Finding Friday- Great Details in the Dining Room Decor

Have you found Friday yet? We have arrived with great news to announce…drum roll, please! The GUTTERS ARE FINISHED! Beautiful, glorious black gutters with new gutter guards. One more thing to tick off the list of this 11 weeks of Fire Restoration that I have shared here, here, here, here and here if you have missed the updates. Siding will continue for week 12 next week…and the deck repair will begin next week, as well.

But, today? There are great details in the dining room that began with selecting dining room decor.

Are you ready to see my inspiration?

Let’s GO!

Dining Room Decor Inspiration

There were certainly things that I needed to “keep” in this dining room. The hutch we purchased years ago with the matching dining room chairs had to stay.

Even in the refinishing of the dining room table, the base was painted years ago to coordinate with the chairs and hutch.

But, that hutch had been a “collect all” of every piece of crystal, dinnerware, pitchers and serving pieces known to man.

When I began emptying the contents of the hutch at the beginning of clearing out the dining room and kitchen for the fire restoration, I knew that it was crying out to be a “display” of seasons and to change with pieces for design. Listening and responding was necessary.

The hutch now…its cry for help was answered among the dining room decor plan.

Out came the spring bunnies, greenery, and white and green to add a bit of spring to the hutch. Still a work in progress, but both the hutch and I are already much happier.

That hutch and the chairs are due for a new paint job…adding that to future plans.

The dining room had to have a new color.

It had been a great apple green for over 20 years and wouldn’t you know it…that color is back in style. I loved every season with this green, and it provided a great frame for the two sets of French doors that open out onto acres of lawn and woods.

But, truly, it needed more light. Attempts to lighten the room had come in the form of white kitchen cabinets and that creamy white hutch; but it needed a lighter brighter color.

The trim always remains a great white in this home, so contrast was necessary in selecting a color.

Sample after sample after sample of paint colors were added to the walls.

TIP: It is important to add a color to the wall you want to paint to see what works best in the lighting in that space.

That proved itself OVER and OVER and OVER again with each new sample swipe.

Pittsburgh paint’s “French Gray Linen” and the friend who suggested it came to the rescue. With the first swipe, I was convinced.

Flooring was the next dining room decor selection.

Our hardwood flooring was purchased and installed when we first moved into the house. The fire at the end of the building caused water damage to that wood flooring requiring replacement. It had needed to be replaced for a while, but we were told sanding wasn’t an option because of it’s spaces in between the planks.

Gray had been on my radar for a while and we had researched luxury vinyl flooring for a while. We had toured Nashville flooring businesses and local ones and had never made our mind up before the fire.

One of the constraints we had with all of our selections was, because of Covid and supply shortages, we needed to make “in stock” selections on everything.

We had had conversations with a friend who had a business and had installed Home Depot’s Life Proof in his business. We loved the look, durability and price. Off we went!

In stock was Life Proof’s sterling oak—well under our budget provided. Here’s what we selected.

The flooring is down and there are so many reasons to love it!

• It’s quiet…no clicking when you walk on it. There is underlayment attached.
• Waterproof! So much better than the wood that I scrambled to dry when anything was spilled or the dishwasher was unloaded!
• Comfortable under foot. The smooth surface is wonderful.
• The need for cleaning shows! Personally, the last flooring was so great at hiding everything dropped, that it wasn’t cleaned as easily or quickly as this one. Being able to “see” things when dropped has made us more prone to clean more often. The advantage? You can TELL that it’s clean and that’s a huge plus! The lack of seams that caught dirt has left the building, too.
• The color works well with the wall and cabinet colors. Even the table and countertops that are wood tones coordinate well with this color.
• Scratch and stain resistant. That has proven to be true with moving furniture back into the room.
• The warranty! Lifetime. Seriously. Sold!
• If you are interested…they even have a tool on the Home Depot’s website to view it in your room.

Installation began and we were sold on it.

Pictured is right in the middle of the “trying” to move back in around the dust.

New Storage

For years we have used two canvas covered wire shelving units that held dish and serving storage. It was overflowing and long due for replacement.

Looking for a new buffet for all of that storage wasn’t easy. Once again…supply chain issues.

A piece that would “hold” a lot and not “compete” with that hutch across the room from it was needed.

You will laugh when you see my dimensions…100″ long and 44″ tall or close…with as much depth as possible to hold all of that stuff.

Originally that wall was going to just be a continuation of base cabinets with drawers. We had already purchased the countertops. It would be another serving area for guests.

But, price increases and thinking through that area made me realize that a “statement piece” of furniture was what the room truly needed and not more cabinets.

Off I went to look for inspiration. My favorite antique stores were the first places I looked. One of them had a hutch with shelves above and enclosed low cabinets below. A battle between the two furniture pieces just wasn’t working for me.

Next, was visits to several great furniture stores. No one had anything long enough or within my comfortable price range to fit the bill.

Until this one…in an unsuspecting place.

There she was in all of her glory. She was a statement piece, all right. Her wood top went well with that dining room table and her base close in color to the hutch and chairs.

The price? Half what others I had looked at–SOLD! She was paid for and patiently waited until the walls, floor and ceiling were complete to be delivered.

New Black Hardware

That piece led to the next bit of dining room decor inspiration.

Black hardware on the front of that new buffet cried out for more touches of black in the room. Does that happen to you?

Hardware is now meant to be mixed…which is hard for those of us who have lived in “matching” world all of our lives…but, I could see new black hardware in my future.

Those new French doors were painted a creamy white on the inside and a black on the outside.

With new “on sale” Schlage black hardware purchased and installed, we are in heaven.

Dining Room Wall Decor

White framed prints on the wall of our dining room came with a story. Finishing my masters in England meant finding, at the time, an abundance of Laura Ashley shops in every little village. Lots of Laura Ashley pieces came home with me. Among them was a calendar that had the most exquisite botanicals. Parting with them just couldn’t happen when that year ended. My husband graciously framed them for me in white with glass…he’s handy like that…but, then you have seen him in action with the spice organizer, plate rack, and table. A grouping has graced the wall above the storage pieces for many years.

Those botanicals–colors and sizes–would probably have to have a new home.

That huge buffet needed someone “its” size to play well above it. I’m still hauling prints back and forth and I think these may be close to working…unless I can find great black framed prints instead.

A bit of wood to anchor everything together would keep your eye moving.

But, black frames will add cohesiveness…such a decor dilemma.

What do you think so far?

Then there’s how to style such a large piece. A new challenge here for sure!

Dining Room Lighting Choices

The main thing that I have to make a decision about quickly is a new chandelier above the dining room table.

The three IKEA lights that hung over the rectangular farmhouse table just don’t work over the round table.

Black is the hardware for the chandelier for sure. Getting the size right over the 5′ table and completing the look for the room is my next challenge.

And, sticker shock?–holy, cow! Has anyone priced lighting fixtures lately? There are still many great ones for a great price, but thousands of dollars can be spent on unique fixtures for sure. Who knew when you haven’t replaced them in a while?

The selection and installation will be done before the “room reveal”.

Meanwhile, how to recover and what to do with the love seats is lingering in the background.

Then there’s the how to organize that buffet that keeps me arranging and rearranging the shelves like musical chairs.

Thanks for following along on this Friday update, friends! It’s exciting and tiring and taxing and fun all at the same time.

And I am so very glad you chose to follow the journey. This one has truly been a long one…11 weeks down and counting! So very much to be thankful for.