Dining room disgrace: Can these castoff pieces ever blend?
Four years and four hundred combinations/arrangements later, I'm calling "uncle" in our dining room. The pictures show a few of many room iterations, not necessarily in chronological order. I could really use some creative or destructive advice. Even if it's "nothing works together, this room would be better empty," I need to hear it.
We've focused our priorities and budget in other rooms, so the dining room has to wear hand-me-down furniture and decor. Some items are boo-boos that we bought and rejected for other rooms and some items are carryovers from other houses and other eras. Everything except the rug is a candidate for removal. If possible, try not to be distracted by the monstrous chandelier, which I will gleefully murder some day when I acquire a new table.
Is there any way to make any of these items work together to create a room somebody would want to sit in?
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5 years agoRelated Discussions
Using the dining room
Comments (31)As others have said, in order to use it, you just need to make the decision to have meals in there and then start doing it. I agree wholeheartedly with putting down some placemats that can stay on the table and be used everyday. Get several sets and then rotate them through the laundry like you do your sheets and towels. Next, in order to facilitate developing the habit of eating in the DR, take away one stool from the island and put it in the basement or attic or somewhere very inconvenient to drag back to the island. Now the island is set up for bkfast, snacks and someone who just wants to hang out, but it is no longer family dining space. I too am firmly of the school that it is important for families to eat at a table together every day. Doesn't matter where that table is, but to sit down without TV, and in addition to eating it is time to discuss the day, the weather, politics, religion, and who is going to the dance with who. You're halfway there in that your family sits together every night. But I bet when you start sitting at a table conversation will flow better and you'll be more likely to linger over meals a bit. PS, check out the boutis type placemats, they wash and wear like iron and protect the table Here is a link that might be useful: Boutis_placemats...See Moreis your dining room - matchy/matchy???
Comments (23)I decided to get the curio/china cupboard. I stopped at Arhaus and looked for other pieces that could coordinate and thought - just get the darn piece then get another lower piece that doesn't match. So I ordered it. It really isn't as big as I thought, and they only had a few left in stock. I can always add a mismatched piece as an accent and w/my room being on the small side I didn't want too many mismatched pieces. I thought I wanted a low piece to put dramatic lamps on, then realized that my chandelier is so pretty and dramatic, that additional lamps will take away from the chandy... Thanks for everyone's help ! Next I have to look for a rug, drapes and accessories. Maybe the lady from decorating den can help me w/colors, fabrics......See MoreWould you ever recreate a room?
Comments (30)When I find something that works I stick with it. I have living issues specific to me- enormous dogs that factor into every decision- the placement of every table (tails!), the width of passageways (stepping over sleeping giants), upholstery materials (200 lbs. of toenails do a number on bad leather!), the height at which things like televisions and shelving are placed (HIGH- these beasts can grab stuff off the top of the refrigerator, and open it, too), flooring- everything. I have spent decades fine tuning these issues and finding solutions to living with multiple Yeti and still having an attractive home that works at least equally well for humans. Of course when I moved the new place had the same concerns so I duplicated as many of my solutions as I could. So yes, it is much the same right down to the layout. Although I have been chasing Ben Cartwright's living room at the Ponderosa Ranch since I had a dollar to began decorating. That space, to me, represents the ultimate in durability and comfort. I need tables you can tap dance on in hobnailed boots and scrubbable furnishings, lol, and I got 'em. My furniture is nigh indestructible, suits my needs, and looks good- I chose well. You can walk in the door not even knowing Yeti live here and it looks good, so win/win. For me what works in the first house works in the second and third just as well. It's not a rut, it's a groove!!...See MoreThe dining room is nearing completion, should WT match kitchen?
Comments (5)Dry clean only type Home Decor fabrics will work the best. They come on a roll and don't have that center pressed in line that is difficult to remove as is found on flat fold fabrics. For your lining I would recommend also using Home Dec drapery lining. It is the correct width and will hang truer than anything else. Not sure how much sewing experience you have. I'm going to lay down some procedures next. If you already know all of this then sorry for the boring instructions. If not, I hope it's helpful. I really like the valance style posted because it is very easy to make. Basically you will make a piece of fabric that has lining sewn to it on the sides. leaving open across the bottom. The face fabric should be longer then the lining so you can turn up the hem. Sew on the lining facing the right side of the fabric, and then clip the corners and turn it so the right side faces out and press. You will want to cut the lining slightly narrower than the face fabric so that when it is turned right side out the face fabric will wrap around the sides. So take this into account when measuring and cutting. Then hem up the bottom, and press. At this point what you have will, for simplicity, be like a big pillowcase with the opening at the top. Also, you will need to determine when getting your wood mounted, based on your windows and what is next to them, if the fabric will cover the front face only of the wood board, or wrap the corners. It's very hard to tell in the inspiration picture what they did, but if you can, plan on wrapping the corners. This extra width on each side will need to be accounted for when you measure and cut your fabric and lining. Staple the open top to the wood boards mounted on L brackets above your windows, leaving the area for the ties open, then insert the ties and adjust as you like once they are hung, and then finish the stapling. So....how much fabric to buy? First off, the width of the windows needs to be taken into account. If you window is narrower than the width of the fabric then you will need 1 section of fabric per window. If it is wider than that, then you will need to seam together the fabric to get a piece wide enough for the window plus the side seams. And the fabric pattern will need to be matched to do this. The best way to do this is to have a full panel of the fabric in the center portion of the window, and any pieces added on to be added at each side in equal amounts. This will hang the best, and avoid having a seam down the middle where it is noticeable. For the length needed, since these are valances and not operational shades, then you will need to play with the fabric at the store, and based on your fabric and its weight and drape make a choice. I suggest getting the wooden mounting boards cut before you shop for fabric. Then you can literally hold up the fabric to the boards and scrunch it as if the 2 ties were on it and get the look you want. If the fabric has a strong pattern, you may not want it as scrunched as much as if it is a solid. You will never take these down for cleaning. Occasional vacuuming when you wash the windows is all that is necessary....See MoreRelated Professionals
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5 years agoIt’s not that I don’t like over the top molding but I think it needs to be used judiciously! Egg&dart, dentil , corner blocks, hand carved molding used in all sorts of ways just because they can be ordered and bought probably shouldn’t. Put in proper historical buildings they are beautiful; put in inappropriate buildings they look strange . So before using overly fancy trim make sure your home is of the right era.
petula67 thanked lynartist- 5 years ago
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Here are some examples of how you could do this on your dining room walls. Smaller and not using $700 a roll wallpaper.
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One more. This is great DIY project. It could look great too and add some further interest.
petula67 thanked Flo Mangan - 5 years ago
This light fixture is soon to be homeless, once we start our kitchen project. It's probably on the small side, and perhaps not the right vibe, but it could be another temporary option if the current fixture still feels ponderous after the crackle paint makeover.
Kitchen · More Info - PRO5 years ago
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Haven't seen everything you're planning in the room - maybe when you hang elegant window treatment idk....
Chatrie Large Rectangular Distressed Gray Chandelier, 45" · More Infohttps://www.houzz.com/products/chatrie-large-rectangular-gray-chandelier-45-prvw-vr~123263372
petula67 thanked everdebz - 5 years ago
everdebz - Although I haven't seen the two doors in person yet, I think they're a "yes." A single door alone was hard for me to place. If centered on a wall, it looked funny and too narrow. Off to one side, the balance always seemed off.
In terms of desired vibe of the room, it's tough to say. The country french/french country rooms and items posted here are appealing. In general, I tend to be more on the minimal end of the "frou-frou" scale, and more on the casual end of the formality scale. I like to incorporate vintage items when I can. In general, I prefer a light palette to dark. I love empty walls and nearly-empty shelves. Windows are usually my favorite feature in any room, and mirrors are my favorite thing to put on non-window walls and because they almost never seem "busy."
I like these kinds of fixtures a lot ...
Studio Country 6-Light Chandelier · More Info
...but I also loved this photo from Seajay ...
... so I think we'll probably delay purchase of a new light fixture for now. If we focus on the decluttering, painting, etc., then we might get a better sense of what we want. - 5 years ago
We tried out a few of the suggestions in the dining room today, and things are looking better. We moved the dark antique hutch and all but one banquette bench out of the room. We painted the chandelier (skipped the crackle effort since we've decided to buy a new fixture) and dropped it down a few inches. We flipped the hardware on one of the mirror doors. We borrowed some sheers from another room just to see how they'd look at the windows (good). And finally, we moved a large floral painting from another room as a "try-out." The picture isn't centered because we used an existing molly, but it's close enough for now.
This will probably be our last progress report for a while because the next few steps will take more time: choosing new light fixture, replacing the mirror in the door, repainting, window treatments, etc. But thought I'd post an updated photo just to share.
Dining room · More Info - PRO5 years agopetula67 thanked Flo Mangan
5 years agoThe doors look great. I love the cranes Flo suggested. Not sure of the size, but here's how they might look:
petula67 thanked shwshw- 5 years ago
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I think you can do a triptych or three different prints or just one large piece of art. The mirrored doors at a large presence though and I think you need to keep that in mind.
petula67 thanked lynartist - 5 years ago
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lynartist