From Farmhouse to Fresh Traditional – A Dining Room Makeover Reveal

The transformation of my dining room, from farmhouse to a fresh take on traditional style, was in the works for almost three years.

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When I look back at what our house looked like when we moved here ten years ago, I’m amazed at how much has changed.

The dining room is one of the rooms that has come full circle.

What started down a very traditional path with my twenty year old furniture, morphed into a farmhouse look, and has now returned to its traditional roots, but with a fresh take.

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I’m a firm believer in the philosophy of slow decorating. In other words, taking the time to choose each piece, so that the end result is a space that is beautiful as well as a true reflection of you.

With that philosophy at the forefront of our minds, we sold most of the furniture and began browsing local consignment stores until we found just the right replacement furniture pieces and accessories.

I’m especially tickled with the solid mahogany dining table, which has two leaves and ten chairs. It was a steal of a deal at $750!

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Yes, there were scratches and dings, especially on the ball feet of the chair legs, but my magic formula made them virtually disappear.

For furniture touch ups, stain pens just don’t cut it. They’re too transparent. But combine Restor-A-Finish (it comes in multiple finishes) with brown felt tip pens and you have a tried and true winner!

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I used the fabric that I originally intended to use in my breakfast room to make draperies for the bay window in the dining room.

Follow this link for my step-by-step tutorial for making flat, lined drapery panels.

The very traditional style curtains were given a fresh look by using a brass curtain rod (made especially for bay windows), finials, and rings, all with clean simple lines.

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Another fresh take on tradition is the lattice patterned carpeting that we had an area rug made from.

TIP: When you can’t find the right size or pattern area rug, try looking at wall-to-wall carpeting. Your carpet store can cut it to the shape and size you need and bind the edges for you.

The Jacobean print of the drapery fabric is very traditional, but is made fresh by pairing it with the more contemporary stripe and cheetah print that used to recover the chair seats.

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The mahogany sideboard is the next piece of furniture that we added to the room.

I didn’t get quite as good a deal as on the table, but it was still much more affordable than purchasing something new.

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I spotted the pagoda lamps in another store, but I felt they were priced too high, especially since they didn’t come with a shade.

Patience paid off though because the next time that I visited that store they were marked down to half of their original price. I’ve never seen anything jump into my cart so quickly.

Drum style lampshades give them a fresh look as does the vibrant blue that I painted the faux bamboo mirror with.

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The artwork and rest of the accessories on the sideboard and table are a combination of items I already owned, consignment finds, and just a couple of new pieces.

For me, the star of the show is my one splurge item, and that’s the fabulous pagoda style chandelier.

For now, I’m holding off on adding shades to it as I think it takes away from the shape and uniqueness of the fixture.

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As you can see from the above images, I kept the paneled wall because it helps to tone down the formality of the room.

But about halfway through the makeover, I decided that the other three walls needed wallpaper.

After testing several samples, I settled on faux grasscloth peel and stick wallpaper. What a difference it made!

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The wallpaper makes a very pretty backdrop for my repainted chest and thrifted artwork and accessories.

Another trick to keep the traditional from becoming to stuffy and staid is to use contemporary shaped table lamps.

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By taking my time, my dining room is now 1000% me. It’s a true reflection of my love of traditional style, color, and chinoiserie!