Our House, One Year Later: The Dining Room

Okay, so SEVEN weeks later I’m finally back with this series!  Holy cow! :)

I showed you the bathroom for the first spot on the tour, and today I’d like to show you our dining room.  This room was originally an office/homeschooling room when the previous owners lived here.  It was a very ugly shade of pink (and that’s saying something, because pink is my favorite color!).  We immediately had a vision for this room as a dining room, since it would alleviate the need for an eat-in kitchen (which I’m really not a fan of). 

 

So my AMAZING husband knocked down the wall, built a header (the part that supports the ceiling), and re-wired the lights (because naturally the wall we knocked down held the light switch! Of course). Not only that, but the original light switch didn’t operate a ceiling light (just a side plug).  So not only did he move the switch but he also installed an overhead light and made the switch connect to that! He is AWESOME! :)

 

 

Here’s how it looks today!  (And if bad lighting in photos stresses you out, I apologize in advance.  I don’t have a fancy camera like most bloggers do, plus now that it’s summer this room is pretty shaded from the backyard.)

The color of this room is “Gray Owl” by Benjamin Moore – color-matched to Olympic paint at Lowe’s.  We absolutely love it.  It’s a gray with a tint of green depending on the lighting. 

There’s no nooks and crannies in this room – it’s pretty straightforward.  You’ve seen my Ikea ledges before (for the fall and for Christmas).  This is what they look like most of the time.  Most of the frames are just odds and ends – from yard sales or Christmas Tree Shop.  The yellow one is from Marshall’s and the “Love” frame is from HomeGoods around Valentine’s Day but I leave it up all the time.  

 

I seriously had to buy this “Love” print when I saw it at TJMaxx (my husband and I are both musicians).  It was only $14.99!  The little elephant is from my sister’s BFF, straight from Cambodia.  Elephants are my favorite and I am trying to collect enough to have one in every room.  :) The chair was a $5 Goodwill find from my mom – I like the texture it adds to the room and also the brown against gray. 

 

I loooooooooove my white Ikea curtains!  $30 for the pair and they are nice and thick. 

 

The “curtain rod” is actually electrical conduit from Home Depot – and if my memory serves me right, it was all of TWO DOLLARS!  Yup, seriously.  My husband borrowed metal cutters from work and we were good to go.  I love, love, love it.  Saw the tip on another blog a long time ago so I can’t take credit for the idea!

 

This little vinyl is a cheapie find from Christmas Tree Shop.  I thought it was sweet. :)

 

Our light is another tip from Pinterest (originally pinned by Melissa from 320 Sycamore, I believe).  Only $25 at Home Depot!  My kind of price.  :) I got rid of some stuff on a local resale site on Facebook to pay for it. 

 

Our dining room table isn’t my first preference (or second, or third…) but we bought it a year after we were married for $100 at an estate sale.  It has two additional leaves and I do love the bench part of it.  The summery vinyl tablecloth from TJMaxx last year helps me like it a little more.  :)

 

I think that pretty much wraps it up! :)

 

Linked to:  Homemaker’s Challenge: Accomplished