The terrible thing about the dining room re-vamp, is that I don’t have adequate “before” shots! Ugh!
So, I can only say is that before I moved in, the walls were white, the armoire was not there and the curtains were plain black.
The white blinds are not my first choice, but they were already there so I am using warmer colors to try and help myself forget they are there. A cherry wood would have been my choice!
The paint color is “Twilight Jungle” by Valspar, which connects to the black wall stemming from the kitchen area. I’ve decided to make the Twilight jungle the “base” color for the rest of the home, adding in accent wall colors here and there.
The armoire is important, because it brings some dark wood into the room, which pull in the neighboring living room and because it is actually my home office!
It opens up and is a wonderful little nook that is hidden when the doors are shut.
I used the top of it to store expensive lead crystal and a few decorative pieces that had belonged to my mother, such as some porcelain figurines that my mom purchased 30 years ago. I never liked them, but now they have a spot and they remind me of her. The vases used to be gray, so I painted them gold years ago, and now white, so that way, I still have them as heirlooms but they blend in as well.
Being high up, the nice pieces are still displayed without any chance of being broken. By everything being white and crystal, it creates an artistic blend that doesn’t take away, but adds class to the room.
The knobs on the armoire were cheap looking, so I went purchased new glass ones for $24.00 at Lowe’s which adds to the look.
The animal wall sconces appear gothic and serious along the black wall.
The curtains needed to match throughout the dining to living area, to help connect the two small rooms and make appear as one large, open area. With that in mind, I’d had these shear animal print curtains left from moving out of my own home, and decided to use them as opposed to purchasing new.
The vase on the dining table was a wedding gift from a person I love, so I chose to use it as a dramatic centerpiece with a feather accented arrangement to stay with the fun animal mode.
So, again, while I have no proper “before picture” of the dining area, I do have this one of my babies, and you can see the white, sparse dining area in the background. (Yes, very professional.) Below it, is the “new”, warmer, cozier version!
What’s next? The living room re-vamp coming soon!
September 8, 2012
–SDS