One Room Challenge, FINAL REVEAL!
I am so happy to finally share my dining room with you all! It is a reflection of who I am at the deepest level. It is a mix of fun and serious, with an attention to details, and blue & white. I first off want to thank F. Schumacher 1889 for partnering with me on this project. The custom details from them really elevated the space beyond anything I could have ever imagined. And a special thank you to Sandra Prendergast for helping me get this done. I only have one regret: I wish I had chosen a space to makeover that we used more often because I love, love, love it! Next time...!
GOALS
The goal for the dining room was to brighten it. We felt like it was a dungeon, and the rug and dark furniture perpetuated that. We walk through the dining room multiple times per day to get to the office so the room really needed to be bright and open before heading to "work". I also wanted to do some of the work myself. I am not a huge DIY person but I did enjoy this particular challenge, and I met it head on.
WALLPAPER
I waited what felt like a century for the wallpaper. It is a painted grasscloth called Feather Bloom in Two Blues color way, made by Celerie Kemble for Schumacher. It is so stunning in photographs and even more stunning in person. The way this wallpaper transformed the space was unbelievable, right down to wallpapering the outlet covers. The one very tricky part about this particular wallpaper is that the pattern repeat is over 60" and the wall space to cover over the chair rail was 62". This meant we had quite a bit of waste. We ended up having just enough, even though we had leftovers. The leftovers were not usable because of the repeat. They wouldn't have matched up on the wall so they were discarded. I will likely line some of the drawers of the sideboard (and elsewhere!) with it. I can say with complete confidence the wallpaper was worth the wait. And I would 100 times over choose it again.
DRAPERY + HARDWARE
The drapery is a soft, off-white polished cotton with a blue greek key tape on the leading edge, both by Schumacher. I chose the greek key as a way to balance out the naturally curving lines in the wallpaper. The color was also spot on and I couldn't resist. Special shoutout to my husband for hanging the drapery rod, against his will, and to Ray and Izzy for creating and installing the drapes.
The rod and hardware is from Lux Holdups, purchased on Etsy. It is an acrylic rod with brass rings and end caps. I love how chic it turned out.
CHAIR FABRIC
Um, hello, this is sensational! This Bixi Velvet from Schumacher is what dreams are made of. I want to use it all over my house. :::orders 20 more yards immediately::: It was a little bit of a challenge to work with on the seats because it was thick near the corners and the folds, but with tight pulls I was able to make it work.
DIY
The first DIY project I tackled was the bamboo trim on the ceiling. This was a pretty arduous job but I really wanted to do it. I ordered the pieces from a lumber yard upstate New York, and when they arrived I immediately hand painted them to match the wallpaper. I spent hours applying the PL and adhering them to the ceiling. My neck hurts right now, as I recall all those hours looking up and doing the work.
Then I decided to reupholster the chairs myself. I ordinarily would not take this approach with such expensive fabric but I had faith in myself. It couldn't have worked out better and I saved myself at least a few hundred dollars.
I also painted the mirror with Rub n Buff. This was not a complicated DIY but nevertheless it was one that needed to get done. I had to cut the red sheen out of it by painting it more of a gilded gold.
I also created this custom tray top with the leftover fabric from the chairs. It was just a nice way to tie it into the rest of the space. I had a glass piece made to fit on top and I stapled the fabric to a board/backing. This creates a fun bar area, with a little pizazz.
LIGHTING
The chandelier was the real jewelry of the space. It was first item that really changed the room. I looked at about 100 chandeliers for this room. I was so particular about not only finding one that was the right scale, but also finding one that fit the vibe. I wanted traditional but I didn't want stuffy. The Visual Comfort chandelier had a little bit of spunk because of the lines, but overall it read traditional. I am so thrilled with it. I purchased small, navy shades for it, thinking it would add to the space, and in the end I cut them out of the plan and just let the chandelier tell it's own story.
Also from Visual Comfort were the two buffet lamps on the sideboard. I loved them for a couple of reasons. One is that they complimented the chandelier without competing with it. And two, it was the exact size I wanted. Slim and delicate.
RUG
I had gone to Stark Carpet with something very specific in mind. I wanted a neutral sisal rug, something that would balance out the boldness of the paper. And I ended up leaving with a sensational rug in a soft mint green/blue color and totally blowing the budget because it went with the fabric perfectly! I can't say I regret that move but as they say, "Buy Once, Cry Once!" so that's what I did. And in case anybody is wondering, there is nothing, I mean nothing, like walking on a brand new rug after walking on Indoor Outdoor carpets for years!
SIDEBOARD
The sideboard was purchased on consignment about a month before the challenge began. I got a great deal on it, and knew that if I was going to redo the dining room-it would fit in perfectly no matter what the mood board was going to look like.
THE TABLE
The table was the only thing we kept from the previous dining room. I would love to one day find the right table, but I wasn't going to rush the process for the sake of this challenge. For now, the current table works just fine.
ACCESSORIES
Some of the accessories on the table are purchased on consignment, and some are from The Enchanted Home. The small dish and porcelain box on the sideboard were my grandmother's.
WALL ART + SCONCES
The bird art pieces are vintage pieces from my Grandparents home. The frames are mirrored and they could probably use new matting but I can't let go. The vintage prints really grounded the space. And they are so special to me.
This was one of the longer walls in the dining room, however I did not feel the need to decorate every wall with art. I wanted the wallpaper to, at times, be the art. And did not want to hide it at every opportunity.
The wall candelabra was an Etsy purchase. I loved the scale and it's whimsical presence. I surrounded it with a few plates, from Royal Copenhagen, purchased used on Ebay. Great price, best decision!
The plate sconces were purchased used from Facebook Marketplace. They are just the right color and size.
DETAILS
I am a big fan of details, and in fact no space is complete without them. I included this blue tassel that I ordered from Etsy. It came all the way over from Italy so I had to order it early. I added taupe tassels to the two end chairs to start to bring out some more neutrals. I also used the dragon doorstop which was my parents. It is a nod to the Bixi Velvet fabric on the chairs, both have whimsical dragons!
For your enjoyment, here are some photos of the BEFORE. I am so pleased with the transformation, and I hope you agree! Thank you for reading along and for following this journey with me. Maybe I will do another One Room Challenge in the spring. What do you think?
~FIN~
PREVIOUS POST
One Room Challenge, Pending Reveal
Welcome to part 1 of 2 parts of my final reveal for the One Room Challenge. In other words, 7 weeks was not enough time for me to complete this space. And that's ok! I have curated every aspect of this room and I am hopeful it will pay off in the end, even if I need a bit more time.
My chairs came in and I was able to upholster the seats. I was so nervous to cut the beautiful Schumacher fabric but after the first chair, I started to get the hang of it. It was thick, which was a challenge, but I ultimately prevailed after a lot of tight pulls. And now I want to upholster any and everything. It was so fun! And rewarding. I think it may deserve a tangling tassel!
The chandelier went up, and it looks fabulous. I ordered some little navy shades for it, and we'll see how they look. I'm 50/50 on that look, only because the lines of the chandelier are so strong. Could either be a nice balance, or take away from it.
I found a beautiful mirror for a great price, to go above the buffet. For some reason it had a little bit of a red hue to it so I tackled another DIY this week and used Rub n Buff to bring more yellow gold out. Now it will compliment the buffet lamps nicely.
The wallpaper finally came in and I am awaiting the professionals to put it up. Tick tock! And there are other little details I have yet to share because they can't go up until the wallpaper is complete. I will leave the rest to the final reveal, in hopefully about 10 days! And I will update the post one more time!
Thank you for reading...I'm very excited for my next post to be the final transformation. If you want to see the other Better Homes & Gardens One Room Challenge reveals, click here!
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