As a reminder, here's what we started with:
After (a whole lotta work...) ;)
Here's a breakdown of what we did:
* New floors (obviously)
* Whitewashed the brick -- There are a million tutorials online for how to do this. I ended up doing two light coats of watered down white latex paint because the orange brick color was still pretty strong after the first coat was done.
* Removed about 80% of the trim on the existing bookcases. -- Most of it wasn't the style we were going for, especially the fluted trim. It was a little too fancy, so I wanted to make it just a little bit simpler.
* Installed mirrors in the back of the bookcases. -- When we decided to make this room the dining room instead of a formal living room, I thought it would be fun to make these existing bookcases have a "china cabinet" or "hutch" feel to them. The mirrors help create that look. It also helps brighten this room up quite a bit because it is the only room on the main floor that doesn't have a bunch of windows.
* Stained shelves and top of the cabinet. -- I wanted to warm up this wall a bit with some stained wood, otherwise I was afraid it would end up way too white. I really like the contrast and it helps the dishes and things stand out a lot more than if it were all white.
* New trim and several coats of paint. -- We installed the new trim and gave everything but the shelves a nice bright coat of white.
* Unpacked some of the boxes that have been waiting to be opened for over a year so I could style these new shelves. :)
I am pretty fickle when it comes to styling, so next week it will probably look completely different, but for now it was nice to have some fun playing around with some different looks.
So, the Dining Room is ALMOST finished. But we have a few things left to do.
* Baseboards. You probably noticed we're lacking these. This is the case everywhere, so this is towards the top of the list right now.
* Add electrical box for chandelier. I have a chandelier my mom gave me for Christmas last year that is just waiting to get installed. Can't wait to see it!
* Decorative elements:
I put together a little design board of my plan
* Wallpaper: I'm planning to install this pinstripe wallpaper on the walls to give the dining room a cozy feel and a some subtle texture.
*Lighting: The chandelier is the aforementioned one that has sat in a box for 8 months.
*Chairs: The chairs pictured here are similar to ones that I already have. I picked up some vintage ones for a steal on Craigslist a couple of years ago and I painted them white and reupholstered the seats.
* Table: The table is the only thing we don't have yet. This one is what I have in mind. I found one very similar to this at a local furniture outlet store, so I think that is what we'll do. I've got to save up for it first. :)
