The dining room is finally, finally, really, truly finished! I finally got the farmhouse rustic industrial dining room I was going for.
It was a long time coming, for sure, but totally worth the wait.
Here’s the “before” of our dining room:
It was ok, but there were a few things I wanted to change:
- Make it less formal, more rustic.
- Move the buffet out of the room or at least away from the window. It blocked a lot of light coming in.
- If we moved the buffet out of the room, then I needed to add more storage.
- Add color!
Here’s the after:
To make the room less formal, I sold the end chairs that were a more formal style and also the lamps that were on the buffet. I loved the color of the lamps, but they were too traditional-looking for what I was going for here.
I also removed the big mirror from the exposed brick chimney. No reason to hide that gorgeous brick. I’d rather have the rustic brick be the focal point, not a wood-framed mirror.
The buffet is now gone! Well, it’s actually in our office now as a credenza for storage. I love how there’s so much more light in this room without the buffet blocking the window.
The buffet is the perfect credenza in our office (more on that later!). But now that we moved the buffet to the office, we needed storage in the dining room.
This chest was on the other side of the room before, but it’s the perfect size for this wall space. Like it was built to go there. I added my globe collection because I love my globes and want them front and center in our home.
This chest holds tablecloths, bar tools, and some serving pieces and utensils. For the larger stuff, though…
…we have this! I have swooned over (affiliate link ->) this cabinet from World Market for years. With the buffet moved, we had the perfect place to put it and it is the perfect storage piece for this farmhouse/rustic/industrial dining room!
That’s the kitchen sign that was above the sink in the kitchen, but was too big there. I added the metal basket frame from the Ballard’s estate sale and some milk bottle vases from Scott Antique Market.
And color! With all the gray metals and wood, this room needed color. So, I added yellow floral curtains.
They are perfect. They really soften the room and add a beautiful, bright pop of color.
I was going to change the rug in this room – from gray to something with some color to it – but ultimately decided against it. This rug is where Bear slept every night, once she couldn’t get up the stairs anymore. Now that she’s gone, I can’t bring myself to replace it. So, it stays. And it works fine in here now with the new elements in the room.
I LOVE THIS ROOM, y’all! I never thought I’d say that about a dining room, but I do.
I wanted a space with farmhouse, rustic, and industrial elements. I have all of those here: metal chairs, a metal storage cabinet, wood chest and table, vintage globes, a graphic rug, and colorful floral curtains. Plus, I love the different textures in this room: the metal, the wood, the wicker basket, the soft rug and curtains. It just works. I love it.
UPDATE: To find out if we’ve actually used our dining room, please see THIS POST!
For how I recovered the parsons chairs and added nailhead trim, see THIS POST.
For our dining room in our old house (and how I came up with that design), see THIS POST.
A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.
Love it. Can’t wait til I get to my dining room but the kitchen and maybe bedroom is first.
Great Job.
Thank you, Rosemary!!
Oh Karen, PERFECTION!!!
Now that you have completed your dining room, I have 2, that need your touch! This is so me totally. Please tell me where you got your curtains, and those chairs, SWOONNNN!!!! Ok I just love love LOVE IT!!! How is Hank Man and his pack doing?
Smooches from and to the pooch man!
Thank you, Hope! I’d be happy to help you! I got the curtains at Marshalls – they are Cynthia Rowley. The chairs: the four upholstered ones are originally from Pier 1 but I reupholstered them in the gray fabric a while ago. The metal chairs are from Restoration Hardware – got them on sale!
Thank you for asking about Hank and his pack – we are hanging in there. We have good days and sad days. Even Hank does. It’s going to be ok, I know. Thank you, friend!
Looks great! What a huge difference moving the buffet out and adding curtains makes. Very light and sunny!
I know – isn’t it so much brighter?!? I love it. Thank you!!
Love your dining room, I just worked on mine as well and slowly it’s coming along!!!! Love your eclectic style!!! Always pin from here!!! Chrisitne from Little Brags
Thank you, Christine!! 🙂
So nice, Karen. I just love your “new” to you house; so much character! As you’ve read, we recently revamped our dining room into a cozy “fireplace chat” space (Decisions, Decisions). It’s just us two, and when there are guests, we’re casual entertainers, so our new arrangements are working just fine. I always enjoy your posts.
I love it – you have to do what’s going to work best for you. I’ve seen dining rooms as “chat” spaces, playrooms, art rooms, home offices – anything goes. It doesn’t have to be a formal space anymore. Which I love, because I’m not really a formal kind of gal. 😉
The dining room came out great! Moving the buffet and opening up the window made such a difference! Your globe collection, the silverware art, and the flowers on the table add interest and finishing touches. I love your new cabinet, too. Did you paint the chandelier and use clear bulbs in it or is it a new one? It looks great. I kept switching back and forth between before and after pictures, but couldn’t be sure. Well done! Do you have another room on your makeover list?!?!
Thanks, Karen! I didn’t paint the chandelier, but I did add the clear, round bulbs to it (before it had traditional tapered bulbs). The next room is my daughter’s room – stay tuned!!
I never say I love my dining room either and I’ve been trying for a while now. I can’t get it right all together so I understand how you feel now that the magic has happened!
You will! It took me many, many attempts (all documented on the blog for posterity!) until I finally knew what would work. You’ll get there – you are so creative!
Beautiful space – love all the color combinations and it feels so much more open and inviting with the windown accessible! Great job!
Thank you! It is so much more open – it’s hard to believe! Thanks!
Looks terrific, Karen. Great job : )
Thank you!!
And I totally get it about the rug . . .
🙂 Thank you, Mickey!