Farmhouse Dining Room Makeover Reveal – Before And After
How to turn a dark and dated dining room into a bright and inviting space ready for entertaining!
Now that I’ve put the finishing touches on the dining room, I’m finally ready for the big reveal of the finished product! It’s a great feeling to be able to show you a completed room after chipping away at the space for months.
I’m going to be a bit of a rebel again. Just like when I shared the before and after reveal of my family room, I’m going against the “blogging rules” and showing you the not-so-great before’s first, instead of a beauty shot. This is the dining room as it looked on the day that we first looked at the house. The owner had the room decorated in a very traditional style, with dark trim and heavy dark furniture.
This shot is taken looking back toward the doorways to the kitchen and office. Good grief, it’s hard for me to even remember the room looking like this.
And this is how the room looked before we started the makeover. At this point we had removed the wallpaper, repainted the trim and walls, replaced the chandelier and refinished the hardwood floors. This is how the room looked for about 18 months, while we finished up remodeling the kitchen, breakfast area, laundry room, screen porch and family room.
And, here’s how the room looks today. So much brighter! We completely remodeled this house when we bought it, but this is one of the rooms that, thankfully, only needed cosmetic changes.
The super fast and easy planked wall was one of the very first makeover projects that we tackled and boy, what a difference it makes in the room. I’m calling it vertical shiplap and it says instant farmhouse to me! Click HERE to read all about how we created this planked wall in one afternoon.
Maybe you remember my post about the diy Fixer Upper style hanging lanterns that I made for either side of the sideboard. Well, I knew that I would have fun changing up what is displayed in those baskets beneath the lanterns. I replaced what I originally had in the baskets with a couple of plates and just one vase with greenery. In case you missed it, click HERE to read the step by step tutorial.
I’m still in love with the large wall of botanical art that I added to the wall beside the door going into the kitchen. I think that it adds a lot of life to the room and fits in well with any greenery that I have in here. You can read all about how I created all of the art for only $75 by clicking HERE.
I decided to simplify the centerpiece on the table and replaced the large lantern and topiaries that were on it with my doughbowl filled with all sorts of summery goodies. We’ll take a closer look at that on another day.
One of the more dramatic changes to the room took place on the wall opposite the sideboard. I had agonized so much about what to do with the little cherry chest that used to live under this mirror, but it finally occurred to me that my already-gray chest, that was in the foyer, would be perfect in here. And then – it was pretty much a no brainer when Pookie asked me what I wanted for my birthday…to recover our old office chairs! I used two euro shams from Ikea to make the lumbar pillows for each chair. I love their pattern mixed with the buffalo check.
Because of the additional bit of light that it adds to this sometimes dark room, I decided to keep the mirror above the chest instead of replacing it with a chalkboard. The newly painted mirror blends wonderfully with the rest of the room now. Plus, I really like the way that it reflects the sideboard vignette on the other side of the room.
And btw – I get asked about these shutters a lot. They actually aren’t shutters at all, but are two parts of an old pair of bi-fold doors that I cut down. They’re spray painted with Rustoleum’s Anodized Bronze and I attached two D ring hangers to back of each one to hang them on the wall.
I was very afraid of doing two things when it came to the makeover of this room. One was whether or not I would be totally wasting my money and regret adding a rug to this room. I don’t believe I would love the final result nearly as much if I had opted not to take a chance! The rug is great quality and was a super deal for such a large one – under $300 for a 9′ x 12′.
The rug has the slightly faded, worn vintage look that is so popular right now. It’s available in multiple sizes and can be found HERE.
My second fear, and the biggest one of all, was whether or not to paint my table, chairs and sideboard. I mean, once it’s painted, it’s painted – right? My furniture wasn’t all that expensive when I purchased it back around 2004, but neither was it the least expensive I could have bought. I was so afraid of ruining it, but with encouragement from friends and family, I finally realized that it was the right thing to do for this makeover. I’m sooo happy that I took the plunge! Click HERE to take a closer look at all of the pieces that I painted and the various techniques that I used.
So for those of you who are contemplating any sort of a makeover, my advice is this – TAKE YOUR TIME. If you’re unsure of anything, just complete one step at a time and you’re bound to be pleased with the end result.
Beautiful room – you are so talented.
You’re too sweet, Anne Marie. Thank you!
Suzy,
Can you please tell me where you got the gray chairs in your dining room? I have looked everywhere. Love the gray with the fabric. Thanks. so much…..You’re home is beautiful.
Hi Sherry. I purchased the chairs at a local furniture store several years ago. They were originally located in the office of my previous home, but I had them recovered for this house. I think they’re called Martha Washington Chairs if you want to do a Google search to look for some.
Can you tell me what color the paint is on the walls
Hi Diane. The walls are painted with Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige.
Quite a transformation!! Thank you for showing the before photos from when you bought the house – it’s hard to believe it’s the same room. You didn’t mention them, but I love the plates on the shutters. I’m also fascinated by your color choices…the walls look so nice with your gray furniture. The room is very soft and soothing.
I’m so glad that you like it, Jen. Thank you! When we painted the house, I wanted gray, but my husband wanted a shade of beige. Soooo, we tried out several samples until I ran across a shade of beige that has gray undertones in it. I’m happy to hear someone say that they like the wall color with gray!
Would you mind sharing the wall color? It’s perfect. What type of light exposure does the room get? I
Hi Ronda. The walls are painted with Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige. The room faces the west, but it doesn’t get very much light because our house is surrounded by huge oak trees that block a lot of the sun.
i have the same dining table and chairs, not ready to paint them! Thinking about new chairs any ideas? Thanks
It’s absolutely GORGEOUS!!!
Thank you so much, Kristi!
Your new dining room is beautiful Suzy! I love the buffalo check fabric that you chose. It doesn’t even look like the same room!
So glad you like it, Pat. Thank you! I was shocked when I looked back at the pictures from when we looked at the house!
It is a gorgeous room! I love your diy lantern sconces. Everything is so warm and inviting.
Thank you, Lauren!
I love that you painted your dining room table! It looks awesome and fabulous!
So glad that you like it, Sherry! I was soooo nervous about painting the furniture, but now I’m sooo glad that I did!
Your room is beautiful! I love it all!
Thank you so much, Angelina!
So very light and airy now. Love the fabric on the chairs.
Thank you, Tammy. The fabric on the chairs is one of my favorite things in the room!
Can you tell me what fabric you used, I love it!
Hi Jeannie. Sadly, the store where I purchased the fabric doesn’t label their fabric with the name of the manufacturer or the pattern. 🙁 If you have a fabric store near you, maybe you could show them a picture from my blog and they might recognize it. I’ve done that before and was pleasantly surprised that the sales clerk knew exactly what it was. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Yes that’s what I was wondering. Love the print. Will have to do research. Great job.
Very nice renovation tips and your dining room look so beautiful and fresh after renovation. Artificial plants and garlands are looks so charming and eye-catching.
So glad you like it, Lauren. Thank you!
You’re transformation is unbelievable! I love all of the boxwood accents and how bright the space is!
Kate | TheOrganizedDream.com
Thank you, Kate. I love boxwood and really struggle with not going overboard with it. I could use it everywhere!
Wow! That’s quite a transformation! Your new dining room is gorgeous! I love your style!! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, Katie!
What a beautiful transformation. I love how your kept the same dining set and made it work with your new design. All the details are perfect.
Thanks for sharing on Monday Funday! ~Creatively Living
So glad that you like it – thank you!
I love this room! I have all oak and would love to change it but I don’t know if I can take the plunge!! Meanwhile I’ll just envy yours?
Thank you, Tina! If you really want to change what you have, maybe start with something small. 😀
Very pretty!
Thank you, Debbie!
Oh, wow…it’s just beautiful! Especially enjoy this as we are changing our LR colors from blues to grays-thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you like it, Kym. Glad you found some inspiration!
Oh my, that rooms was suffocating. I was so glad when I got to the after pictures and could breathe again!!! Looks amazing now!! Thanks for sharing at the Family Joy linkup!
You’re right, Rachel. I never thought of it that way, but it was suffocating for sure. Thank you!
Your restyled dining room is lovely. It encourages me to try painting my dining room furniture. Thank you for sharing at Snickerdoodle Create, Bake, & Make!
Thank you so much, Sharon!
You did a beautiful job! I LOVE the transformation! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Share The Wealth Sunday!
I love your planked walls and I adore how your painted furniture turned out! Thanks for sharing your beautiful project at Craft Frenzy Friday on Mom Home Guide!
HI Suzy, I love your new dining room…like I pretty much love every room that you decorate!! I have been thinking about painting my kitchen table and chairs (solid oak) and also have reservations. After seeing how amazing your dining set turned out I think I am going to do it!! Thanks for sharing with us at Wonderful Wednesday. Your awesome dining room reveal will be featured at our next party! Thanks again and have a super week! Hugs-Christine at Must Love Home
Oh goodness – thank you so much, Christine! Glad I was able to give you a little inspiration.