A Few Updates in our Small Dining Area
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Hello and happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day! I had every intention of sharing our small dining area updates with you on Friday but was having some internet issues (which included a transfer of service). It’s always such a hassle to go through the process of switching providers but we’re up and running and all seems well.
I know I just shared our dining area makeover in March, but we ended up making a few updates and wanted to share them with you. One update was easy, and free, but the other one was a little more involved.
This is where we were in March.
I loved our makeover but, once I saw the photos, I just felt like something was off.
Although the chairs looked big compared to the table, my eye went right to the rug. I always loved it but it suddenly looked wrong.
An easy enough fix, all I had to do was remove the rug to see how I liked it.
I did look into getting a bigger rug, round and square, but neither would work in this small dining area.
Removing the rug was a welcome change so, after it was gone, I kept going and moved the chairs around. I had an extra x-back chair that I purchased when we lived in Illinois, so I added it to the table. We lived with it for a few days and then I added another lone wooden chair I had in storage. This one was a bit darker than the x-back chair and I knew immediately that it wasn’t right.
A rare photo of our cute creative director hard at work. 😉
Cuteness aside…
I liked the scale of the x-back chair and the fact that it gave me more room to walk around the table. After thinking about it for a week, I decided to order 3 more chairs to replace the slipcovered chairs. I figured I could sell the 4 slipcovered chairs to cover the cost of the new ones.
Once the new chairs were delivered, I moved everything around and lived with different configurations for several days (Rome wasn’t built in a day). 😉
In the end, I liked the combo, 2 of the slipcovered and 2 of the x-back chairs. The other 2 x-back chairs flank the buffet. Each chair got a pretty pillow for some much needed color.
One other update I made was the addition of 2 vegetable canvases, hung in the corner. I like how they fill the corner and balance the shelves that are on the opposite side of the big casement window.
I thought it was a bit strange to have 2 totally different style chairs but I think this works for us and our space. After all, that’s why we decorate our homes, right? To have a pretty and comfortable space we can live in and enjoy.
My plan to sell the slipcovered chairs didn’t exactly work out but, as you know, things can quickly change around here.
I’m happy with the way it looks now. Would you like to know how the hubs feels about the changes?
He’s thrilled that he can push his chair in and out without it getting caught on the rug.
Men! (she says as she rolls her eyes) 😉
Ok, now it’s on to the living room. I pinky promise!
Check out a couple of other projects we did to give our small dining area a makeover.
DIY Open Shelving
Painted Black Window Frames
DINING AREA SOURCES
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- White cabinet – bought from local seller in Illinois; painted with BM White Dove
- Wooden lamps – Pier 1 (affiliate link) no longer on their website
- Wooden bowl – thrift store
- Ironstone pitcher – Etsy
- Tobacco basket – antique/flea market
- Small wooden stool with dipped legs – Serena and Lily (affiliate link)
- 2 tiered tray – World Market (affiliate link)
- Bar stools – Target (affiliate link)
- Pedestal dining table – bought from local online seller
- Pendant light – boutique in North Carolina
- Round jute rug – Overstock (affiliate link)
- Slipcovered dining chairs – Pottery Barn (years ago)
- Wooden buffet – bought years ago from furniture store in Georgia
- Fiddle leaf fig – Home Depot
- Woven shades – Blinds.com
- X-back chairs – Restoration Hardware
Your dining area looked great before, but with the mixed chairs and the removal of the rug, it’s even better. You may want to add a rug back into your decor when fall and winter comes – rugs are warming, both physically and psychologically, when chilly weather arrives. I have to agree with another person who commented about the dining room light – in the photos anyway, it does compete with the tobacco basket – and the basket vignette is perfect so far as I’m concerned, so I wouldn’t change that. Regardless, you’ve done a beautiful job and again, I love your little space and can always see myself (I live alone) in it. Keep up the good work and keep us in the loop.
Thanks so much Pat. I’m loving the changes I made in the dining area. Now I’m ready to start a new space. 🙂
I love the changes. We all have different tastes. I wasn’t a big fan of the rug or the covered chairs. I like being able to see the pedestal of the table. When you mentioned the X-backed chairs, I automatically thought of black metal ones. I would love to see what they would look like. I love to follow you. I often read your posts more than once. I admire you for completing your projects. I can think of projects faster than I can get them done.
Thanks so much Rose. I’m so glad you enjoy my posts.
I get your thoughts on being able to see the beautiful pedestal of the table. A valid point for sure. My biggest issue with dining chairs has been comfort since my back injury. I, of course, wanted a good looking chair but it had to be comfortable so I could sit with my family and eat. That is really why I hung on to the slipcovered chairs for so long. Once I changed tables, I wasn’t thrilled with the proportion of the chairs to the smaller table. I was really hesitant to change because of the comfort factor but, since I already had an x-back chair, I knew what they felt like and I loved the color with the table. Your idea of black metal chairs sounds awesome but I would worry about comfort. Also, I tried a darker chair with the table and hated all the dark tones. I think I’m more of a contrast girl. 😉
It’s interesting how we all have different design tastes and ideas. That’s why I love to read blogs.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Rose, and for reading. I always enjoy interacting with my readers and getting other insights and ideas. 🙂
Your home is always 100% on point! Love it all…and those flowers. Wow. I always had a rug under my round dining table…and then last spring I removed it, thinking I would get a lighter one, to suit the season. It came up and nothing else ever went down. Every now and again I think I should replace it, but it’s easy to clean this way and looks fresh. For now, anyway…
Awww, thanks sweet friend! I appreciate your kind words.
Our house looks a bit like a garden center right now with all the different flowers. My family knows me well and spoiled me a little on Mother’s day. Anyway, I love the look of a rug too but I’m enjoying the change. It’s a cleaner look and it does make it super easy to keep the floor clean. Finn doesn’t care for it because he hates the wood floors but he doesn’t pay the bills so he has no say. 😉
My personal observation…. I would replace the dining chandelier with something more in line with the kitchen light because in one of the pics… perhaps not all angles… the wooden one and the large wall basket are overpowering… one or the other. I enjoy seeing all your changes and indeed your hard work. I also liked the rug….. everyone’s got an opinion, right? 🙂
Thanks so much for your thoughts Jeanie.
I liked the rug but I’m really enjoying the clean look without for right now. I’m still on the lookout for something else but I don’t think anything bigger will work with our traffic pattern and chair/ barstool configuration. It’s always fun to look though. 🙂
Hope you have a great week!
Kristi, I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day! What a beautiful update to your dinning area. I love the look with the two different style chairs and the rug removed. I would keep the extra chairs as well, they can really be used all over the house, same with your pretty rug! I must admit, though, I am guilty of a slight chair addiction, LOL!
I did have a nice Mother’s Day, thanks Kaycee!
I do love the change but will hold on to the extra chairs just in case, and for extra seating.
I’m not sure what it is, but I have a chair addiction too. If we go thrifting, I’m always drawn to old wood chairs. I used to buy them but, with our smaller space, I just admire them and move on.
Thanks so much for visiting!
The two different style chairs look wonderful together, and I also like the look without the rug – although the rug did look quite nice. I just made the same change in my dining space – two xback chairs with two windsor style chairs, and we all love it. It’s fun to shake decor up a bit – and your home is looking fantastic with all of your design choices (especially the black window grids!)
Awww, thanks so much Liz! I like the sound o your dining chair combo too.
I’m enjoying the change for now. I agree that it’s fun to shake up your decor a bit. You never know what will work unless you move things around. 🙂
I appreciate your visit. Have a great week!
Like this! looks much more spacious and clean without the rug. Love your kitchen /dining area. the prints are cute too. Good idea to keep the extra chairs in storage, you might find your self wanting them for a change again! I liked the four matching chairs but this is nice too.
Thanks Jillian! I agree with you, it does look more spacious without the rug. I’m enjoying the change for now, same with the chairs, but you never know around here…things change pretty quickly. 😉
Where did you get your vegetable canvases? They are so nice.
Thanks Rebecca. I got them from a small shop in South Carolina. Sorry I can’t be more help.
I think the changes are perfect. The 2 extra slip covered chairs will probably come in handy if you have a large gathering, so they can be tucked away somewhere & used when needed.
& I agree w/your husband. rugs under dining room tables can be a problem unless they allow for chairs to be pushed back & not fall off the edge of the rug. That takes a big rug & a big space. Your dining area looks clean and uncluttered. Great job!
Thanks so much Mickey. I do love having a rug under a table but our small space only allows a smaller rug. It’s a nice change with it gone but it may come back out again some day. 😉
Thanks for stopping in to visit. I hope you have a great week!