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You are here: Home / Paint and Color / The New and Improved Dining Room

The New and Improved Dining Room

March 18, 2013 By Karen Cooper 19 Comments

As you know from this post, I have been really unsettled and unhappy with our dining room. It just didn’t reflect who I am or who we are as a family. It was too dark, too stuffy, too traditional. Not us.

But now… it looks like this:

new and improved dining room

It’s so much brighter and more, well, ME.

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane. Here’s what the dining room looked like before:

Dining Room Before

Old dining room

dining room with ornaments before
Dining Room table and rug - before

Everything in there was dark and traditional – from the table legs to the wall color to the chair rail. It made the room feel smaller.

As you can see in the pictures I posted as inspiration, I like lighter, brighter colors. I’m not really a traditional kind of girl. And there was just too much stuff in the dining room.

So, the first thing I did was take off the chair rail. This was actually pretty easy. I just used a small pry bar and an exacto knife.  First, I scored the paint between the chair rail and the wall, both on the top and bottom of the chair rail.  Then, I wedged the pry bar in the cut line, between the wall and rail, gently rocking it until the nails came loose from the wall. Very easy to do.

The problem that arose, as you can see from this picture…

paint and no chair rail

…was that, because there was so much paint, wallpaper, etc. on the wall, there was a significant difference between the area under the chair rail and the wall. So, I had to patch that area to make it level and even with the wall. I used spackle for this.  I patched it, then sanded it, then sanded it, then sanded it again.

I got it as smooth and even as I could.

After clean up (including buying a shop vac – love!), I let the dust settle, cleaned again, and then it was time to paint.

I chose Moonshine by Benjamin Moore.  I used their Natura line (no VOCs) in an eggshell finish.

finished dining room - Moonshine by Benjamin Moore

I couldn’t believe the difference. Without the chair rail and with the lighter color, the room seemed so much bigger!

I also decided that the traditional curtain rod needed some help:

curtain rod unpainted

Before

So, I spray painted it a lovely teal color:

painted finial

Painting Rod and Finial

And now I love the splash of color in an unexpected place:

finished curtain rod painted

After

I don’t have curtains for it yet, though. I have picked out the fabric, but haven’t gotten them together yet.  Suffice it to say that the fabric is light, bright, and not traditional (are you getting the theme here?).

Without further ado, here is the finished product:

side view

View as you walk in from the kitchen

uncluttered buffet

uncluttered buffet

Note how there is so. much. less. stuff on the buffet! So much better.

new and improved dining room

bright dining room with gallery wall

Now the long wall is a gallery wall, filled with bright, colorful prints.

bright dining room with gallery wall

 

far wall with colorful prints and no big furniture

We moved the armoire and replaced it with a lighter, airier glass and metal table. I moved the botanical garden print in here because of its bright colors.

New and improved dining room

View from the living room

Once again, just to show you the difference…

BEFORE:

dining room before

And now, AFTER:

new dining room

New and Improved Dining Room

new dining room gallery wall

I’m not quite done yet, though. As mentioned above, I still need to get some fun curtains. Also, we need a rug in there. The sound bounces around off the walls too much without one, and I’d prefer a soft rug underfoot. I’m looking for something bright and happy, maybe something with teal in it.

There it is! The new and improved dining room.

I smile every time I walk in there.

Did I mention that I did this in one week? Oh, right. I did. And now I’m tired.

Thank you for your advice, help, encouragement, support, and kind words!!

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Filed Under: DIY, Paint and Color, Room Reveals 19 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

« Dear Friend, (or, where I am with the dining room)
The New Dining Room: Breakin’ It Down »




Comments

  1. Courtney says

    March 18, 2013 at 11:08 am

    I just love it, Karen! It looks so pretty and inviting. I wish we lived closer so that I could invite myself over for dinner. 🙂
    Congratulations and great job!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      March 18, 2013 at 11:58 am

      Thanks, Courtney!

      Reply
  2. Kris Cole says

    March 18, 2013 at 5:44 pm

    WOW!!! It is breathtaking, honestly. What a wonderful job you did using bright colors that didn’t “take over” the room. I love it!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      March 18, 2013 at 5:50 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Leslie Stewart @ House on the Way says

    March 19, 2013 at 9:31 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing your new dining room at my Twirl & Take a Bow party! Lovely! Have a great week.
    Leslie

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      March 19, 2013 at 9:41 pm

      Thanks, Leslie! Thanks for hosting the party!

      Reply
  4. Holly says

    March 20, 2013 at 11:47 am

    Wow! I can’t believe the before and after transformation… what a dramatic difference! My favorite parts… the color change on the wall and the teal curtain rod – that was a fantastic touch! Love it all. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Angela says

    March 20, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    I love the update! I think my favorite thing is the unexpected color of the curtain rod!!!
    Great job!
    Angela

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      March 20, 2013 at 3:23 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  6. Laura / The Shed blog by Pet Scribbles says

    March 20, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    Wow – you did all this in one week? I’m impressed! Love how much lighter and happier it looks! I love the shutters/blinds on your windows. I know that wasn’t part of the makeover, but I love them anyway. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage says

    March 22, 2013 at 8:58 pm

    You knocked it out of the park!!! The colors are amazing and love the little pop of blue in the curtain rod!! A girl after my own color loving heart.
    Kelly

    Reply
  8. MaytagNMom says

    March 23, 2013 at 10:24 am

    Karen, very nice job on the dining room- just in time for spring/Easter season too! 🙂

    SMILES!

    Craft On & dance like no one else is watching 🙂

    Visiting from Overflowing With Creativity @ It’s Overflowing linky party
    Smiles,
    Suz @MaytagNMom
    NW Illinois
    My Party Project This Week

    Reply
  9. emily says

    March 24, 2013 at 9:30 am

    wow! What a difference!!! I love how bright it is!!! amazing! Hope you can come join the tuesday link party with this next week! http://www.nap-timecreations.com

    Reply
  10. Heather says

    March 26, 2013 at 4:44 pm

    Beautiful makeover Karen!! Love the color of blue you painted your curtain rod! How pretty!! Thanks so much for sharing this at project inspired 😀

    Reply
  11. Shanna Gilbert says

    September 23, 2013 at 9:34 am

    Oh it’s so much better now Karen! So bright and cheerful. Much more you!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      September 23, 2013 at 9:47 pm

      Thanks, Shanna!

      Reply
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    September 4, 2014 at 5:39 pm

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Trackbacks

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  2. Lighter, Brighter Dining Room - Blogger Homes says:
    October 15, 2013 at 3:22 pm

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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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. Read More…

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