old country house blog

MONDAY MAKEOVER- AMANDA’S DINING ROOM

(lost in the holiday shuffle…here is a reprise of a post from last week)…ENJOY ..AGAIN!

I only have so much house to work with,
 and thus I absolutely LOVE answering design dilemma questions…
…hint hint…send me YOURS!!!
 This one was sent to me by my cousin Amanda.
DESIGN DILEMMA:
the ROOM:Dining Room
the DILEMMA: Too many Navy blues to choose and what to do with an ugly old chandelier
the BUDGET: none really…so on the cheap
REMOVE the shades and replace the bulbs with clear bulbs, round or candle
This is the existing table…lovely and she got it for a steal…the chandelier came with the house…the room will do double duty as an office, but sits directly to the left of the entryway, so will be seen immediately upon entering the home.
MY DESIGN PRESCRIPTION:
NEW COLOR – NAVY – Amanda said she wanted a navy that was more blue than black.
 BENJAMIN MOORE – CHAMPION COBALT
I like the wingbacks on each end…perhaps one could do double duty as a desk chair…Amanda could get a few yard sale chairs and make a slipcover in her newly renovated Craft room- she got it done by a reality show!!!
HERE is a great tutorial on slipcovers – from ANY chair
THE CHANDELIER – AMANDA has a dream chandy already picked out and so the temporary solution needs to be easy and fun, to buy her time to save for the dream one…(story of MY life)
SOLUTION – spray paint with HIGH GLOSS RED
dishfunctionaldesigns
the red crystals are fun!
I absolutely adore the combo or red and navy…you can go into so many directions with it…add plaids
or nautical touches…classy, traditional with a twist!!!
 THE MIRROR – AMANDA HAS this mirror. 
I like the gold, but it looks a bit stuffy to me. 
I suggest she paint it high gloss white. It will POP like crazy against the NAVY walls and add a touch of whimsy to the room.
Another suggestion , since this room will be doing double duty as an office, it to paint the mirror with black chalk board paint……more whimsical and more
  “Amanda” than the mirror. 
ACCESSORIES: I would do antique brass or gold hardware on any of the furniture, sideboard, desk etc…
This Martha Stewart Pulls, available for order at Home Depot are $1.98/each…
the choices are endless…
AMANDA mentioned that there are book cases on either side of the desk. As this room will do double duty as a more “formal” room, and I use that word very loosely because these are REAL people living a REAL life…but more formal that the kitchen look..I think the book shelves would look great lined with wallpaper…like this…
I have seen this wallpaper in person at Lowes.
At $20.98/roll she could the bookshelves for a song!!!
RUG – Rugs are expensive and in a dining room can take a beating. I have an indoor outdoor rug from Ballards….in our Dining room. LOVE IT! here are a few ideas..all from Ballard Designs
THERE YOU GO!
QUICKIE MAKEOVER…
Most OF hese suggestions are easy DIY projects or inexpensive upgrades…
The room has good bones and a great centerpiece…or what my Mom used to call
“the Anchor”
 – the new beautiful table
I can’t wait to see what Amanda does!!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING and safe travels to everyone…
I am off TO EAT!

3 thoughts on “MONDAY MAKEOVER- AMANDA’S DINING ROOM

  1. Hi,
    I have a dillema question about my living room. Where can I e-mail you a picture? Found your blog through YHL and now I’m a fan 🙂

  2. I was just wondering about the dining room rug. I would love one but I don’t want to be freaking out about spills on it so I was considering an indoor/outdoor type but am worried about off gassing. Do they smell plastic-y for awhile? I have family members with loads of allergies and I am concerned that type of rug wouldn’t be ideal. By the way, I came over from YHL – your home is stunning!

  3. Are you kidding? Did you really offer dilemma solutions? Oh, do I have a doozy for you! Let me know where I send my photos!

    Followed YHL to you and love your home!

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