Have you ever looked back at your home and thought, “Just what was I thinking?”. Case in point: the dining room that was painted a deep red, and then covered with a golden texture that was brushed on. Yes, what was I thinking? And it was just one room in the tiny house of many colors.
When we moved into our second home I kept it MUCH more neutral, but still I wasn’t really sure what I loved as far as a home design style. I went with a lot of neutrals, but the off-whites have heavy yellow undertones, and it’s starting wear on me. Add to that the furniture we purchased, which was a combination of mission style and contemporary style, and it’s obvious I just didn’t know what I wanted in home design.
Over the course of the last few years, mostly in part to blogging and my new-found love for home interiors, I’ve discovered that my style is really a combination of modern and farmhouse elements. And now I find myself with a home full of furniture and colors that don’t quite match up. So what do I do? I slowly work on updating the home, one space at a time.
There was the master bedroom.
And the living room received a coat of white paint.
Next was the mudroom.
And now we are working on the dining room.
before
Our dining room table is this huge table that can seat up to 14 people comfortably. A big purchase that was to last us for years and years. Problem is, the table has taperecontemporaryry legs and is covered in a nice dark espresso stain with a glossy finish. Basically the opposite of what I would pick today. And the side chairs were comfy, but boasted the same dark tapered legs and off-white fabric.
I couldn’t stand the thought of taking that big of a financial loss and selling the table, so I set out to find a way to make it look like a completely new table!
First up: updating the table legs.
My friends over at Osborne Wood sent us their Country Dining Table Legs in a knotty pine finish. They were the perfect shape for the table! Extra sturdy with just the right amount of carved detail.
Because I wanted to make sure that our expensive table would be sturdy and last a LONG time I hired a professional to swap out the legs. He made sure they fit just right.
Second step: Sand and stain.
After the new legs were put on the table I got to work sanding off the espresso stain. That took a lot of patience and a LOT of sandpaper. But it was eventually done, and the wood that was revealed underneath was gorgeous!
I tried out a few different stains and ended up settling on the Early American stain from Minwax. The table received a good coat of stain and seal and it was done.
Time for the last piece: new dining chairs.
The table speaks to the farmhouse side of our preferred style, so I wanted to make sure and bring in a modern touch. We found exactly what we needed at Wayfair. These black chairs are modern with the black metal finish and slim lines, while the shape of the chair reminds us of a classic chair shape.
When the chairs arrived and we began to put them together I knew right away that we had made the right choice in combining these table legs and dining chairs.
Honestly, doesn’t the combination of the table and the chairs just scream modern farmhouse? I can hardly believe this was the same table we started with. It is the perfect table and chair set for our home.
I still need to take care of a few touch-ups with the stain, and then there are a couple of things left to complete the room transformation:
Swap out table legs.Stain table.Find new chairs.- Pick a new dining room rug.
- Paint the dining room walls.
- Hang up new dining room art.
So while the room isn’t quite picture perfect, I had to take a few minutes to share the updates with you and give you a taste of what is to come! Hopefully, there will be more progress pictures to share with you soon.