a few dining room additions

Ryan was out of town on Saturday. The kids were playing with friends. Which left me at home with a day to putter around. With a million things that probably should have been done, I went with something completely random and unnecessary: I played with our dining room.

There is something so fun about cleaning and styling and moving furniture and embellishing. I wander from room to room stealing rugs, baskets, plants and then put them all together in a new space. It’s a mix between my favorite hobby ever and a total sickness. Nothing is ever safe in our house – there’s always something moving or changing.

This little corner of the dining room has been bare for too long and I was excited to find this surprisingly good-quality brass & wood bar cart.  It fits perfectly in the corner and can go from holding drink fixings to acting as a serving station at parties.  I think it will be fun to style at christmas time with a few small gifts and a jar of pretty ornaments, but could be a cute cart for an outdoor summer event as well. Very versatile and quite inexpensive.

Above the cart are two old {from the thrift store} silver platters.

On top are a set of etched numbered glasses {tutorial here}, birch paper straws {from here} and a set of drink charms {from Lisa Leonard Designs – but not currently available} that are great conversation starters as well.

I have always wanted to have numbers embroidered on the backs of our chairs, but these glitter numbers will do the trick for now. I looped ribbon and pinned into the top of the chair. You really can’t see the pin and it’s a non-permanent way to embellish the plain chairs.

Decorating the top of the dining room table is always sort of a mystery to me. Do you set the table and leave it? Keep the table empty? This time, I just put a few pretty gourds in a long basket. It’s clean and simple.

The big striped rug was originally in our living room, then the master bedroom, then the bonus room and now here in the dining room. See? Nothing stays put.

So that’s what I did on my saturday afternoon. I’m telling you, leave this girl alone for a few hours and you never know what room with get a makeover.

Does that happen in your home, too?

table: restoration hardware outlet
chairs: parsons chair ballard designs / seagrass hallsta chairs ikea {no longer available}
rug: crate & barrel Olin striped rug
bar cart: target brass & wood bar cart
light fixture: rectangular shade pendant restoration hardware
curtains: white ikea + diy trim
bookshelf: world market emerson shelf
glitter numbers: wendy addison glitter numbers