A NEW YEAR - A NEW LOOK…on a BUDGET!

Let’s be honest, we all want a high end look when decorating, but want the cost to be affordable. Here is a dining room project that does just that!The first picture shows the before, where you see dated wallpaper under a small, thin chair rail with a wallpaper border on top, a dark red rug, and older dining room furniture. The huge brass chandelier dominates the room.Even though the dining table and buffet are older, they are in good condition. So in order to save a bundle, we kept those two pieces. We were able to bring in a rug from the family room which is predominately blue, another huge savings.

After removing the wallpaper, chair rail and chandelier, we added back a chunkier (two piece) chair rail and moldings below the chair rail to emulate wainscoting. Adding moldings to the ceiling created high end drama, alluding to an expensive wood-trimmed coffered appearance. Swapping out the large brass chandelier for two lighter weight chandeliers gave better proportion and balance to the room. Eliminating the older dining chairs and buying new ones updated and changed the whole look and feel of the table and buffet. We swapped out the brass-trimmed mirror over the buffet with a brushed silver mirror that the homeowner had. Because the candlestick lamps on the buffet were the right size and proportion, we saved more by spray painting them. Then all we had to do was purchase a couple of lampshades to complete their new look. Previously, there were no window treatments other than the blinds, so we added custom draperies in a soft- toned, versatile ikat pattern. Finally, choosing a lighter, airy paint pallet (Sherwin Williams- Versatile Gray below the chair rail and Upward above the chair rail and an onsite blend of the white ceiling paint and Upward for the center of the ceiling squares) completed the transformation.