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MY BOLDEST DESIGN DECISION: DINING ROOM UPDATE
Jun 20, 2020
Sometimes the best designs come from risky decisions.. it can turn out really bad or really good! I knew I wanted to incorporate more black into my dining room so that my home had more consistency. Remember my dark playroom remodel?
It has honestly been a huge waterfall effect after we designed our living room built-ins. It's calming to walk through my home and see the same elements, each room with the same vibe. Lately for me, that has involved lots of black, white, wood, greenery, texture and little touches of gold.
Let's take a look at the original dining room..
It all started with the pantry doors. They look nice from afar, but up close you'll notice that they're sadly chipped in many areas. We needed to retire those quick! We could've just refinished them but I wanted good quality doors to be able to hold up to the kids constantly tearing up the pantry. I designed custom wood herringbone doors for my fiancé to build, that way we won't worry about any chipped paint! I knew that if the doors were wood, the room color would need to be rethought.
I'm not too far off with where I want this room. Hints of black and wood but still not quite the look I'm trying to achieve. I've decided to also retire all the grey tones. Sometimes it takes a couple tries, heck even a handful of times to transition your home into everything you imagined.
I wanted classic, timeless, sophisticated, cozy.
I'll admit, I was on the fence between the two for a few days. No matter the vote, I always follow my heart! It's interesting to see which way my followers vote, though.
BLACK HERRINGBONE CEILINGS
BLACK MAGIC
- Sherwin Williams flat
I'm so happy that I chose this route. It elevates the room completely! It's so stunning with the new doors and white walls. Even though it's dark above, the room still feels bright. The feedback from everyone was overwhelmingly positive! Everyone has changed their minds and are loving it as much as I am.
You'll notice the other big change to the room are the dining chairs. I loved my grey/gold chairs, but they felt bulky and didn't give me the look that I wanted. They sure were comfy & durable though! We needed more black and less gold. I found these cane chairs from Target (shop here) and fell in love with the modern shape and classic look! I decided to paint them black to really enhance the look.
These sold out immediately after I ordered them! They're back in stock now but may sell out quickly. I'll list other cane chair options in case they do.
Painting Tips:
- Remove cushions before painting
- Always sand/prime for the best adhesion
- Sand between coats for a smooth finish
- Use an angled brush on hard to reach areas
- Apply paint with a foam roller
- Frog tape for the cleanest lines
The chairs play off so well against the ceiling and wood doors! I'm so excited to have a couple friends over (when things feel safe again) to have a little dinner party. The ambience in this room at night with candles lit is so relaxing!
CUSTOM WOOD HERRINGBONE DOORS
These gorgeous doors are a whole other story that I'll have to save for another blog post! I'll have my fiancé give me details so I can write up a tutorial (stay tuned). The build of it is pretty simple (ish) but the stain combination was tricky! It took us several times to get it right but it was worth the headache. They're sooooo beautiful!!! I keep encouraging my fiancé to build some more to sell. They're just too good. We installed glass in one set of doors for our pantry. The other set of doors is a closet that we use to store coats (I have too many, because Minnesota).
Minwax Stain Combination:
- 1 coat Simply White
- 2 coats Golden Oak
- 1 coat Weathered Oak
We made these out of Poplar. The best way to achieve this finish is to apply these coats one after the other, making sure not to let each coat dry for too long (maybe 5-10 minutes in between). Wipe on, wipe off immediately.
My next project for this room is the pantry. I'd love to add some cool wallpaper and do something with the shelves. I can't wait to share it!
SHOP MORE CANE CHAIRS
SOURCES LIVING ROOM 7.5' CHRISTMAS TREE FAMILY ROOM 7.5' FLOCKED CHRISTMAS TREE CRYSTAL BALL TAPERED CANDLES GLASS ICICLES RED GLASS ORNAMENTS GLASS STAR TREE TOPPER SET OF 9 BROWN ORNAMENTS GLASS TEARDROP ORNAMENTS SIMILAR GLASS ORNAMENTS SIMILAR VINTAGE SATIN ORNAMENTS 1 SIMILAR VINTAGE SATIN ORNAMENTS 2 BRASS DECORATIVE PRESENTS BRASS/STAINLESS STEEL ORBS (SOLD OUT) TREE COLLARS (SOLD OUT) WAVY GLASS ORNAMENTS (SOLD OUT)
I've been keeping a big secret around here for quite some time now.. and I'm so proud to finally share. I designed my very own curtain collection alongside my amazing partners, TwoPages . 15% off discount code: SARALE This is something I never would have imagined coming into existence but now that it's here, it all makes sense. This line of custom printed curtains is absolutely beautiful. 3 stunning patterns, 17 colors. It's incredibly hard to choose a favorite! I've worked so hard on this line to make sure everything is perfect. From the patterns to the scale, the colors and the names. There's a curtain that fits every season, style and vibe. These are custom linen blend curtains, made to fit perfectly in length and width to each window. The patterns are printed on the fronts with solid white backs. There are various header styles such as the popular pinch pleated, triple pleated, tailor pleated, etc. Photographed below are all unlined and body memory shaped. I hope you enjoy what I've been pouring my heart into.
*This post is in partnership with Joss & Main . All opinions, ideas & content are completely my own.. as I will only recommend products that I truly love & use personally! It's that time of year where the best sales are here! Of course, I have to share my top picks from Joss & Main's Black Friday Presale before they sell out . The have a huge variety of beautiful pieces with amazing quality. I am always impressed! They're kicking their sales off early with up to 40% off. I love being able to score my favorite items early before the good stuff sells out. The great part about shopping with Joss & Main? Always fast + free shipping site wide!