Dressing Up the Dining Room

When we bought our castle a little over a year ago, we started in on the rooms that really needed our attention, like the living room with its cork walls. Other rooms, like the dining room with its white walls and un-carpeted floors, were left pretty much alone. We set up our table and chairs, brought in a lamp or two (as there was no overhead lighting) and called it a day.

Hoever, by the time January rolled around, we were pretty tired of the white walls, and were ready to start paying some attention to the previously neglected dining room.

Here's what the dining room looked like when we bought the house;

This is the only room that has the original crown moulding. The room also has all of the original window and door trim, as you can see in the pictures. What you can also see in the pictures is that the ceiling was several shades darker than the walls (good ol' smokers) , and what you can't see is the hole in the ceiling where an overhead light would go. The beautiful trimwork was completely overshadowed by the yucky ceiling overhead and the boring white walls.

So what, you asked, was the problem with this room? Well:

• Miniblinds on the windows


• Fugly, dirty area rug


• Boring white walls


• Stained ceiling


• No overhead light


• Stained, scarred wood flooring.

When you walk in the front door  you see the dining room on the right, and the living room on the left. So, naturally, we went with a similar palette in the dining room as in the living room. We chose a paint color two shades darker than the oyster we used in the living room, and went for a more dramatic blue as our accent color. Using the same color scheme, accent color and metallics (a deep gold) makes both rooms look cohesive and balanced.

This is what the dining room looks like currently;

Here's what we've accomplished in the dining room so far:

• Replaced miniblinds with silky curtains. I made these by adding brilliant blue Indian sari fabric to storebought gold drapes. The curtain rod is the same as the one in the living room.


• Painted the ceiling a clean and crisp white. (Note to self. Don't ever take up smoking. Second note to self; if first note is ignored, only smoke outside)


• Painted the walls "First Anniversary" This is actually the same color we used in our bedroom, but the color looks so much deeper in this room.


• Installed a ceiling fan with a light Yay for overhead lighting! Meals are so much nicer now that we can see our food. We found this fan on clearance at Sears for $30. Only problem was that it was a brushed nickel. So, we took it all apart and spray painted it a deep gold to go with the curtain rod.


• Hung a picture wall. Four out of the six pictures on the wall are ones that I have taken, I love how this turned out! The pictures are all either pictures we took on a trip somewhere, or suggest a "journey" which is the theme we were going for.

Still to do in this room;

• Replace plugs (3) on walls


• Refinish floors


• Tear out built-in desk and shelves and cabinet on wall opposite window.


• Paint wall opposite window. (Currently this wall is covered in more of the burlap stuff)