DINING ROOM MAKEOVER

I've been itching to renovate a house for so long now, but living in an apartment, there is only so much I can do! I'm all about purging (just ask my husband!), organizing and decorating on a budget.

I'm not sure how the conversation even went, but in the end it was decided that I would redo my brother in law and sister in laws dining room. For my first post I wanted to showcase the transformation of that room. One thing I had been dreaming of doing in a house was DIY wainscoting and I knew their house was a perfect candidate for the job. What started out as just wanted to try wainscoting, turned into an entire room face lift. Nothing was wrong with the dining room, it just needed a little bit of updating and modernizing.

Justin and Emily had graciously let us live with them for 3 months when we first moved to Connecticut and right from the start I had been in love with those built ins! Being from Oregon, I wasn't used to old houses with such character... (Their house is probably older than every house in my hometown) Ever since I moved here, I have LOVED old houses!

While we sat and looked around the room deciding what to do, we knew that along with the, the scalloping on the built ins would have to go to give it a more modern look. The old windows, which had old fashioned counter weights in them, would be replaced too (luckily they already had new windows just waiting to be put in!) As well as the glass shelves and glass knobs on the cabinet doors.

The room already had a chair rail, which was the perfect height for picture frame wainscoting!

Our first workday was long. It involved me

cutting and putting up all the wainscoting (DIY

tutorial coming!) The guys replaced the windows and Emily moved things and organized. It was a long day, but it ended with going to ice cream!

For most the day, there was a giant gaping hole in the wall and Emily and I weren't too sure it would be closed by the end of the day... But they got those windows in JUST before dark! I learned that in houses this old, NOTHING is level or square and you just have to make it work as you go.

By the end of the day, the windows were in and all of the wainscoting was up. It already looked fancy, even before it was painted!

Looking at the after photos of the room makes the hard work, sweat (and blood) completely worth it. The new windows look clean and bright. The glass shelves were replaced with stained wood. The scallop was cut down for a more modern feel and the hardware on the cabinets were replaced.

The picture frame wainscoting is perfect for making any ordinary dining room look elegant.

My husband and I custom built the console table to fit this space. I like it because its cute AND functional. They were able to make it a coffee bar and clear up an entire counter in their kitchen!

These "no-sew" curtains were made from canvas painters drop cloths! So easy and cheap. We were able to use the rods from their old curtains rather than buying new ones.

The wood shelves are made from bass wood, stained in the color Provincial by Minwax and coated with 3 coats of Minwax clear satin polyurethane.

Okay you guys... I am slightly obsessed with these metal planters from hobby Lobby... I think they are my favorite part of the entire room. I knew I wanted to do this with the planters but I had to wait and entire week until the greenery at hobby lobby went on sale... Being patient for good deals is hard!

In the end I love the way the room turned out and am so thankful for Justin and Emily trusting me with their house (They basically gave me free reigns to do whatever...pressure!)

Stay tuned for some more in depth tutorials from specific things in this room, such as picture frame wainscoting, drop cloth curtains and console table.