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.
I am so sorry I’m late with this THANK YOU! You have been such an inspiration, and help, to me with painting my beach house dining room….I am so in love with how my table and chairs turned out, and since my floors are a palm leafed patterned beige carpet, I put a light grey on the walls. Next project is to find the perfect things for the walls!!
Thank you for always sharing your talent with some of us frustrated decorators!!!
Wow! I’m in love with this room. My favorite is the hanging lanterns with the baskets underneath them. Please tell me where I can find a pair like yours. Thanks for sharing your home with all of us.
Hi Marcie. Those hanging lanterns and baskets are a diy project. You can see the full tutorial in this blog post: http://www.worthingcourtblog.com/diy-fixer-upper-hanging-lanterns/
Love the Buffalo plaid chairs and coordinated lumbar pillows!
What sheen of spray paint did you use? It looks like there are several to choose from – gloss, enamel, etc. I’m anxious to try out the spray paint idea. I’m also going with accessible beige on my walls and using gray tones.
Hi Cheryl. All of the paint that I used is a satin/eggshell finish. I think you’ll love using Accessible Beige along with gray. Happy painting!
I love your dining room so much inspiration
Would you be able to let me know the name of the curtains you have I love them!! I also love the whole room but those curtains are perfect!
Hi Suzy! I know this post is from awhile ago, but I have been searching EVERYWHERE for those curtains you have in your picture. Where did you purchase them at?
Those draperies came from HomeGoods, but I’ve also seen them at TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
I desperately would love to know where the plaid fabric is from that covers your accent and dining room chairs! Thank you!
Hi Kayli. The fabric that you’re asking about came from a local fabric store a couple of years ago. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t able to find out the mill or style number so that it could be ordered elsewhere.
Hi Susy,
Thanks so much for your detailed explanation of everything you do! It’s so helpful!
We’re painting an old coffee table to go into our living room which is gray, white and tan. I’m wondering if you used the same color for the small chest as the chairs?
Also, our living room has beautiful oak trim and large oak fireplace mantel and side shelves built in. It’s a lot of oak which seems to fight with the grays and whites. The thought of painting it sounds crazy! Any suggestions?
Thanks!!!
Julie
Hi Julie. The chest is my dining room is a different, lighter color of gray. I painted it several years ago, but a really close color to what I used is Sherwin Williams Network Gray. About your fireplace – we had the same setup as you, minus the shelves, and chose to paint the entire thing. If you’d like to see the before and after, take a look at this blog post: https://www.worthingcourtblog.com/fireplace-makeover/
The paneled walls you put up in the dining room behind the buffet appear lighter than the other walls. Is it a different color? If it is, would you please share that color with me. I LOVE what you did in the dining room. Beautiful~ Thank you.
Hi Bonnie. You’re right – the paneled wall is a different color than the rest of the walls. The rest of them are painted Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige and the paneled wall is painted Sherwin Williams Extra White. So glad you like my dining room! 😀
Looks great! Any tips on where to find the white plates for the wall collage? I have been searching? Thank you!
Hi Brandi. I found all of the plates that I used on the wall at TJ Maxx!
Hi there! Love your style! How did you get the plates to hang on the door you cut in half! Love it so much!
Good morning! Each plate has a plate hanger (the kind with springs and hooks) attached to the back of it. To attach them to the shutters/door halves, I ran a piece of green florists wire through the plate holder, threaded it through the slats and then twisted the wire together on the back side. Hope this makes sense!
Your dining room is gorgeous and I am stunned at the transformation of the table and chairs after you painted them gray. Just so amazing!
I have a cherrywood China cabinet what color gray would you do I am doing the same colors on my dining chairs and table I also have a side board
Hi Therese. The color you use depends on whether you want a light gray or a dark gray. You may find this post helpful for finding what I painted with and what I did to each piece of furniture: https://www.worthingcourtblog.com/dining-room-finishing-touches/
Where’s the fabric from?:)
Hi Alyssa. The fabric is from a local fabric shop. I’ve never been able to find it online.
Wowza what a fantastic transformation. I always wonder if the old homeowners would like the new looks. I’d love it! Especially the wall collages and plates, etc. Classic yet trendy. Pinned!
Thank you so much! It’s definitely quite different than it was when we first looked at the house!
I know this is an older posting but so glad that you reposted because it will be so helpful and encouraging to so many. I loved what you did in this room! But… I thought that the plates on the wall grouping was so much “calmer” than the things that replaced them. IF you ever want to make a change, please consider putting the plates back up and step back to see the effect on the whole room. Less just might be more. Just a thought. You rock!
Thanks for letting me know your thoughts! 😀
Absolutely beautiful! I especially adore what you did with the bi-fold doors and will try to replicate that idea in my dining area. Thank-you!!
The “shutters” are great! Love the white plates on them.
i found it !!!. the paint ratio . but thank you so much .kay