Decorating the Dining Room
The dining room in the carriage house. This image is eight years in the making.
When I purchased the property in 2014, the dining room was an L-shape, the result of a bathroom being created in one corner.
Oh…the horror.
I ached to see the room back to its large rectangular shape, and so demolished the bathroom, STAT. But, the room then sat abandoned until 2021 when work resumed on the carriage house.
Cody moved in in November, and painted the room (see above). Cody left in March.
This weekend I got busy.
I purchased the Candice Olson chandelier on eBay for nothing in 2014, with plans to use it in this room. You can imagine my great thrill in finally seeing it in situ! The height proved perfect! I love the chandelier.
The large rug has been stored away for several years. I purchased it for the parlor in the big house but it did not really work. I am thrilled with it here.
The drapes have been ordered.
I had planned to repaint the room but the Cody colors work well with my additions. I am pleasantly surprised. I now plan to paint the living room in the same colors. The floor is plywood. I plan to paint it (but not under the rug). I would love to install oak flooring but The Other Justin says it is totally out-of-stock. “No one has it.” I might…might…install laminate flooring as an interim measure (Ross just wrote WHAT?) but, again, only along the perimeter. When oak becomes available, I can then pick up the laminate and re-use it somewhere down the road. To the right will soon be the matching sideboard to the table, both MCM pieces. To the left will be…something shocking. The matching chairs will also soon be brought over.
In the new east foyer I hung this. I purchased it for the space in 2014, and for like $20 on eBay. The rings have square crystals. The fabric shade has protective plastic on it, which will remain for awhile.
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Ooo, lovely room!
Have you ever considered bamboo flooring? Durable, water resistant, not as hard as oak but can purchase in traditional oak colors that give it a similar warm, rich look. My mom installed bamboo rather than laminate in her bedrooms, office, and living room as a counterpoint to the tile in the rest of the house.
Love the rug, by the way. I’m a big fan of adding color and texture to rooms via rugs.
Love it! Breathing life back into the space!
It all works so perfectly. That chandelier brings out the wood and the rug has so many shades of brown and green it matches the walls and will complement anything you put in there.
Have you considered actual real linoleum on the floors as an interim material? It is period material to the house, but they have some great colors and patterns now. It’s also environmentally friendly. Kinda wished I had installed that in my kitchen instead of the tile but oh well.
I am not a big fan of the warm greens, earthy browns or any orange, but I will say when I displayed some reproduction (MMA) Clarice Cliff pieces on my dining room table it was like the house smiled. The colors just worked so well. The floors are a kind of orange and the blues, reds, creams, etc outlined in black just loved the room. Wiht the sun shining it they all just worked. I’ve considered buying some solid Fiesta ware just to fill out what I have so it can actually be used. I only have seating for four so four different solid colors.
I love that you had a vision and bought what you wanted at such a savings when you happened upon them, then stored them until they could finally be installed. I bought four posters when I lived in an apartment and never framed them for the few years I lived in a condo but when I moved into my house, I painted the walls, put up a border and had those four posters framed and they have been on the walls ever since. I slowly acquired a floor lamp, two table lamps and a ceiling fan all in the same style and they are also in the room. There is no rug and hadn’t planned on one but maybe I will once I get the chaise repaired and reupholstered. (On sale from Spiegel Catalogue maybe 30 years ago.) The entire house is eclectic as I have slowly bought one thing and another over 30 years. The last thing that needs to go is my dresser. I’ve inherited my Dad’s old dresser and am bringing it to my house one drawer at a time and refinishing it. I’m hoping to get it done before my Dad passes away so he can see what I’ve done. It’s way smaller than my current one but then I should be getting rid of clothes I don’t need any more anyway.
I am so excited to see all of your pieces being taken out of storage and put in place. Itching to see the living room and at least one bedroom.
Have you considered salvage flooring? Hill House’s original floors are single–layer heart pine, beautiful and restored on the second floor. First story floors were too abused and damaged to save, so I have used original floor as sub-floor, and installed salvaged T&G oak, maple and fir in eight rooms and hallways.
Granted sourcing, de-nailing, and installation are significantly more time-demanding than new stock, I have harvested stacks from residential and commercial demolition sites and hope that the present stockpile will allow projected completion of a couple of reconstructed rooms from other buildings. It also helps to have a mighty patient contractor.
Have you considered engineered hardwood flooring? https://www.forbes.com/advisor/home-improvement/engineered-hardwood-vs-laminate-flooring/
That is a great paint colour! Have you shared it anywhere else? I did a quick search but nothing came up. Can you share which colour it is?
Wow! That lamp in the dining room makes the woodwork pop! Love the other light too. Can’t wait to see all the furniture in the dining room! Great job! 🙂
Beautiful room, love the table! Can’t wait to see it finished.
I had a room not long ago that the best option was to use plywood and paint it. I never regretted it. It worked great for the few years I needed it to stay that way. I think this will include being fine with renting the space as it clearly is in transition, part of the current charm. It’s easy, quick, you get the color you want, and putting oak over it in the future requires no more work.