Help for Dining room - part 3

12 years ago

After much thought (and being told not to be stupid by friends) I accepted that painting my 1917 tiger oak veneered sideboard was probably not the thing to do.

But I could not think of a way to make that piece work in my dining room as it was coming together. I liked the idea of the plate cabinet on the one wall, and a sort of built in look buffet on the other wall with the stained table in the middle.

Yesterday I did some online surfing, and discovered that my table style is Duncan Phyfe (or federal) so for curiosity, I googled to see what sideboards in that style would look like.

Scrolling down, I came across this one.

and I realized I have a similar piece out in the shop

This use to belong to my Grandma, and at one time she tried to freshen it up with something that gave it those funny smear marks on it. It think it was suppose to give it more wood grain look . . . probably at the time mahogany was out and oak was in.

At one point a sister ended up with it, then when DH and I moved into our first house (20 years ago) she asked if we wanted this piece as it would not fit in the place she was moving into. I have no idea what ever happened to the table, chairs or other pieces, I know she does not have them anymore.

When I got it, the piece was already very worn and in need of help. I ended up with no place in the house for it, so it ended up as storage in the garage - in MN, then in WI and now in SD.

I don't think anyone will feel bad about me cleaning up and painting this piece. Best part, it matches in style my table/chair set, it's a bit smaller so it won't stick out from the alcove and it's shorter so I can put more shelves above it.

I am going to put wainscoting in the room, paint a gold above to match the kitchen, the put the stencil on that. The spot between the windows and bricks will get the plate shelf. The table and chairs will be the only furniture in the room, unless I decide to put a chair by the woodstove (the fridge won't be staying there).

The chandelier will be centered over the table with no swag, and I am considering getting a molded ceiling medallion to up there - something to draw attention to that spot and away from the white ceiling fan over the wood stove

Yesterday I was ready to cry about my dining room, now I'm excited about it again.

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Comments (26)

fully2
12 years ago
That's great!!! Always a good feeling to repurpose a piece.
I know when I want something for a place I try to look around my own home with new eyes and usually find something as good or better than in the stores.
ash8177
12 years ago
I do this a lot too. I love going out to the pole barn for a little treasure hunt. :)

I'm glad you found new inspiration and hope you're dining room turns out even more wonderful then you picture!
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ladeeda
12 years ago
Sounds great! It's good when a plan comes together so you can move forward on your decor project. Looking forward to seeing your progress!
franksmom_2010
12 years ago
I am so excited for you!!!!

I think the new fan looks great, and that sideboard will look fabulous with a fresh coat of paint.

You've gotten many, many ideas and suggestions about this dining room. Keep in mind that we don't live there. And we're not paying for it. What works for you may be something totally oposite of what everyone else has said, and that's completely ok.

The beauty of a forum like this is that you can have a fresh set of eyes look at your room, and give you ideas that you may have never thought of. Sometimes, I think just taking pictures of a room may make you see it differently. You can take the ideas of others and make them your own, or alter them to best fit your needs. Or just ignore them altogether! LOL!

I think the dining room is going to be absolutely lovely when you're done, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

PS- I still think that needlepoint should get framed and hung just as it is. What a wonderful family conversation piece! It's an heirloom, finished or not!
loribee
12 years ago
Good for you...can't wait to see it all done!
nicole__
12 years ago
Did you see the thread on "barn stars"? A barn star might give a modern funky twist to a ceiling medallion to put over the table...unless your going "formal"? I redid a desk in this period, so I'm posting a pic. to show a possible outcome for the finishes.

If I had to do it over again, I would have blackened the brass hepplewhite drawer pulls.
macybaby
Original Author
12 years ago
I have to put in four hours of "work" this morning, then the fun can begin. DH and I are done with group celebrations, so I'm free to make a mess in my dining room. I'll be cooking up some tasty items for us to enjoy, but the rest of my time can be spent working on the house.

I have my boards for the wainscoting, the medallion for the ceiling and the stencil for the walls. Though I need some paint - may have to make a run to town this afternoon.

Found room for the furniture that needed to be moved out of the dining room, and found a new spot for the small fridge so it's gone too. Even found a new home for several items I had no place for - a co-workers's daughter recently moved into a new apartment with almost no furniture, so she was thrilled to get some bookcases, plant stands and a wall mirror. She left a bad situation with not much but the kids and their clothing. I think I'll let her go through my boxes of home decorating items I was planning on taking to the goodwill.

I'll post progress pictures - right now my husband is none to pleased with me as I've got messes in three rooms - hope to have it all put back together by Jan 3rd. As long as I make sure to keep the flow of goodies coming from the kitchen, he won't complain much about the mess I'm making in the other rooms.
blfenton
12 years ago
Oh I can't wait to see your finished project. Hope you have a Merry Christmas while you're baking up those goodies and working on your project. Sounds like a great way to spend a few days.
macybaby
Original Author
12 years ago
yuck- I hate doing the attic crawl! I'm excited about getting to the fun part, but first we have to move the electrical. Since I'm up in the attic, we are moving one of the lights in the kitchen too.

At least I can get into the attic from the upstairs, that's about the only easy part.

When we remodeled the upstairs, we put in the access panel - otherwise it's a long way through the attic from one end to the other. The two story section as added on some time around 1925. This is where they join.

Then I have to crawl across the kitchen ceiling and head into the section over the dining room - have to crawl through the old roof to get to the ceiling over the dining room.

To get at the light for the dining room, I have to crawl to the middle of the room and lay on my belly across the joists and reach . .

- there is only about 10" of room between the joists and the rafters were the light has to go- and that is why I'm up there and not DH - he does not fit. And it's also why I really wanted to swag the light. That way I could have put the box were it was easier to install. But it will look better this way, so it's better to do some hard work now and enjoy the way it looks for years to come.

have to make sure all three cats are accounted for before shutting things up - they like to explore too.

Once this part is done, the rest is fun!

With the money I saved not having to hire an electrician to crawl around in my attic, I bought myself a new sander for working on the cabinet from the shop.
mjlb
12 years ago
God bless ya'!
blfenton
12 years ago
You're funny. Your photo-story brought a smile to my face.
macybaby
Original Author
12 years ago
Here is today's progress.

The fan is now centered in the kitchen - the wall the cooktop is on got moved 2' into the kitchen to make room for the alcove in the dining room. The fan was centered before I moved the wall.

We plan on scraping down the ceiling and will mud the old hole then.

Got the box moved for the dining room too, and then put the medallion up. The flash makes the walls and ceiling look much yellower than they are. I'll be repainting the ceiling, I may go with a whiter white than what I have up there. The medallion will be painted the same color as the ceiling.

Everything but the wood stove has been moved out. The table and chairs will end up back there, but everything else has new homes. Though moving them means most of these rooms need to be redecorated a bit.

Sewing machine is in sewing room.

Secretary is in the hall. It faces into the den and that seems the best. Eventually the panel cover will be painted.

Yellow cabinet is in the library - it may need a paint job at some point, but the style fits much better in this room - though it may not look like it in this picture.

The big sideboard made it upstairs. It might not be the best place, but it fits and looks OK - I was not willing to part with it at this time.

And the little fridge that got moved into the dining room when the secetary got moved to the hall where it use to be is now in the laundry room. We cut the counter in half, and moved part of it up so that fridge would fit underneath.

Yes, there are three fridges in there.
blfenton
12 years ago
Gosh what a great repurposing of furniture. I love the sideboard and if you ever do want to part with it my address is.....
mjlb
12 years ago
My word -- you do more work in a day than I do in many months!
macybaby
Original Author
12 years ago
Over the weekend I got the wallpaper backing and glue off the walls - got them washed down well and ready for the boards.

Yesterday we cut the MDF boards and glued most of them up, finished with the baseboards tonight. Next step is to prime everything.

We chose the height based on where the backs of the chairs would hit.

The ceiling will be painted the same color as the trim and wainscoting. Now that the walls are actually white, you can tell the trim is light cream.

This also shows why I have several floor lamps - to use when I've got no overhead lights.
mary_lu_gw
12 years ago
Wow! You are really moving along! Looking great! Wish I had 1/4 of your energy. I ache just looking at what you did over the past few days...please continue to keep us updated on your progress.
blfenton
12 years ago
That is going to tie into your kitchen so nicely. Can't wait to see the next step.
lyfia
12 years ago
Looks AWESOME already. How wonderful to find the other side board. I love the one you had, but it looks great in its new place too.

How about hanging a picture over your electric panel that is easy to remove when you need access. I did the paint thing in my old house and it looked good for a while, but then wore out as I needed to access it. I ended up putting a painted cabinet door over it with hinges as it worked best in the space it was to make it fit in.
teacats
12 years ago
Looks amazing!! Excellent work! :) So very fresh and light!

Can't wait to see the next step and photos -- many thanks for the update! :)
macybaby
Original Author
12 years ago
since the painting fairies didn't show up, I've got to do the painting myself. The ceiling is washed, sanded and wiped down. The walls and ceiling will get a coat of primer. I like painting walls - don't like painting ceilings. Once I get past the wood stove it gets a lot easier.

I put out the drop cloth and Tikka decided it was really neat to roll on. Then she dug in her claws and started rolling herself up - she's not being much of a helper.
User
12 years ago
Oh, my! It's already such a huge change and looking so good. I also wish I had just a tiny percentage of your energy. Can't wait for the next update!
macybaby
Original Author
12 years ago
Here it is primed. I'm up and ready to start painting.

We're planning on painting the hearth a dark brown, but have not decided for sure on that, or exactly what we'll do with the z-brick wall. Hopefully once we get the colors up, it will be easier to decide that part.
macybaby
Original Author
12 years ago
The ceiling is done and the upper section of the walls is ready for stenciling - after I practice a bit.

I'll paint the wainscoting in the evenings after work. I'm doing that with a brush to give it more of a wood look. That means I can do a bit at a time - no paint tray and rollers to clean up.

my cat Cami was checking out the ceiling - she's one of my "junior inspectors". She spent most of her time watching me go up and down the ladder. She is probably wondering what I found so interesting that I did it most of the day.

The door and windows will get painted when the weather is warmer.
patty_cakes
12 years ago
Macy, I can't believe everything you've accomplished! It's really looking great! You can take it easy for a minute. ;o)
teacats
12 years ago
Looks fantastic right now!! :)

Just an amazing job!

Well done! :)
franksmom_2010
12 years ago
I can't believe how much progress you've made! Everything looks really great so far, and I can't wait to see the finished room!