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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.

    dining-room-striped-rug-bar-cart

    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.

    bar-cart-in-dining-room

    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.

    bar-cart-and-curtains-with-stripe-trim

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

    bar-cart-styling

    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.

    numbered-chairs-in-dining-room

    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.

    gourds-on-table

    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.

    dining-room-striped-rug-woven-chair

    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?

    sources

    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

     

    42 thoughts on “a few dining room additions”

    1. First time commenting. I am dying to know how you hung your platters. I love how they just seem suspended and you don’t have obvious pegs or wires holding them up.

    2. I am really concerned with your liquor out there like that–especially in a Christian home. What is not keeping your 4 young children from being able to access it and drink it?

    3. Okay, so I am loving the rug! And um…yes, it happens to me like every. single. day. Unfortunately. I think it’s just the way us creatives operate! Thanks for sharing…have an amazing week! -Kennesha, Restoration House Interiors

    4. Ha! That sounds like what I do with an afternoon free. I have 5 kiddos (including year-old twins), so I’m almost *never* alone, and when I am, there are always 5 million things I should be doing. But what I really love is tweaking rooms. Even when other ones aren’t even finished. So yeah. I can totally relate. Oh, and great job! Especially with getting the rug under the table (assuming you did that all by yourself). : )

    5. Your dining room looks great! I’ve always wanted to embroider numbers on the back of my dining chairs, too… ever since I saw Heather Chadduck’s dining room in Cottage Living magazine sooo many years ago.

    6. Love everything! I would also love to know what thrift store has silver platters! Was it the one up on Holman Road? I live in north seattle and have never seen anything so lux in my local stores.

      1. I’m not the thrift store shopper – my mother-in-law and husband are such good finders. I walk in and then back out because all I see is junk. They walk in and discover hidden treasures.

    7. We always had a bar cart when I was growing up .. But it surely wasn’t as stylish as this ! I only remember it having roses lime juice and the yellow drink advokaat at Christmas.. Beautiful room .. Love the WM Emerson shelving!

    8. OMG…I love your dining room, especially the cart you put in the corner with all those terrific, thoughtful touches! (I am afflicted with the “move items from room to room”, too…especially when hubby is gone on a fishing trip. One time he returned home late at night. I had moved the bed over a few feet and when he went to plop down on the bed…down he went. Got in a lot of trouble for that one!)

    9. Looks beautiful! I especially love that bar cart. In answer to the set-the-table or noy question – The table can be decorated, but not set. I think people started doing that
      after going to model homes, or seeing it in magazines. Kelly is completely right – it looks funny, but is also wrong to do. It could make people uncomfortable thinking your about to have a gathering they are not invited to, and who would want to eat off of dishes that sat around for who knows how long!

    10. YES- i am forever rearranging. And then i wonder why my house is decorated, but far from clean & laundry baskets that never seem to be empty! Aren’t those moments alone at home precious & rare? And as for swapping things from other rooms-it’s the cheapest way to shop!

    11. I love that bar cart! I’ve almost bought it twice, but I don’t really have a good place to put it! Quick question about your Ballard slipcovered parsons – I have the same ones and the slipcovers are in desperate need of a washing. The tag says dry clean. Have you ever washed yours? Did you dry clean or wash at home?

    12. I am the same way! I use decorating as a way of distraction from needing to clean the bathroom…or the do the dishes. I’m a fan of the cleaned off table. I always think it’s kind of funny when people have their tables all set and they’re not expecting company or having a dinner party. Love the cart! Good find!

    13. Your dining room looks like the kind of place one can relax in and enjoy a great meal. It’s elegant but not fussy. I have a bar cart I like to change up – sometimes it’s for beverages, sometimes towels in my bathroom, sometimes a hall table – very versatile! I have a teenager and a tween, so I don’t leave alcohol out in the open though – too tempting.

    14. The dining room is super cute… and maybe I’m paranoid, or just have littler ones around than your kids are now, but I don’t think I’d feel comfortable storing my alcohol in a place so accessible to little curious hands/mouths.

    15. YES. so glad i’m not the only one. when i should be cleaning or doing laundry, i ALWAYS end up rearranging a room or just a little nook in my house. it’s amazing that i haven’t hurt myself yet with all the heavy furniture i end up moving all by myself. drives my husband a little crazy that things are always moving and changing. :) yesterday, i had him hang a little shelf / desk for my 3 year old, and he said “i know i will come home one day next week and this will be on a different wall…” ha! love your dining room!

    16. That is a great bar cart. The one I have is a bit more whimsical, and sometimes I wish it looked a bit more classic. Such great, clean lines!

      I wish I could be this way, but when I start pulling from other rooms then that means I feel the need to replace what I took from those spaces and the whole thing kind of overwhelms me! Glad you got some time to yourself, I know how refreshing that can be.

    17. Can you just come hang out at my house for a while? I’m so stuck with decorating since I live in a 1915 spanish style home and I’m NOT a fan of that style of decorating! I just can’t seem to get past the architectural details and figure out how to fit my style (classic/ casual/ with lots of color) in there! It’s killing me!

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