1/30/2011

Dining Room Tour & Confession

I must start this story with a confession. Back in 2005, Country Decorating Ideas magazine called me and asked to feature my home in their magazine. Well, of course I said yes. I will post on that long process in another blog post, however when my home FINALLY came out in a 2007 issue, my sister called and said bluntly, " Your dining room was sooooo boring! You need color in there!" She has never seen my home since she lives in South Carolina and I am in Illinois. Well, here is the picture of that page from the magazine and you can see what she meant. She was so right!
I had white lace valances on the bay windows. I had a cream colored carpet on the cream colored marble floor. Yes, I had red walls but not much of the room was walls. So, I put her in charge of finding area rugs. My sister surfed the internet and found the perfect rugs for the kitchen and dining room. They matched the theme (roosters) and my wall color perfectly.

I couldn't believe it when they arrived! She is so good! It looked like I had the rugs and matched the wall paint to them instead of the other way around. Unreal!! And look how the rug 'POPS' on the light colored marble floors!

So I went about adding personality to the room...after the photo shoot...too bad. But you get to see the results.  I changed the shades on the light fixtures purely by accident I found the current ones at a garage sale for $1 each. I added the eyelash fringe. The chandelier came out of the formal dining room (it was in the photo shoot). All I did was purchase a $7 plastic ceiling medallion and painted it to look like marble. The magazine had it wrong. They said I paid $52 for the medallion! NOT. And I also covered the chain with a cord sock.

I then made new valances with the same material from the kitchen but in a different style.
We purchased a new dining room table and vintage chairs that are painted black. We wanted the lower backed chairs since we love looking out at the lovely gardens, fountain and bird watching.
Looking around the room now, you can see the bar that is between the kitchen and dining area with the painted bar stools that I did. You can see the blog about them here.
Along with a cute rooster tassel that I made.
Then spinning on around the room opposite the table is a chair that I found for $20 at a garage sale. The only change I made to it was in the corners of the skirting, I added the red check accent fabric and made a coordinating pillow. What a great find at a great price and from a high end furniture store!
I also made the stool using the leftover curtain fabric. Above that is my wine rack. This started because I have another sister in Oklahoma that started a winery and I had some of their wine on it but it is now kept in my additional wine storage above the refrigerator in the kitchen. I found this wine bottle holder on eBay and though it doesn't hold very many bottles, I thought it had great form.
Next to that is an antique Seller's cabinet. A wedding gift from my In-Laws. I painted it black and painted the rooster on the bottom door.




Lastly, spinning around opposite the kitchen is the large doorway into the living room and a back door by the bay windows out to the patio. We have a pillar collection and you will see one of our 7 here.



So here is my promised dining room tour. You can see my kitchen here. Our home was built with a formal dining room that we converted to a study that you can see here. That left the 'breakfast nook area' to use as our only dining room. It is very adequate now that we are empty nesters and when the kids and family do come, there always seems to be plenty of room. Our table will extend for seating of 8 and the bar will hold three that the little kids love to sit at. It is open to the kitchen and has a wonderful bay window viewing the back yard gardens. Remember, you can click on each picture that you would love to see the detail on further. Enjoy Terry


UPDATE: Out went the Seller's cabinet and in went the newly painted antique hutch. So much better and it sure does open up the room. You can read all about the hutch HERE.



And we got new bar stools...
And I made new valances...


I am joining these parties:
Met Monday
Amaze Me Monday
Boring To Better 
Transformation Thursday 
Evolution Party 
Frugal Friday 
Show and Tell Friday
Sunday Showcase party
Before and After Party 
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Thrifty Decor Chick

22 comments:

  1. Hi, Terry! Great minds think alike! (I'm visiting from Met Monday) What an honor to be featured in a magazine! Love all the details you've added to your dining room since then, though!
    Have a great week!

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  2. Sooooo pretty! I love all of the goodies you have added! Everything looks just wonderful! I ADORE all of the color!

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  3. Oh Terry, I love your dining area girl..Your so GREAT at all you do and I still have the mag with your home in it ha ha!! I so remember you posting on RMS a few years back...Hope you have a GREAT week my dear friend..come by and see me sometime..Hugs and smiles Gloria

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  4. I love what you've done! Everything in the room is gorgeous! Great job!!!

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  5. P.S. I'm becoming a follower. Would love for you to visit me and follow if you'd like.

    Blessings.

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  6. I love your dining room. It really looks great!

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  7. Wow! What a great transformation! You ought to send them your updated photo! You are very creative!I LOVE roosters, so that makes me love it even more!

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  8. OMG! I slip-covered a club chair in those same exact fabrics as your parson's chair several years ago! I adored the combination of the floral and check patterns. Mine had bias welting in the check, and covered buttons down the back in the check.
    I'm just loving all your decorative painting, too!
    ~Amanda

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  9. I love your chair and the added detail you added. Also your cabinet, painting it black and the rooster! Everything looks so pretty and "colorful!" GREAT job!

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  10. Hi Terry,
    This is just stunning on so many levels! First is just so original and second, I love red and it makes this entire room just pop with personality! Also, I'd say this is magazine worthy more than the original photo!
    Thank you so much for coming by and your nice comment about the bathroom re-do, it was a labor of love!
    Sure wish you lived closer, we could have lots of fun, we have a lot in common, especially our name!
    Terry

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  11. what a great space, i love the changes you've made!

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  12. Thanks for the nice comments former Okie. Your home is beautiful!!! Can't wait to read more of it and get to know you better.

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  13. I love the changes. You did a beautiful job. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Terry...my God! You're a very talented girl, like your sister who gave you a "little" push and you went all the way! Great that at the magazine they liked your original dining room, now it's terrific! Congrats, I'm so happy I visited your blog...you're welcome to visit me too AND YEAH...I'm forever decorating and buying stuff for the home, I should stop sometime, but I can't, specially cause I love antiques.
    Thank you for sharing. XO
    FABBY

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  15. How pretty, I really like all of your rooster details and your rug pulls everything together. Blessings, Kim

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  16. Terry, this is very pretty. I love the changes you made. The rug is fantastic. You are quite the artist. Did you study art? I love the rooster on the cabinet. Hugs, Giinger

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  17. Your dining room and kitchen are beautiful and so inviting. Thanks for your nice comments and visiting my blog!

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  18. Such a cute room. Love that black cabinet. Thanks for joining this week.

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  19. Hey, Quincy! Carbondale, here! This is my first visit to your site. wow! Love all your decorating ideas ... might have to copy that chicken tassel! Nice to meet you.

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  20. OMG that is extraordinary! I love your work! Guess I am not as contemporaneous as your regular readers! I swear I have fallen in love with this blog... Incredible writing! You're an outstanding and talented person, keep up the individuality :)

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  21. Oh I envy you so much! I love the decorations you made here and I am loving this site anyway. Decorating is my passion and I think we got the same in common.

    Looking for Folding Chair Covers - visit http://www.yourchaircovers.com/ co'z this is the best place to shop for all your event needs.

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It makes me smile to hear from you!