THE EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM- From gut to makeover-stonegableblog.com

It’s been about two and a half years since we first started the dining room makeover! Since then this space has gone through lots of changes… and that’s an understatement! And I’m still not done! For me, any big decor changes are more of an evolution than a makeover! Here’s a look at how the dining room has  “evolved” and how it looks from season to season!

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM- from gut to glam-stonegableblog.com

 

Our dining room is square, about 20 x 20. One side is completely open to the foyer. It has three tall windows on two sides and is open to the kitchen on another. There is a small built in hutch in one corner and a high tray ceiling. It’s wainscoting is 50 inches high and was installed when we built our home. It has great “bones”! But it was very very tired and need of a total makeover!

Here’s the dining room gutted… not a beauty shot for sure! If you look in the bottom right hand corner you will see the old wall to wall carpet rolled up. It was a light spring green. Yes, it was!!!! Hello, it was the 90’s… and I was in my “Monet watercolor phase”. And shades of yellow, especially butter, were in every room!

And the plan was to exchange the pastel decor for neutral, updated pieces!

Copy of IMG_1854

 

The first thing we did was to lay new hardwood floors… and when I say “we” I mean Bobby and my boys!

 We were able to find the exact hardwood color and style that we already had in some areas of our home! There is a tiny difference because the old floors have been aged by the sunlight. Unless you look very, very hard it is not noticeable. The floors are from Casa De Colour and are Gunstock Oak, but they look like a chestnut color. 

What a difference already!

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-stonegableblog.com

Phase 2 was painting. Lots and lots of painting. We decided to paint the walls Sonnet and paint the trim and wainscoting the same color as the rest of the trim in the house, Atrium White. All by Benjamin Moore.

Here’s Bobby painting the trim! If you look carefully, you can see the mahogany chairs and the old upholstery on them.

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-painting the dining room-stonegableblog.com

Once the floors were in and the painting done my plan was to makeover and not replace the dining room furniture. It took us five years to save for the 18th century mahogany and cherry dining room furniture that we bought decades ago!

I would have replace it but we could no longer sell the furniture and get what it’s worth because of the changing styles. Here’s a great lesson… you don’t need to buy furniture that will last generations if you are not going to use it that long! 

Phase 3 was all about furniture and rug…

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-rug and bench-stonegableblog.com 

I repainted the the chairs and recovered them. The change was amazing!!! You can see a post about them HERE.

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-dining room chair-stonegableblog.com

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-covered chair-stonegableblog.com

We replaced the head chairs as they were beyond repair and replaced them with linen upholstered chairs by Hooker. I loved their traditional styling with updated fabric, nail heads and distressed, painted legs.

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-head chairs-stonegableblog.com

 

We also purchased a more traditional oriental-style area rug from overstocks.com.

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-area rug-stonegableblog.comI also purchased a bench from World Market and repainted the legs and had it recovered to match the chairs.

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-upholstered bench-stonegableblog.com

During this time a friend found a fabulous maple buffet for me and I repainted it. You can see the makeover HERE. The lamp on the buffet came from our local Pottery Barn Outlet. I’m still looking for the missing hardware. I really love the original hardware and am willing to wait to find it.

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-painted buffet-stonegableblog.com

No about the CHANDY! I get so many emails about this chandy. It came from overstock.com. It was a pain to put together… hanging each little crystal, but so worth it!

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-painting-stonegableblog.comThe next phase…4… was one I kept putting off! Making curtains! This was by far the most ambitious curtain project I’ve taken on. They weren’t difficult… they were just long!!! I also painted and pieced together the curtain rods. You can read about my dining room curtains HERE. Notice the foyer? Still had that fabulous yellow marbled wallpaper in the image. Sometimes I ask, what was I thinking!!!!

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-curtains-stonegableblog.com

 

During the time I was making the curtains I found a bar cart on sale at Target and made it over too! See the before and after HERE!

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-bar cart-stonegableblog.com

 

I also found a sweet little french-inspired black ballet chair from Ethan Allen. What a deal I got!!!

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-ballet chair-stonegableblog.com

After the furniture and the curtains I turned my attention to the walls… phase 5!

My local Potter Barn Outlet is a wealth of reasonably priced products!!! I got this big wall clock in the clearance isle.

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-wall clock-stonegableblog.com

Shutters and soup tureen lids were added to either side of the mirror…

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-shutters-soup tureen lids-stonegableblog.com

You can see how we sized the shutters for the dining room HERE and how we hung the soup tureen lids HERE.

And after trying a couple of art pieces on the far dining room wall I added these updated botanicals in vintage frames from Luckett’s.

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-new botanicals-stonegableblog.com

And like all makeovers… there were some oops! I changed out the rug I had originally bought for one that works better with my new decor. The new dining room rug came from Ballard Designs and is an indoor/outdoor style rug. LOVE IT!!!

SUMMER HOME TOUR-Dining room-rug-clock-stonegableblog.com

This room is still not done! Are we ever? Keep looking for a few more tweaks and embellishments!!!!

I hope you liked this long post all about a room going from gut to glam… from tired and outdated to what I had dreamed it could be! But most of all I hope you are inspired to make the changes you need to in your home!!!

Remember to pin this to your DECOR or DINING ROOM Pinterest boards. You can follow me on Pinterest and see what I’m pinning daily HERE!

 

EVOLUTION OF A DINING ROOM-Taking a room from drab to fab and everywhere in between! -stonegableblog.com

 

 

 

 

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61 Comments

  1. I wish I had your knack for vision and decorating. It’s all so lovely and I enjoy seeing the transformation. I wish my dining room had all those windows and light coming through it. We only get the morning and afternoon sun through the deck doorway but I guess that’s better than nothing. All so bright and clean looking, thanks for sharing! -Bev

  2. What a marvellous transformation. You must have had a clear vision when you started out, I’m afraid this is something that a lot of us lack and then things start to look a bit random. I love the paint job you did to your chairs.

  3. Oh it’s so gorgeous! You are going to think I’m nuts with all the beautiful items in this room my question is….the white pot on a pedestal with a fern in it… did you purchase the pot that way or did you set it on the pedestal yourself? LOL it’s the diy’er in me I guess. Lovely post!

    1. Hi Kim! I think you are talking about the pineapple planter? It came from a shop in Williamsburg Va.

  4. Karen VanLoo says:

    I love your dining room! What a beautiful makeover, and I love painting furniture and trying to keep what you already own to work with it. My dining room table and windsor chairs were purchased not long after we married in 1986. They’re solid oak, and my husband stained them in a honey oak color, which was of course the thing to do back in the 80’s and 90’s. It’s now black, and slightly distressed. I have two end chairs, that we purchased at an unfinished wood store, but I am tired of them, and have been wanting some upholstered chairs to replace them. When I find the ones I want (I’m always scouting Home Goods) then I’ll get them! But they have to be just what I’m looking for. It’s worth the wait when you know it’s out there, the timing has to be right. I love your ideas!

    1. Karen, look at Wayfair and Joss & Main. Their chairs are often sold as pairs.

  5. You made some great updates to the room. I love the hardwood floors. Also, your buffet makeover is great. Could you email me a close-up photo of the hardware you are missing. It is hard to see – but I may just have what you need!
    Best,
    Michelle from simplysantabarbara.blogspot.com

  6. Oh what a luvly post Yvonne!!! Things worth having are worth waiting for. I am NOT a fan of buying the room in one fell swoop. Building a room makes it have soul.
    I too get a giggle and have to ask myself ‘what was I thinking?’ ,when I look at some of my ideas! 🙂
    Forever tweaking!!!!
    Hugs, Gee

  7. I love your dining room, and your updating is especially lovely. We have the same chairs,but our table is slightly different. Although I don’t want to paint our chairs, yours are beautiful. I wold love seeing a post where you feature your rooms in the original style; spring green carpet and all. My last house had Hunter green carpet. I loved it at the time, 1993, but wouldn’t want it now or the red carpet from another house, or the black/ gold shag from yet another home. Oh my!!!!! Yes, our design style is always evolving.

  8. Elaine Culbert says:

    You’ve done an amazing job! I can’t believe how much we seem to like the same things ….. I bought a humdinger of a swan soup tureen (many years ago) from a Fitz & Floyd outlet in the US; just across the border from where I live in Ontario. Unfortunately, they are no longer there. I have the same oriental plant stand as you – shown in Photo 5 (the photo showing your husband). Re your gorgeous chairs, I drool over creamy white painted furniture and broke up my set by buying upholstered host/hostess chairs. Doesn’t that make a world of difference?!

    Thank you for sharing your lovely home; it’s such a visual treat! I could move in and not change a thing!

  9. Could I rent Bobby?!? What a great team you make! Your dining room is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

  10. I love seeing and reading about the full transformation. It is inspiring and helpful to see posts like this.
    The close up picture of chandelier looks like beautiful jewelry. Thank you for this post.

  11. P.S. Would love to see more room trans
    formation posts down the road. Thank you.

  12. Love this post and your dining room! Do you remember what the oriental style rug was called at Overstock?

  13. I agree Yvonne we don’t buy furniture to last a lifetime anymore, I go with what I like at the time and replace it about every 5 years. Everything looks just perfect now 🙂

  14. Love the change — it looks gorgeous and I can see how much work you’ve done. What color is the dining room walls and what shade of white is the trim?

  15. Absolutely loved this process you showed with pics and explanations. It gives me valuable information and courage to do the same at my house. Your steps were so helpful. Now I don’t feel so overwhelmed and in a state of uncertainty about tackling some of my rooms. Thank you so much. Always learn something from you.

    1. Sandie, NEVER tackle a whole room at one time. Have a vision and a plan and do it in small chunks! Much less stressful!

  16. Your dining room is lovely! The soft colors make the room very elegant. You must be very proud of your beautiful design achievement. 😉

  17. The change is beautiful and completely amazing! I love the room–I know you are so happy that you worked so hard and are so pleased with the results. I”m a big chicken and have many family pieces of furniture…how would I ever paint a pre-civil war chest??? Not thinking I would ever give that a try. Congrats to you!!

  18. Hi Yvonne, It was so fun to meet you at Haven and I hope you enjoyed the conference. Your dining room is beautiful and one of my all time favorites.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

  19. I wish I had the first rug you bought from Overstocks. It would be perfect in my dining room. You don’t still have it do you? I would be interested.
    Your room is beautiful and a testament for layering, gradually. Then the look IS classic. Great job.

  20. This is such a fabulous room…honestly. This room is so eye-catching:) You’ve done such a beautiful job!

  21. Thank you for sharing. Your dinning room is beautiful!! I have went through and posted all the how to’s. I did notice that your drapes were in the corner, but did not notice that they were hanging only in the corner. I so love that. I love the fabric you picked for your chairs, looks like one I would have picked, as I love curvy lines or rounded in most things. Thanks for the how to on the shutters, as I know that is going to come in handy. 🙂 Have a Blessed day!

    Pam

  22. Great transformation! Love the painted dining chairs and those beautiful botanical prints. I envied your chandy for at least 2 years. I got one last Christmas and just love it. But oh yes it was a pain to put together, but well worth it.

  23. bobbi duncan says:

    Your dining room is gorgeous, and your talent for decorating is a gift. We, too, have 18th. century mahogany Chippendale chairs… by the famous Philadelphia chair maker, Benjamin Randolph. We, too, saved a long time to purchase ours. I love that they are bench made and tight, as chairs get so much use, but I’m with you about not having to spend a fortune on everything. Our children are not as into our traditional style as we, so most of our furniture will probably not get passed down to them. Now that we have downsized, we actually had to sell many pieces of furniture, after paying so much for them. We just kept things that we really loved. We had to add new things, too, as this house is laid out much differently than our other ones. You just never know, so spending a fortune on everything isn’t always wise, unless you simply have oodles of money…which we do not. So enjoyed your before and after photos… gives me hope while we are remodeling. I just keep repeating: ” one day it will be finished and look nice”, but this weeks drywall clean-up isn’t doing much to reinforce that mantra, so thanks for the encouragement.

  24. Ellie LaJuett says:

    I love the transformation. I love your style and the classic look!!!

  25. The beauty of your blog is if we don’t all have your natural vision you help us COPY the look, in whatever way we like. Bravo this was one heck of a great post, very inspirational. Way to go Yvonne (and Billy!)

      1. I got a little chuckle out of that too!!! I bet a Billy would not be as wonderful as my Bobby! xo

  26. I always love seeing your gorgeous dining room, and have especially enjoyed watching its transformation over the past few years! Stunning, Yvonne!

  27. nan Odessa DE says:

    Beautiful!

    Now you have us picking colors
    BUT
    Where/When do we use flat; scrubable; satin; and other types of paint?
    Don’t leave use yet!!!!!!!!!

  28. Thank you for sharing the process of your dining room transformation. I think that was the first room I fell in love with when I first discovered your blog. I especially love your curtain fabric. Thanks for the great inspiration.

  29. Oh, I love what you have done! Would you please share where you bought your swan? Is it, in fact, a soup tureen? I’m so happy to have found your blog!

  30. Yvonne, I know you’re busy with your first book, but after viewing your dining room evolution, I might add another adventure for you. I’m very sure other readers would enjoy to have you view one of our rooms to give inspirational changes. Even at a cost, the benefits would be exceptional.

  31. You know what I love about your blog? The quantity and quality of your pics! You have a great way of breaking the space down to its essence. Love this space and what you have done with the original dining room set, although I’d NEVER have had the nerve to paint it for fear that somewhere down the line I would want to return to the natural wood look. And I LOVE the bench fabric! Have you thought about using one rug for the spring/summer and the heavier rug for fall/winter, just to change it up a bit? Both are fabulous and give a totally different feel to the space.

  32. June Gerstner says:

    Yvonne, I have always loved your dining room, especially your buffet. I’ve asked before, but perhaps you didn’t notice…would you mind sharing the name of the place you found the buffet in Lancaster? I’m looking for some place there that carries furniture needing a loving hand.

  33. Love everything about you dining room! Question: In the various blogs I read, I notice that free standing China Cabinets seem to be on the verge of extinction. Are they an item that is no longer considered necessary?

  34. Wow, the dining room is over the top! A wonderful job and I enjoyed your blog. Queen Rose

  35. love the mix of white cream paint and mahogany. My chairs are 1800s replica mahogany similar to yours in styling. I have an 1840s dutch masters type painting in an antique gold painted ornate frame in my dining area. Would you still go paint with the chairs?

  36. Try San Diego Hardware for your missing drawer knob. The place is massive and they just may have it. This is what they deal in. Just knobs, hinges, and drawer pulls. They are very friendly too. http://sandiegohardware.com/

  37. I love your eye for style and placement. Your rooms are stunning and I love the mix of style. Your husband is so handy and willing. You are lucky.

  38. Love everything about this room! Going to steal some design ideas. I have a buffet simular to the one you have. Where did you get the gold mirror above it? And the shutters? Did you find some old ones and paint them?

    1. The mirror was made from an old mirror, so it’s one of a kind. The shutter were found at THE ANTIQUE SHOPS OF STRASBURG, in Strasburg Pa. LOVE them!!!

  39. Barbara W. says:

    Yvonne, I noticed someone emailed you about the pieces you need for your lamp. You have such a huge following you should always post pictures or diagrams so if any of us die-hard shoppers run across them we can let you know. Love how you lightened it up!

  40. Lynn Vanderbilt says:

    Love you dinning room I believe you call that a dream come true. Can’t wait to see what you do for the holidays in your new dinning room

  41. I’m a new subscriber so I just saw your dining room makeover. I love it! Great choice on the rug. Love the painted chairs too.