Ever since we moved I have wanted to do a house tour to show how we have been decorating. How we have been making it ‘home’.
I am kicking off with our dining room!
Referencing the plan, you can see that is is the first room you see when you enter the house. Plus, it’s the first area visible when you are approaching the house. At night when the lights are on, it’s very visible.
We really considered that when we were selecting and locating the furniture and decor in the room.
The furniture and decor in the room is a blend of pieces that we have already owned and ones that we picked up when we moved here.
The main element in the room is the dining table with the combination of chairs and bench. We found these pieces at the Tampa location of Nadaeu, a furniture store that imports really cool handmade pieces.
While shopping with a friend, I fell in love with this table and found chairs and a bench to match. Price and I went back for him to check it out and we scooped it all up. And then they held it for us for months since our completion date was delayed. They rock.
I keep various simple runners on the table, along with a handmade bowl, salt and pepper shakers, and slate coasters to protect the table. The bowl is made by one of Price’s uber talented friends who has a pottery studio, Barrel Maker Pottery, in Portland, Maine.
The other piece of furniture in the room is a gorgeous buffet that was a very generous hand me down from one of my bosses in Boston. I was quite concerned about it moving because of the value and how much we like it. Thankfully the movers did a great job with it – just 1 minor knick on a corner.
We tried not to clutter the buffet but have it functional and fun too. We have some wine and booze, a slate cutting board from Crate and Barrel topped with a ceramic jar that Price’s brother made when he was in high school. To go with the alcohol, we have a sign that was at our wedding that says, “Trust me you can dance – Alcohol” from the Etsy shop, DodiDoodles. It’s a fun reminder of our wedding.
Above the buffet is a mirror from Ashley Furniture and a set of copper pots and pans. We picked up the copper pots and pans years ago while at Brimfield, an antiques flea market that is held 3x a year in Massachusetts. We picked this set up for a steal at just $100 5 years ago.
As I previously mentioned, the dining room is at the front of the house so I wanted the window treatment to stand out as it would be seen from the entry, and even the street. My friend, Nichole, and I went shopping at Ikea and stumbled upon the curtains that we felt would look great in the space, while still having an overall connection to the rest of the house by featuring a blue color.
The MJÖLKÖRT curtains are hung closer to the window on the RACKA rod and the denser, thicker SANELA curtains are hung on the outer HUGAD rod. The double rod system allows for the pair of curtains to be hung together but move around independently of each other.
Directly opposite the windows is a tobacco basket with some prints.
The tobacco basket is really old. It used to hang in Price’s mom’s kitchen and we scooped it up from her years ago. I love that it’s a statement piece and it has history to it. You can find old ones at flea markets or antique shops, or you can purchase a new one as many stores have started to recreate the look now.
The art prints are little mushrooms that my grandmother bought for me years ago when we were browsing a small shop, sadly now closed.
On the to-do list is getting a new light fixture. We opted to just install the standard lighting fixture from the builder as any upgraded fixtures from them were $$$ and we didn’t really love any of them. When we find a fixture that we really like we will have that installed. The current location of the fixture is centered in the room, not over the table, as we have the buffet in there, moving the table over closer to the entry. So we will need that relocated which is a bigger deal than just swapping out fixtures so we aren’t in a big rush at this time to take on that project.
Adjacent to the dining room is the entry. There is not much to this area besides a lighting fixture (to eventually swap out) and a side table.
The side table was another piece that was from a boss in Boston. We have located this in various places in our past apartment and condo (entry, bedroom, respectively) but decided that currently works best here now as the wood is similar to the table in the dining room
Above this are 3 prints that feature the town where my husband grew up, Skaneateles, NY. I took the large picture at the bottom of Skaneateles Lake, and the other 2 are professional picture from the north end of the lake, where the town is located.
Besides the light fixture, we are really happy with our dining room. It’s a great place to come together and eat dinner as a family, which we do every weekend. The weeknight dinners are more casual, as we eat dinners at different times, and happen at the kitchen island or at the table in the Breakfast Nook.
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- Update lighting as a new lighting fixture can really transform a room. Even changing the existing lighting fixture’s bulb color temperature can make a big change.
- Layer curtains for a fun play on patterns and textures.
- Display a collection as a focal point. Artwork or dishes make a great feature.
- Mix types of seating for versatility and functionality.
- Use existing pieces in your home in the room in a new way.
- Add a mirror to create a feature that helps brighten the space.
- Use a patterned rug to help hide spills and add a fun accent on the floor
- Personalize the room with family photos or portraits.
- A fresh or good quality silk floral arrangement are great options for bringing nature into the room.
- Decorate with wine! Show off your collection of wine or liquor for a fun celebratory feel
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Up next is our kitchen tour!