Welcome back DIY folks, moms, dads, and people just bored at work! Today I bring to you the dining room in our current home. If are you reading my blog for the first time, we own a home that we have been renovating and living in at the same time. Start from the beginning if you are interested in the full back story but otherwise, let’s jump right in. Here is a photo of the dining room when we bought it.Hello 70’s floor to ceiling mirrors! Oh the trouble that was this room. If water was looking for away in our home it almost always came through this room. Both corners by the French doors had major leaking problems. Every time it would rain we would either hurry home or run downstairs to put towels on the floor to catch the water. The doors were rotted at the bottoms from the years of moisture coming in so they did not shut right because of it. Removing the mirrors was a little scary. I kept getting visions of someone slicing their hands open or the mirrors falling and breaking into precise sharp blades. Thankfully everyone still had all their limbs after this project. And the tile, oohhhhh the tile. I don’t think Chad or I have ever experienced tile stuck so well to the ground. It took a long time and I mean a LONG TIME to get it removed. We actually went through stages to get it finished. Chad did the initial removal and got most of it up but we had sections that would not budge. Since we had other things that needed attention first we had to leave it like that for a while. We would often trip over it or sometimes even catch it wrong with our feet and lose some skin. Not ideal but hey, that’s in the past. We finally decided to dedicate a weekend of taking turns scarping to get it up. It took a lot of time and muscle as it came up in such small sections. We bought as many different blades we could find, got out our gloves and kneepads and went at it. We would take turns scraping on a timer. It was tough to say the least. We had sore muscles, calluses and blisters galore. So much so that I had to give up hand modeling. Ok, that part is not true as I am still a hand model. Ok, none of that is true either but the blisters and such, that was all true. 🙂 What ended up being most helpful was a homemade tool that was made up of a hammer drill, a concrete drill bit, and the end of a floor scraper (thanks google). So, once we finally got the ground smooth we still could not put the floor down. The entire bottom floor was set to be wood floor, aside from the kitchen, so we had to make sure we had all the leaks taken care of first. That took a while. A couple years or so. It wasn’t a simple fix by any means. Walls had to come down and be replaced from the inside out so it took time.

So….without further ado, here is what she looks like now!

She has life now. She has personality. So let’s start with the doors. We liked the look of the French doors but the space itself is not that big. I was not a fan of losing space in the room in order to open the door to the courtyard. That being said, we went with full glass sliding doors. I am so glad we went this route as we saved space and it allows so much natural light to come in. That and I can easily look out and see my kiddos playing. The room got new crown molding, baseboards and custom doorway casings all done by the hubby.

As far as décor, I love purple and have loved it for years. I decided years ago the dining room would be the lucky place to house my purple stuff! I came across the chairs about a year or so ago while we were shopping for a staging job and I fell in love. I knew they would be perfect.

My style of choice is quite a mix of things. I like places to feel eclectic but soft, airy with a hint of a bohemian vibe here and there. Sounds like a hot mess but I find ways to make it work and please my creative mind. I bring that up because of my candelabra! I bought this bad boy at a garage sale three years ago and knew I was going to use it no matter what. It’s a bit glam but also provides a classic feel. When thinking about this space I planned around this darn thing. We originally talked about rewiring electricity to get rid of the can lights and add a centered chandelier. I had to step back and realize it wasn’t worth the investment since this home will most likely be a rental one day AND it would totally clash with my candelabra! (It’s a smaller space and it would have been too much.) That being said, we left the lights in place but did update the style of can lights.

The décor on the wall is from Magnolia Market. Years ago when I was thinking about the space I had a giant clock in mind. As we finally got to the point of actually decorating I changed my mind but I didn’t have a specific idea in place. At my first trip to Magnolia Market I fell in love with their artificial plants/flowers. I am usually not a fan of them but the quality was top notch! After I walked through the store a few times I got inspired and I started drawing a picture in mind. I like how it turned out. It really softens the room and helps it feel airy and light.

The accent wall… Some people love them and some people hate them. I personally think it’s a case by case situation. This wall is actually repeated on the wall that is directly opposite of it in the living room. Though we want each room to speak for itself, we also wanted them to connect somehow since it is an open floor plan between these two spaces. Chad is a perfectionist so those bad boys are pretty darn straight!

Let’s talk about the curtains! These were the curtains of my dreams! Literally, I dreamt about them. I searched for curtains for a longtime. Chad didn’t understand why I couldn’t find a set I liked when we look at so many at a bunch of different stores. It wasn’t that I didn’t like any of the ones I saw or that none of them could have work, but I just had a specific vision in mind. I celebrated when I found them but then was quickly shot down when I saw the price. Way too expensive. I said goodbye to them and continued my search. I ended up ordering another set that were nice but completely different. While telling a good friend of my about my curtains that I had to love from a distance, I pulled them up to show her and BOOM, on sale! Yippee! They were still a little more than I would have preferred but a lot more doable. We all have certain things we splurge on. Some gals prefer shoes, or makeup but for me its home décor. My makeup is old and my clothes and shoes are iffy, but my curtains, they shine! 🙂
Last but not least is this little gem of a piece. I use to do a lot of furniture painting and I met some amazing painters along the way. This corner piece is something Chad and I both had our eye on when it was sitting in Altar’d Interiors in Deer Park, Texas. (You need to visit this place if you are in the area.) The gal who painted it, who later became a friend, is definitely one of the best in the business. Long story short we were finally able to purchase it and it fits perfectly in the small corner. The photos don’t really do it justice compared to its beauty.

Thanks again for joining me as we share our projects, flips, renovations and family! Here is a little bit of reality for ya….. This room does not stay looking this way. It’s lived in on all levels. My oldest son thinks it’s his personal “work” and play space. I find shoes under the table, stickers on the glass doors, bean bags in the corner and just yesterday a measuring cup on the floor. That’s life though. I love things to be perfectly in place all the time BUT I love my family more and sometimes you just have to relax and enjoy your time and space together. Even if that means it’s a little messy sometimes.

Til next time… PEACE In, Grace OUT!