We took a break from the siding project and decided to finish the Dining Room.
The previous owner had their dining table in front of the large window at the front of the house. They also had some floating shelves, window treatments and a spinet piano, next to the mud room entrance. When we moved in, the shelves, curtains and PIANO were still in the room. The piano was immediately moved outdoors. You'll see that later.
Dining Room
We began with repairs. The ceiling had some water damage from the upstairs bathroom. There was also a ceiling fan (on a low ceiling) that we removed so we needed to patch that hole. I removed the floating shelves and curtain rods, then spackled all holes. The only lighting in the room was from the ceiling fan that we removed. So we added recessed lighting throughout the room. We knew we needed to add some storage, so we purchased two corner cabinets to install as you enter from the mud room.
Cabinets
The cabinets are the same color that we will be installing in the kitchen (eventually!). There are more cabinets to come in the dining room, so keep reading!
Continuing After New Windows
Once the new windows were installed, we were able to continue with the Dining Room, and take a break from the siding. We added two lights to hang over the dining table. We purchased a product called Wallplanks, in a walnut finish, to install on the front wall. It has adhesive on the back and is installed like shiplap, so it was relatively easy to put up in a day.
Basement Door
Andy removed the old door and installed a craftsman style door. I added a wallpaper to that wall as an accent. It's a very subtle pattern with deer, rabbits, birds, trees and flowers. Purchased from Wayfair: Ericka Forest Fauna. The mirror is from Wayfair. Wall, ceiling and door paint color is Sherwin Williams Repose Gray.
Banquette
Since this is an old farmhouse, the floors, walls, etc. are not level. (Not even close!) So to begin the banquette project, Andy had to add strips at different heights to level the cabinets. We purchased two upholstery fabrics for the banquette: for the seat, a dark gray velvet, and for the back, a dark gray branch and leaf pattern on an off-white background- Myla Marigold Culp fabric.
Finishing Touches
I covered some buttons for both the seat and back of the banquette. Andy replaced the mud room entrance boards.
Dining Table
We knew we wanted to make a custom table, given the custom size of the banquette. So we purchased two butcher block countertops from Home Depot. Andy cut them to the correct width and length and joined the two pieces together.
Table Completion
Clamps, sanding, and finishing with special walnut stain and a matte water-based polyurethane. We purchased dining table legs in gold from Etsy (Made in Poland).
Chairs
We received these four chairs for free. They are worn, but comfortable and strong. They had chrome legs and were bright white. So we decided to keep them. We painted the seats in an off-white, as well as a clear protective coat. We painted the legs gold to match the table legs.
Cabinet Refresh
We had an old cabinet from our Waterford home that I gave a new facelift. I painted it the cabinet gray and added gold hardware.
Completion
We still need to complete additional base board, cabinet toe kick, the wallpaper next to the stairs, have a countertop installed on the cabinet, refinish the floors, and add shoe molding. But for now, we have a usable space. We love it! (before and after pictured below)
