under the magnolia tree

I thought I would share our dining room before and after since I still haven't photographed our kitchen.  Our dining room was super fun to do.  Mostly because it was easy.  The light fixture was dated, the windows had mini blinds and the color on the walls was actually worse than it looks in the pictures.  (The photos below are how the previous owners had it).  We painted the walls Benjamin Moore Soft White.  Since we had no dining furniture from our previous house and had a tight budget in this room, we had to really cut some corners.  The table was from a consignment shop.  Mid Century, made in Sweden, and solid teak.  Sold for $100!  I can't remember where I got the light fixture but I did find coordinating curtain rods at Target online.  I made the drapes using Robert Dwell fabric.  Huge savings making them myself.  To gain some symmetry in this room I found this matching pair of buffets.  I can't tell if these are mid-century or later?  At $60 each, they were a steal and they store so much!  We bought 4 of our chairs from West Elm.  They are wonderfully kid friendly, keep the kiddos tucked in and they are a cinch to wipe down.  We bought the end chairs at Ikea and threw some Annie Selke pillows on them.   We were about to get rid of this bookshelf we bought when we were first married but had the idea to use it as a china cabinet.  George sprayed it green and it is so completely functional, I don't know how I ever lived without it.  We have some fancy stuff on there (mostly from thrift stores and some handed down over many generations...) and we use it!  The kids get a kick out of drinking from gold rimmed glasses and china plates...and we do it often.  I figure life is too short not to.   The baskets hold lots of vintage tablecloths in case you thought it was our dirty laundry.  :)

The door leading into the kitchen used to be off centered with a swinging door.  As a result of our remodel, the door is now centered, wider and has no doors.  It really opens the rooms up without actually joining them.  So, there you have it.  Hope you enjoyed my "before and after!"  Have a great weekend!