When it comes to home decor, I’m always wanting to change things up and dig my heels into the search for my own style. At this point, I’m loving having a home that doesn’t all look the same. My favorite room right now, though, is my newly remodeled mid-century modern dining room. When I moved in, it had a cringe-worthy chandelier (in my opinion) and everything but a bright white chair rail was dark grey. See the before picture at the end of this post.
My goal for this room was to have enough space for us to host a dinner for at least six, to incorporate antiques, and to find a light fixture that couldn’t be overlooked. That transformation started with paint (hue: salty dog) and an affordable wainscoting look crafted with pre-painted white wood and a nice paint job.
Caramel-colored leather (full disclosure: I really call it camel-colored) has always been something I’d love to incorporate in my home. I think it looks lush and just inviting enough to say “sit here, but please be careful when holding that red wine,” which is an attitude I have too. 😉 Although I love the West Elm true leather dining chairs, those aren’t even kind of in my budget so I found these faux lookalikes at LexMod and never looked back. My table is a Target.com find and perfectly fulfills the vision I had in my head of a white table that was sturdier and less contemporary than the acrylic round tables I’ve seen so many of.
The West Elm mid-century standing planters also didn’t fit in my budget, but I couldn’t get them out of my head. Instead, I found large, bright white ceramic pots at Lowe’s and enlisted a friend’s woodworker brother to craft some plant stands for me in the color and sizes I wanted (check out his Etsy shop here). Now that my roomie is getting better with tools, I may have him try to make more for me going forward. 🙂
Using what I already own is always the goal, but I didn’t have much that would fit in this room. I did use a pretty wood dresser my mom bought off a neighbor (for next to nothing) and a wine rack/bar piece that I already had (not pictured). Because I adore antique pieces, I spent an afternoon running around an antique store collecting the collage of blue and white plates I used on the wall. Although they went up not long after I moved in February, they still catch my attention and get a lot of well-deserved compliments from friends and family.
Last but not least, my light fixture is to die for, but also might kill me with the amount of dusting/Windexing it requires. The CB2 fixture came in the mail without any broken glass and was pretty easy (but time-consuming) for my roomie and his dad to adjust and hang up. The smudges aren’t driving me too crazy yet, so I’m still head over heels. AND this rug from Joss & Main was a beautiful surprise, so affordable, and completely brings my rooms together. I love the flash of color!
If I’m honest, my dad walked in and said, “It’s like the Jetson’s in here!” That being said, it’s a stunner of a room and one of my favorite places to hunker down with my laptop now. What a change from the small circular table that anchored the room before (and the all-gray look before I moved in, below).
Let’s talk decor! What’s the latest change you’ve made in your home or apartment? Let me know in the comments.