It has been 6 weeks since the beginning of the One Room Challenge and I am pleased to reveal my dining room renovation.
What is The One Room Challenge?
The One Room Challenge™ is a biannual event every April and October and is currently in its fifteenth season. Each round, twenty design bloggers take the challenge and transform a space. Every Wednesday, the designers document their process while sharing their sources and professional advice over six weekly posts.
The ORC has teamed up with Better Homes and Garden HERE to bring you this highly anticipated event.
My Participation in The One Room Challenge
This round will complete my fifth season of the “One Room Challenge”. So many other talented people are also participating as guests, please check out their spaces HERE.
Prior Weeks Progress of the Remodel
Dining Room Renovation – Artwork – ORC (Wk 5)
Dining Room Renovation – Challenges – ORC (Wk 4)
Dining Room Renovation – Changes to the Plan – ORC (Wk 3)
Dining Room Renovation – Design Board – ORC (Wk 2)
Dining Room Renovation – ORC (Wk 1)
Dining Room “Final Reveal”
As frustrating as the challenge was this season, mainly due to some of the items not being what I expected, I am pleased with the end result. Many changes I wanted to make to our dining room were not completed, let’s discuss the reasons.
A couple key elements of my initial plan for the room; to lighten the walls and center the buffet with the table didn’t work out. I was going to remove the sconces, hang a long horizontal mirror and paint the walls. The mirror I chose and had delivered was not hangable on the wall, it was a leaner mirror 🙄. I knew I wouldn’t have time to get another mirror to replace this one, nor had I chosen another I liked as much. Since I was not able to change out the mirror, then there was no sense in removing the scones and no point in painting the walls since the removal of the sconces would cause drywall repair. BUT, I still plan on replacing the mirror, removing the sconces and lightening the walls at some point…just not for this challenge.
Let’s talk about the budget friendly changes I did make to the room and the effect they have on the space. In total, I made five impactful changes and two of them didn’t cost a penny.
This is how the dining room looked before the challenge, good bones but kind of blah.
This is how it looks today! I love the simple changes, they give the room new life.
One big change that didn’t cost a penny but made a huge impact was to remove the two 18 inch table extensions from the ends of the table. As much as I love having a long and grand 12 foot table in my dining room, I have to face the fact that it just doesn’t fit the scale of the room when it is extended.
The proportions of the room now feel and look right. It’s important to realize this when designing a space, scale is very important and choosing the right sized furniture makes a huge difference in the appearance of the space.
The second change that made a dramatic impact was replacing the rug. Bringing in a soft textured rug adds a warm touch and the muted hues add the right amount of color. The new rug is also smaller, since the table is not extended anymore, the rug should be size appropriate and work within the proportions of the table and the scale of the room. Having a smaller rug also allows more of the hardwood tones in the floor to show through bringing in warm tones as well.
Adding artwork to the walls is the third impactful change.
The addition of colorful black framed canvas prints to the sides of the picture window gives the room balance and interest. The black from the frames tie in with the black iron on the chandelier.
I did not change the lighting, I simply love crystal 🥰.
The large black framed canvas print on the back wall is also a new addition. The colors go beautifully with the rug and the other prints. Artwork in the room has brought in so much interest and color. I also like the prints with the color of the walls.
The fourth change was to add a fiddle leaf tree HERE to fill out a corner in the room that was lacking character. The wide leaves add a bit of drama to the space and the heavy weave basket HERE is the perfect accessory.
The last impactful change that didn’t cost anything, was to bring in two skirted chairs I was using in the kitchen. If you remember in my prior post, I ordered 2 new chairs for the ends of the table but the color was off so I returned them. I wanted the look of skirted chairs on the end of the table and found the perfect set already in my home.
Shopping our homes and playing with furniture in different rooms is a great way to discover new looks, get a fresh feel for the room, and save tons of money…it’s a win win 😉
All the other additions to the room were items I already own. To the sides of the buffet, I added 2 boxwood topiaries HERE stacked on top of books.
Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday, and I am hosting at our house.
I took the opportunity of the final reveal and combined it with a Mother’s Day tablescape.
I created this tablescape using pieces I already own, like these champagne colored chargers I spray painted sometime ago.
Ok, ok, so the fresh flowers are new 😉
A combination of white hydrangeas, roses, daisies, and dahlias line the center of the table in round vases and crystal wine glasses add sparkle to the table.
Having a shorter table in the room feels more intimate and quaint, I really like the new look.
The table can accommodate 8 people now and provides so much more space without the extensions.
Flickering votives are always a favorite way of mine to add a bit of romance to the table.
A smaller more intimate table for 8 with warm tones, texture, and interest.
My favorite ginger jars SIMILAR HERE are still a staple in the room, taking center stage on the buffet.
Rolled white belgium linen napkins and table runner allow the warmth of the natural wood to show through.
This dining room makeover was definitely cost effective. Using pieces I already own, scaling the furniture back and adding artwork, a plant, and a new rug gave the space warmth and interest it was lacking. If you are interested I have included sources below for a similar dining room look.
I hope you enjoyed following along on my mini makeover and found some ideas you can use to freshen up a space of your own. Until next time!
Denise
XO
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Denise it is just beautiful!! You did such a wonderful job with Plan B, and I SO love the new rug! Your Mother’s Day table is gorgeous – you have such a way with your flower arrangements! Thanks so much for sharing your challenge with us. It’s been great following along! 🙂
You’re too good to me Barbara! Thank you dear friend, so glad you like it 😘
It looks beautiful. Well done.
Thank you so much, I’m glad you like it!
It’s lovely Denise…..I esp like the blue rug and those two prints beside the window are gorgeous. Just removing those two leaves off the table made a huge difference, it looks cozy now, esp with the comfy chairs at each end. Great job! PS. I am making progress on my kitchen reno plans – but so many decisions the next two weeks! It’s getting to be fun now.
Hi Joni Yes! Removing those 2 sections from the table made such a big difference, it feels so much cozier now. I love big impactful changes that don’t cost anything 😉 Horray for your kitchen! A new reno is exciting and the anticipation of the final product thrilling! My offer still holds, if you want to FaceTime and pick my brain..I’d be happy to help 🙂
I think I’m okay Denise. My neighbour came over and helped me narrow the choices today, but I had already made up my mind, just wanted a second opinion, so it’s all good. Just small things now choosing hardware and buying a new sink and stove hood and dishwasher. The designer will come next Thurs for a final measure and meeting. I am excited now though, I hope it all works out. One thing that did surprise me though, was she suggested I paint the kitchen before the installation, as I was expecting to do it after, when I saw how it looks. I think I’m going with a cloud white colour for the doors, but it’s been so dull and gloomy here I need to see how it looks in bright sunlight. I’m not even sure if it’s a cool colour or a warm one, I’m not good at picking out paint. She suggested I do it in the week after the old kitchen is removed and before the new one is put in – but in my experience it’s hard to get a painter to commit to a specific time schedule. So if you want to fly up to Canada and paint I’ll take you up on it! I have to get one who will remove old wallpaper border too, and possibly repair plaster if the old backsplash doesn’t come off well – it might not be smooth sailing, but then it never is!
It sounds like your kitchen project is coming along nicely Joni! I’m glad you have a designer helping you, that makes life a lot easier. She should be able to guide you with paint color, taking into account all the other tones on your room and house. Painting isn’t my forte, my husband does that, he has been painting our bathroom for 3 weeks now 🙂 Granted it’s a large space but he’s doing a wonderful meticulous job. Would love to see your kitchen when it’s done sweet friend 😘
I will most likely be blogging about it at some point, as it was part of my Bucket List/New Years post last year. A meticulous painter is hard to find!
Excellent! I look forward to the pictures. Yes they are I agree, glad I married a type A 😉
It’s spectacular, dear Denise! I love the wall color! But then, the accent wall in my family room is almost the same color so I’m slightly partial 😉 You always do such amazing renos and your tablescapes are to die for! Another beautiful and inspirational space! Bravo! Happy Mother’s Day to you, my dear friend! <3
Happy Mother’s Day To you too my sweet friend! Thank you so much..you are too kind ☺️🥰
Beautiful makeover!! I love your new rug and artwork! The black metal details carry throughout and tie everything together. Your table table settings are just beautiful!! Great job!!
Thank you Marianne! It’s always fun working on these challenges but I am glad when they are complete.
I know what you mean. Enjoy your new dining room and have a great spring!
Thank you Marianne you too my friend.
What a stunning reveal! I am swooning over your tablescape! Those floral arrangements are so pretty!
Thank you Jen! Lining the table with vases is such a fun way to elegantly display beautiful florals. Happy Weekend!