One of my requests of a home, was a separate dining space from the kitchen– I love the idea of having a more formal place to enjoy a nicely prepared meal (out of view from the dishes or kitchen mess!). This was one of the first projects we tackled after closing on the house.
When we purchased the house, the walls were wall-papered, then coated with a splotchy layer of white paint. The floors had recently been refinished with modern grey ceramic tile, which I disliked since they tiled over the original hardwood floors. On principle, I simply couldn’t support that.
This room was one of the easier projects to come together. Before closing on the house, we purchased a dining room table and eight chairs from a lady on “Nextdoor.” She shared the table had been her grandmother’s and been in her family for years. I loved the history of the set and its simple lines. Although I had planned to recover the chair seats, they ended up perfectly matching the sea-foam blue we picked out for the walls. The dining room set matched my secretary desk and we decided that could store our coffee maker and table linens. A few months later, we got lucky again with “Nextdoor” and purchased a corner cabinet to store China, serving pieces, and whatever else didn’t quite have a home in the kitchen.
We finished the room with some of my favorite pieces– my prints of Florence and Venice that I purchased while studying abroad, a mix-media map of Virginia, and Daniel’s first love letter to me (ironically a copy of Vermeer’s love letter with a little note).
Since updating the dining room, I’m proud to share that I’m working on establishing the tradition of actually DINING in the dining room. We tend to eat fast-casual meals in the kitchen, but sit in the dining room after preparing a more involved meal. To me, there’s few things better than enjoying a meal with friends and family in a beautiful space.
Cheers!
Kari