Dining Room Reveal

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? When designing a room there's always a jumping off point, a.k.a. an inspiration source. More often than not, it's a rug or something colorful that dictates the overall plan. In the case of my dining room, it was a paint color. 

I found Benjamin Moore's Narrangansett Green (HC-15) and was immediately sold. I painted a very large, leftover canvas in this beautiful color and propped it against the wall so I could get a good feel for the color. I also wanted to make sure I wouldn't tire of it easily. It literally leaned against the wall for months while I waited patiently for the rest of the room to evolve.  Instead of tiring of it, I became even more convinced that things were heading in the right direction.

Remember this chandelier? I almost sold it on Craigslist for $250 then quickly realized, as people were chomping at the bit to gobble it up, that it currently retails for $1900 on Amazon. Wow, someone should do a little more research before they spontaneous list a piece they don't think they like!

I have to admit, seeing these crystals sparkle against the blue-green walls is one of my favorite elements in the room. Who would've guessed?! 

I was dead set that I wasn't going to have a DIY piece of art hanging in our dining room but the frugal side of me crept in and won that battle. It's a giant piece and only cost me $37. I'll share the details in a future post.

My father-in-law generously gifted me these lucite chairs from Wisteria. I love, love the way they look but I can't say that I'd tell someone to run out and buy them. They're not the most comfortable and they squeak every time you shift your weight. Ugh!

But the good thing about these chairs is they allow the live edge table to shine in its' glory. I purposefully searched for something low-profile and clear. I wanted your attention to go directly to the character of the table instead of being bossed around by a busy chair.

Now seems like the perfect time to show you where we started with this room. The previous owner adorned the walls with palm tree wallpaper and the windows with heavy drapery (I removed the panels before this shot).

BEFORE:

After ripping down the wallpaper I had the walls retextured to a level 5 (super smooth) finish then used a high gloss paint. This helped give a super slick and shiny background that's not really obvious in the pictures but super cool in person.

AFTER:

The banquette was a total score from World Market. I literally bought the last one in Texas. We had to drive to Austin over spring break to pick it up. The store manager down there just shook her head when she looked at my raincheck and saw how much, or should I say how little, I paid for it!

I added a folded piece of fabric to spice things up a bit. I originally planned to attach it, but then I realized it looked fine draped and this way I'm not committed. Love the blue/green walls, not so sure I'll stay in love with the persimmon stripe! Commitment issues, anyone?

Last, but not least, let's talk about the rug! I searched, and searched, and searched some more for the perfect rug. I felt like I was banging my head against wall as nothing seemed right. Then, I was contacted by Rugs Direct and they generously offered to send me a rug. I was super excited and this opened up the door for me go a little outside of my comfort zone and pick something I may not normally choose if I were forking over my own pennies. And, I absolutely love it!

Want to know the best part? I'm partnering with Rugs Direct next week to offer a $300 giveaway to one of you lucky souls!! So, don't forget to check back and put your name in the hat. This was the first time I'd ordered a rug online. I wasn't necessarily a believer before this experience. More on that next week too!

{Legal mumbo jumbo...Rugs Direct provided the rug of my choice but the verbiage and opinions are mine all mine.}

Inexpensive Oversized DIY Pop Art

We have some GIANT pug mugs hanging on our walls! Bryn got her art on this past weekend and created a few masterpieces to hang in our stairwell. We managed to create one-of-a-kind art for less than $30. Not bad, right?

This was a beyond easy project. I simply snapped a few shots of the most adorable pug models I know, then did a few minor edits in PicMonkey. Once I was pleased with the shots, I took my thumb drive to the nearest Staples and had engineering prints made. We're talking to the tune of 3 feet wide x 4 feet long. You can upload your images to make things faster but I was having technical difficulties. Go figure!

Just in case you're  unfamiliar with engineering prints, they're paper not glossy photos. That's what makes them so affordable...a mere $7 a piece.

Next, I handed my 11y.o. paints and brushes and gave her creative reign to "make art."

With a handful of highlights our prints quickly took on the feel of the ever so popular Pop Art.

Here you get a better perspective of the size. It was a happy accident that they fit this space so nicely. Honestly, this was such a spontaneous project, done on a whim, that I didn't take time to measure the space. 

  

Another way we made our art project so affordable...no frames! Frames of this magnitude would put us in the poor house. We dipped clear thumb tacks in the acrylic paints to add a bit 'o color then used large binder clips to hang them.

This look would also be great in a playroom or office.

Sometimes I feel a bit preachy by constantly telling you guys that your home decor "has to be personal," but I really don't think I can say it enough. It truly is what sets your home apart from others and makes it a place where your family feels comfortable. 

Are giant pictures of funky dogs something others will want in their house? Probably not, but does our daughter wake up every morning and know that we value her talents enough to hang her work on our walls?...Absolutely! That's all that matters in my book.

Minimalist Abstract Art

Big walls often call for big pieces of art, the only problem is that those big pieces of art often come with BIG price tags. So, what's one to do if you like this look but don't have the budget? Make your own, of course!

Let's take a look at this type of art in action before I give you a pep talk to tackle your next DIY project.

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Here's my attempt at making art on the cheap. Read the tutorial here. My love for this look bled right onto the walls as I used this technique to paint the entire room.

It doesn't have to be one big piece...break it up with 6 and bring in a handful of colors.

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Several more inspiration pieces from artist, John McLaughlin.

Great news, friends...if you can paint a straight line, you can create your own work of art! Next time you have one of those handy 50% coupons for Micheals, snag an oversized canvas, break out the painter's tape to ensure a straight line, then BAM! you're set.

Don't think you can pull off the look? Stop doubting yourself and unlock your inner artist.