Dining Room Transformed

When we purchased this home, it was in a sad state... Like many foreclosures on the market, it had taken a serious beating.  I mean - carpets ruined, appliances stolen, holes punched in the walls and just plain filthy - kind of a beating.   But even with all of the "unsightly" issues.  This house had beautiful bones.  Luckily, the pieces all fell into place for us and we got our dream home... and then we began the overhaul.

The dining room was carpeted - something that I will never understand.  The last think I'd ever want with children is carpet in a dining room.  We ripped out the carpet and replaced the flooring first. (More on this project later!).

Next, I hit up my favorite obsession... the "oops" paint at Home Depot and Lowes.  There is not a better deal to be found than a gallon of paint for $5-$8.  You just have to be patient, check often and be flexible on colors.  (Most of my house was painted in "oops" paint  - I got great colors and an even better price on painting my whole house.)

For the dining room, I lucked out with 2 shades of "oops" gray.  For the walls, a perfect blue/gray tone that is warm and inviting.   The other shade was a lighter shade of gray and I opted to use that for the tray ceiling.

The back wall of the dining room is rather large - so I knew decor was going to be costly. What's that mean?  DIY art to the rescue!

I purchased unfinished trim pieces and cut them to make large wall frames.  Each piece was primed and painted to match my existing trim.   I attached each piece to the wall with small finishing nails. In the center of my frames, I purchased discounted picture frames from a craft store and currently have scrapbook paper in each frame.  To give the illusion that the frames are "hanging" I placed a piece of lime green craft ribbon (nice tie in to a buffet, huh?) behind each frame and looped them over a diamond hanger. 

The wall hangers were actually wine bottle toppers that I found at one of my all time favorite stores - Home Goods.   Obsession.  Imagine my surprise when I got home with my latest treasures and found that the diamonds actually unscrewed from the rubber cork leaving me the perfect way to attach them to the wall!

I love my large, inexpensive wall art and get lots of compliments on the look.  Try it, you'll love it!

Dining Room Buffet

I have been looking for a sideboard for our dining room for quite some time.  I was hoping for something that wasn't too big, yet could provide storage for my nicer dishes. When I spied this beauty on Craigslist for only 40 bucks, I couldn't pass it up...

I thought the angled sides would be perfect for the room, giving the room a more spacious feel as you squeeze in between the table and buffet.  All it needed was a pop of metallic lime green to give my new grey dining room a more "glam" feel.  Great, don't you think?

I had hopes of changing out the brass hardware, but with the start of yet another project, my budget didn't allow for it.  So, I decided to paint them green also to be a little less distracting.  I think they add a bit of character, so I'm glad I kept them after all.

As for details, I removed the hardware and doors.  I gave the entire thing a quick sanding and applied 1 coat of Zinsser primer.  I painted the cabinet (with sprayer and by hand) with a 2 coats of Apple Green satin paint.  After it was dried, I applied 2+ coats of Modern Masters Metallic Paint in Green Apple (Semi-Opaue) with a foam roller and a brush.

More to follow on my dining room transformation!

Ready, Set.... GO!

My resolution this year was to get this blog started.  Not too bad...it's only April (so, technically, I'm WAY ahead of schedule)!  I've constantly got new projects, projects to finish and (like many of you) projects I wish we had not started. 

I hope that our projects will inspire others to take on some DIY projects.  I've converted my wonderful husband, who at this point, just expects me to start rambling about my next "inspiration" before I'm finished explaining the first.  Love.


As I'm totally into budget DIY, I'll also be sharing my ideas on stylish decor.  And ways to make a big impact visually, without a big impact on your bank account.

So welcome to my blog! I look forward to sharing my ideas as we stroll Along the Stone Path.