for me as everything I fell in love with was upwards of $1500+. I decided to make my own. I am so happy with how it has turned out and I am convinced that anyone can make their own, too. And for less than $50, I created a custom 48×60 art piece that serves as the perfect focal point to my room.
Next, I wanted to add some character and interest to the large, white wall. I originally set out to do judges paneling (i.e. a grid wall) with trim BUT Cameron had just moved into her new house and had vertical trim in her dining room so I HAD to have vertical trim in MY dining room.
Just kidding, but I did really love the look and how it made the room look even larger. As an added bonus, it was significantly less work than creating the judges paneling. And I have to say that I’m pleased with how it turned out.
Finally, is any dining room complete without a bar? Mine wasn’t! I “ooed and awed” over a tall, black cabinet with natural tan cane doors I saw online but, sadly, it was over $2,000 (PLUS shipping). Why do I love expensive things?!
So I set out to make my own custom bar cabinet with a mid century cabinet I found on (yes, you guessed it) Facebook Marketplace with cane doors! I worked with a local carpenter who built some gorgeous, sturdy legs for me. I could not be happier!
In next week’s post, I will go into more detail about how I refinished the dining table and turned it into a true statement piece. It is so easy and YOU can do it too!
What are some things that you have done to your dining room to turn it into a gorgeous, welcoming space?