Right after we moved in to the new house, I shared a few areas that felt like “home” enough to share. (To get caught up click here for the tour) Knowing that we would be buying furniture over time and that it would be a long time until spaces were “done”, I knew I wanted to share the rooms “as-is”. It was fun to use what furniture we already had to get started and after being here for over 4 months we are now starting to fill the gaps.
One big gap in this house is the formal dining room. In our previous home, we gave up our formal dining space along the way to make our home function better for our growing family. That means we didn’t bring any formal dining furniture along with us. The dining room has sat empty since we moved in and I finally spent some time the other night dreaming up an inspiration board.
As a recap, here is what the room currently looks like. Sorry for the terrible picture I snapped on moving day!
As you can see, the room is a blank slate as far as furniture. We did however inherit a few things in the space to work around- a chandelier, window treatments, dark gray built-in sideboards and a fun wallpapered ceiling.
It’s wonderful to have some of those big ticket items already in place but it was definitely making it harder for me to come up with a plan! So taking into consideration the existing wallpaper, paint colors and window treatments, here is my vision for the room:
I always like to begin with an inspiration board when decorating a room because it really helps me get started. Partly it’s because it helps me from becoming paralyzed in my decisions if I know I have a plan and general look I am going for. I guess I am a visual person because I just spin and spin unless I have a cohesive idea in place. That said, I know this is not where the room will ultimately land at the end of the day.
The main pieces we need are a dining table, chairs, rug and art. I think once those pieces are decided, it will be easy to fill in the rest. Here is a breakdown of some of the pieces I have my eye on:
- Dining Room Table-
We know we definitely want a round table for this room because the space is square. We also want a more rustic look and it needs to be 72″ inches so we can fit a larger group. I have my eye on THIS ONE.
- Dining Chairs-
While I want this space to feel more formal, I also want it to be super comfy so we can linger longer! I also don’t want to spend a ton and have a panic attack if something gets spilled on the fabric. I found THESE CHAIRS which seem reasonable.
- Sideboard
In my inspiration picture, I am using my Robin’s Egg blue campaign dresser from the previous eat in kitchen area stripped and restained a dark brown. Honestly, I think the piece may be too clunky for this room but would love to make it work if possible. If it is too wide, I love this long and skinny console from World Market. (PS- all World Market furniture is currently 40% off!)
- Gold Velvet Parsons Chairs
These beautiful parsons chairs in my mood board are from Ballard Designs and way out of my budget. But a girl can dream and I just love the leopard detail on these parsons chairs! I also love the pop of yellow/gold with the gray wallpaper ceiling and built in sideboards.
- Wallpaper Ceiling
As I mentioned, the ceiling is wallpapered with a gray trellis pattern Phillip Jeffries Imperial Gates wallpaper so that has been my starting off point for this room.
- Art
I always struggle with art because in case you haven’t noticed I have serious commitment issues when it comes to my house! You know how much I love to change things up. But I do love this piece from Ballard’s and feel like it is something I would not tire of!
7. Mirror
Because every room needs a mirror right? But truly, this space does not get much natural light and a mirror could really help brighten things up. I love a more formal gold one for this room like this.
8. Rug
Since the ceiling has a pattern, the rug is going to need to be very simple. Also, similar to the upholstered chairs, I don’t want to have a panic attack anytime someone is eating so it will need to be inexpensive. I will likely go to the local carpet store here in town to have something made to fit the room.
So what do you think? Do you like the vision? I am now wishing I would have started this a month ago so there would be a chance it would be ready for the holidays, but hey, there is always Valentine’s Day! 🙂
xoxo-
Heather
LOVE the mood board! I, too, have commitment issues and often find myself with too many neutral pieces :/ I love the gold Parson’s chairs and am confident you could find someone to make the slipcovers for you at a much better price. I have a lady that does beautiful work for me up here in Rome, GA- she does all my window treatments and she likes to take on reupholstering projects.. just a very talented “jill” of all trades! If you would like her information, I am happy to share!
Love tge choices for this space, can’t wat to see the final results.