I am sharing a tour of my dining room. I wish I used my dining room more than I do at this point in my life. Having two small kids, less than two years apart in age can make mealtime a challenge on many nights and the the formality of the dining room is not always in the cards.
Ironically enough, our dining room was one of the first rooms I spent time putting together and decorating when we moved into our home.
WHY? If we do not use the space all that often, what is the point?
Does anyone else feel like their dining room should be a playroom instead? I have TOYED with the idea, but ultimately decide each time that keeping my dining room would provide a clean area and create a calm, decorated space each time we walk in our home.
This remains important to me in my current days of toddler chaos, toys, and constant mess.
Light Fixture
I started the easy décor for this room with the light fixture as the main piece. This was an amazing bargain at WALMART!
This light fixture looks similar to some higher end fixtures I see frequently and that makes me LOVE it even more!
Table
Once the light fixture was swapped out, I had to figure out what I was going to do for a dining table. Previous to our move to this home, we lived in an apartment a couple of hours away and moved back closer to family.
Coming from an apartment, we only had a small round table that I have been carrying around since my first home. I am a bit of a pack rat, but I am going to show you how that pays off and I constantly incorporate items I already own to complete a vision when it comes to decorating.
I initially searched the World Wide Web for a dining table, I needed a brand new table and of course it would need to have a leaf for the holidays right? When I saw the prices, I decided that maybe a new dining table was not going to happen. Should I go back to my playroom idea? Ugh.
That is when I found my most prized Facebook Marketplace find to date!
I found this beautiful wood table, with gorgeous detail and two built in extensions at each end of the table. I needed a table on the smaller side for my dining room, as that is one of the ways to access my kitchen and a walkway is necessary.
Between my appreciation of incorporating old items with new décor, this table was the most perfect price! I hate to even tell, but I feel like only paying $150.00 for this table makes it look even better!!
I must admit though, this table is VERY heavy (of course my husband was not terribly thrilled about another one of my GREAT ideas).
Finding one unique piece for any room can be such a fun experience when decorating. Two years later, I am still so glad I found this table. Due to its substantial nature, the table does not require a whole lot of decorating, which I can appreciate.
Window Treatments
The window treatments are next in the dining room tour. Most of the light comes in the morning, so I knew I would not need to worry about shades or filtering light in the evening or during dinner hours.
I always love the idea of simple looking curtains that can stay open without any extras. I feel as though the clean feel I was hoping for continues with the off white curtains and brass hardware.
The curtains were a great HomeGoods find, as all HomeGoods finds are. I have linked similar curtains below in the source list section.
These curtains have some substance and giving the small dining area some warmth without changing the clean, calm feel of the space that I was hoping for. They have a liner and light filtering.
I never get too wild with staging my curtains. I like the natural look of them and how they hang.
This to me gives my house a LIVED IN sort of look and casual, comfortable space that people can feel welcome.
I want the feeling in my home to have style, but also an underlying comfort to be at ease and not in a staged museum. Not to mention, I have kids, and with that comes constant mess!
Speaking of mess, I have children plus animals, many of us that can relate to this understand the need for EVERYTHING to be washable. You can also check out my new Outdoor Furniture this season with easy clean fabric!
Some Sources, See Full Source List Below..
Rug
The rug in this room is a RUGGABLE brand rug and it has definitely met expectations. I wanted to make a statement with this rug because the room is so small. My dining room tour today also includes my poodle, as this is one of his favorite spots.
This rug does require some patience after washing to get it flat again on the floor, but worth some of the hassle, knowing that it can be washed at home. I also want to note that the RUGGABLE brand does spot clean very well- which is also a nice added feature.
Cabinet
Speaking of working with a small dining space, I was determined initially to have a hutch, traditional china cabinet, or buffet type table.
Unfortunately, none of these things happened due to the space and layout of the room. I LOVE the windows in my home, however I do not want to cover any of them up, especially not in a small room.
Another item I want to point out on my dining room tour is a challenge in my house when it comes to decorating is the duct work and vents. Does anyone else have this issue?
Many of the return vents in my home are long and create an issue when staging furniture. Clearly the builders and HVAC technicians when building this house were not into decorating.
Due to lack of wall space and overall small area in the dining room, I resigned myself to using this small white cabinet to display a couple of my favorite items (all items I received from women in my family).
This cabinet was gifted to me for free and I changed the knob on it that came from my first home. I love FREE and even better that is now incorporates some sentimental pieces.
NEVER underestimate free items from others, especially furniture. Furniture can always be painted or touched up and potentially work for your space. Not to mention if you do one of those projects, you feel SO accomplished at the end!
Chairs
The X back chairs in my dining room tour were another great Facebook Marketplace find! Many places sell similar chairs. I love the look, giving some interest but they are not bulky.
I did add cushions for comfort and texture with all the wood. These cushions have held up well and spot clean great ( I was not kidding when I said I will always evaluate my purchases with the ability to wash them in mind)!
Table Decor
This table runner washes well, making it already a favorite of mine!
My vase is from my mom’s house and LOVE its simple look and deep color.
I like adding old with new and incorporating pieces I already own.
Williams Sonoma has a great selection of blue and white ceramic vases and planters, but some are a little pricey. The ceramic vase distracts from the faux flowers. I am the worst, when it comes to keeping plants alive!! I tell myself there is always next time…
Full Source List
- Chandelier: Walmart
- Table: Facebook Marketplace Find
- Curtains: HomeGoods, similar look with these at Target
- Curtain Rods: Target, I also have similar in my living room from Amazon
- Curtain Rings: Amazon
- Rug: Ruggable
- Chairs: Facebook Marketplace Find, but similar here and here
- Chair Cushions: Amazon
- Table Runner: Target
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