DINING ROOM LIGHTING REDO

I am delighted to report that we finally switched out the fixture in our dining room. When we moved in there was just a ceiling fan in the middle of the room and no light. We temporarily hung a big paper lantern from our old apartment above the dining room table...which was serviceable, but FAR from ideal. The cord was an eyesore and so was the fan...

But we finally had someone come put this chandelier up instead...

MUCH better. And the new fixture was hand-me-down from my parents...which means it was FREE.

I love free.

Next post: Hand covered chandelier shades and a candelabra sleeve spruce up!

SIDEBOARD MAKEOVER

Justin and I had been searching for the perfect sideboard for the dining room for months. I had a vision of what I wanted: a big old farmhouse style piece with lots of drawers and antique hardware. Something with chipped paint and a well worn wooden top and pretty old bin pulls. I wanted it to be as long as possible but not too deep...and the proper height for buffet style serving...so it couldn't be too tall or too short.

Obviously shopping trips are almost always disappointing when you have SUCH a specific picture in your head. I mean...we definitely came across some cool pieces in our travels but none of them were perfect. I had just about given up the search when I found this old thing posted on craigslist...

Sure, it was hideous in its current state. It was beat up. The hardware was ugly and/or broken. It was stained a dated and depressingly dark brown. And to top it all off it was covered with a thick layer of shiny varnish.

But it was the PERFECT size. And the price was right. And under all that aforementioned yuckiness I could see my rustic dream sideboard.

After days of sanding and painting and sanding again we finally ended up with this...

I'm really glad I didn't end up comprimising and spending a bundle on a finished piece that was almost right...because this is SO much better than anything we saw.

Here's the nutshell version of what we did to refinish it:

-First we removed all the hardware and sanded the front, sides, drawers and cabinets. We didn't go too crazy. We just roughed it up enough for the paint to adhere properly.

-Then we thoroughly sanded the top. We made sure to take this part down to the bare wood since we planned on staining the top...not painting it.

- Then I gave the entire piece a generous coat of paint (except for the top!). I used Martha Stewart latex paint in Sea Glass.

-After that was dry I wiped a little bit of light-gray paint into the corners and edges of the drawers and the cabinets.

-Then I used medium and coarse sandpaper to distress the whole piece...concentrating on corners, edges, and raised areas where wear would naturally occur. I learned pretty quickly that there is a very delicate line between too much sanding and not enough. There was a lot of trial and error involved. And it definitely took a little bit of practice to get it to look natural. Luckily, you can paint over areas you don't like and start again.

-Then I put on the new hardware. The bin pulls are from Atlas Homewares. I got them in an oil rubbed bronze finish...but I ended up going over each one with a little bit of steel wool to bring out some of the silver underneath and give them a more time-worn, less consistent finish. The knobs are from the Home Depot.

-The last thing I did was stain the top. I used Behr semi-transparent weatherproofing wood stain in charcoal. Normally this particular stain is for use on decks and whatnot but there are way more colors available than the indoor variety. And the salesperson assured me that it didn't have any crazy fumes and it should work fine for my tabletop. And it did! It was super easy to control how dark it got and how much wood grain showed through. And it turned out a fantastic gray brown that looks PERFECT with the new hardware.

CHALKBOARD DECANTER TAGS

We are still in the midst of fixing up the dining room. There's been lots of painting and sanding and patching and staining and drilling and repurposing going on. One of the many projects in progress is creating an area designated for cocktail preparation and liquor storage. We've never been one of those houses that has a fully stocked bar but I do love the idea of being able to offer guests a legitimate cocktail. Particularly old-timey ones like Sidecars and Manhattans. So we bought the ingredients necessary to make a few such drinks...and while Justin is brushing up on his bar tending skills I am busy making him a place to put his wares.

First step: whip up some labels for these cute old decanters I picked up at a yard sale last sumer.

Materials:

thin sheet of plywood and/or precut plywood shapes

pencil

scissor

craft knife

sandpaper

chalkboard paint

sponge brush

white charcoal pencil

small link chain

hot glue gun

I'm sure you can imagine exactly what I did with these materials...but just in case:

I sketched the basic shapes I wanted for my labels onto the plywood and cut them out using scissors where possible and a craft knife for any small curves. Then I sanded down the edges. (You can also skip these steps and use precut plywood shapes. Nobody will judge you. Promise.)

I applied two coats of chalkboard paint to the front, back, and sides with a small sponge brush, letting the pieces dry thoroughly between coats.

When the chalkboard paint was completely dry I used a well sharpened white charcoal pencil to write the names on each tag.

Then I decided how long I wanted the chain to be for each bottle, cut it, and attached it to the back of each chalkboard piece with two small drops of hot glue. Voilà!

IKAT ATTACK

My dream textile for the curtains in our living room is one the these amazing handwoven ikats from Madeline Weinrib. Sadly, they cost several hundred dollars per yard...so that's not going to happen.

But I CAN afford some of these sweet ikat pillows from Bali.

They are all handmade with stunning Indonesian ikat fabrics and are available in a slew of different patterns and colors. $40 for two or $160 for a mixed set of nine! Yes, yes, and yes! Check them all out here!

PROGRESS REPORT

This past weekend Justin and I decided that it was time to tackle the dining room. This may not sound like a gigantic scary project...but it is. The dining room is where we have been hoarding all of our unopened moving boxes, artwork, and scads of mismatched furniture from our old apartment. But we dove in head first and I'm happy to report that we're off to a killer start. We managed to get MORE done than I expected. That NEVER happens.

We're done painting the walls and the ceiling. You can see the colors that we went with in the picture above. I had chosen the wall color a while ago (Minty Green by Glidden)...but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the ceiling. Then I saw these images for the new Farrow and Ball colors...

I love the combinations of blues and greens and blue-greens and pea greens. So I went for it. My ceiling is now Marsh Fern by Behr.

We're still busy in the dining room DIYing up a storm. More soon.

NEW LISTING

I don't know if it's that fewer houses come on the market in the winter months or what...but I haven't gotten a single budget-friendly listing update that I deemed post worthy since September. That is, until now. This pretty little thing showed up in my inbox yesterday. It's in St. Remy (apparently home to all cute-as-a-button gingerbread Victorians) and it's listed at $239,000. Details are here. Come be my neighbor!

YESTERDAY’S NEWS

Valentine's Day felt especially lovely this year. We spent the afternoon at home preparing a delicious dinner -- rack of lamb, braised fennel, white bean puree, roasted fingerling potatoes -- and a stellar dessert -- creme brulee and chocolate covered strawberries.

Justin gave me a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers.

And in honor of my new year's resolution I wore a bunch of sparkly things on my head.

Sweet but simple. Dressed up but laid back. A perfect night at home with my handsome valentine.