Formal Dining Room Makeover

If you follow me on Instagram you've probably seen my stories or photos of the fabulous new table that my father-in-law Bill and my hubby Jeff built for me.

So last spring, Bill had just finished building window benches for my plants in the breakfast room and I was kidding around with him saying that I'd love to have a barnwood table built for the dining room. Next thing you know he's calling us saying that he had just purchased some barnwood from someone in his town! Wow! Ask and you shall receive right?! I was amazed he was able to locate wood that easily but mostly amazed that he took my kidding around seriously! Woo hoo! What a sweetheart!

Just before Christmas the table was completed and when it was brought into our home I nearly fainted!! It was so beautiful and exactly the style I was after! They designed it from a photo that I found online and I also gave them the measurements for the length, width and height. I wanted it to seat 8 people but I had limited space to make that happen. After careful measuring and consideration for chairs of a particular size, we had the dimensions figured out and the finished table was absolute perfection!

Photo taken during construction of the table. We actually switched out a couple of boards because I wanted them to be more uniform. This photo was taken before the change was made.

Photo taken during construction of the table. We actually switched out a couple of boards because I wanted them to be more uniform. This photo was taken before the change was made.

Once the table was delivered I went to work quickly looking for chairs! I found chairs at Pottery Barn Outlet store that I really liked but unfortunately they didn't have enough of them, so I decided to try Pier 1 Imports and World Market. After striking out at both of those stores I started an online search. I was having a hard time finding a good comparison with the correct size and color. I finally decided to bite the bullet and look online at Pottery Barn and come to find out, they were still selling the same chair that I found at their outlet store. It's the final week before Christmas on a Wednesday morning, and the website had the chairs on sale! (Yay, I love when that happens!) I ordered them, not expecting to have them for at least 4 weeks, but remarkably they were set to ship immediately and arrive in two days! We were able to get everything set up just in time to surprise Bill, when he and my mother-in-law Julia arrived at our house on Christmas Day! Needless to say, being able to enjoy the first meal from the table with our family gathered around was pretty special!

Ashton Non-Tufted Dining Chairs from Pottery Barn - Color is Silver Taupe

Ashton Non-Tufted Dining Chairs from Pottery Barn - Color is Silver Taupe

The new table and chairs created a whole new look for the dining room and I am pleased as punch with the changes so far. Goodby black furniture, hello rustic wood table! Even though the new table is made from barnwood, don't let that fool you into thinking I'm going for the typical farmhouse look. Think driftwood! lol I'm trying to keep my coastal theme alive! ;) The whole room was affected by the addition of this gorgeous table but hey, who's complaining? Keep reading to see how the new design took shape! Here are several photos from Christmastime! 

Dinner, Salad and Appetizer plates shown here are from Pier 1 Imports.

Dinner, Salad and Appetizer plates shown here are from Pier 1 Imports.

The Pottery Barn chairs fit comfortably around the table. Curtain panels are from Pier 1 Imports. 

The Pottery Barn chairs fit comfortably around the table. Curtain panels are from Pier 1 Imports

Okay, so now for the updates that took place after Christmas! The first item I replaced was the rug. Rugs are pretty simple to shop for in my opinion. There are so many websites with beautiful rug styles and sizes available in addition to the local stores with rugs on display. I went into several Home Goods stores and even visited the Pottery Barn outlet store we have in St. Louis. I found a couple of options but I was curious if there were any online that I may end up liking better. I remembered one on the West Elm website that I was eyeing a couple of years ago for our family room so I decided to see if it was still available and wouldn't you know, a totally different rug caught my attention! So ... West Elm for the win!

I am so in love with this rug! Jute/Chenille Herringbone Rug in Natural/Ivory by West Elm.

I am so in love with this rug! Jute/Chenille Herringbone Rug in Natural/Ivory by West Elm.

After finding the rug, I then began my hunt for a buffet or sideboard as some people refer to them. I wanted a longer one this time to balance out the room since the table was now longer. I was also hoping to find one that had a smaller depth from the wall in order to create a little more roominess around the table. I began searching in local stores and even though I was able to find several beauties, none of them were the right size. I decided to visit a few websites until finally I stopped on the BirchLane website and one style, in particular spoke to me immediately and fortunately was the perfect size. Okay, so now I had the table, chairs, rug and buffet, but oh that mirror!! YIkes, the old mirror will totally clash with the design on my new buffet! I was beginning to ask myself, "when will this ever end?" It truly is a domino effect when you think you're going to get one new item in a room and then the whole room crumbles!

I guess now is a good time to share the before photo of our dining room and this is the mirror that I replaced. 

I guess now is a good time to share the before photo of our dining room and this is the mirror that I replaced. 

I really thought mirror shopping would be a walk-in-the-park but, ohh noooo!! The mirror purchase took me longer than anything else in the entire room! When you're not looking for a new mirror the pretty ones are a dime a dozen, however, when you need one, they've all magically disappeared! ugh! What's up with that!? So after much deliberation and not wanting to spend an arm and a leg for a mirror, I settled upon a great find at Pier 1 Imports - on sale too! And for now, at this moment, I'm calling this room complete! lol But wait, wouldn't a new light fixture really complete this room?! lol So yeah, it just never ends!

Perfect mirror which blends well with the rustic dining room table and the top surface of the buffet. This is the Bailey Farmhouse 30x40 mirror from Pier 1 Imports.

Perfect mirror which blends well with the rustic dining room table and the top surface of the buffet. This is the Bailey Farmhouse 30x40 mirror from Pier 1 Imports.

Here are a few more photos showing the changes I made to this space. I hope you enjoy them and please excuse any differences noticed in the lighting and color of the photos. This room is so difficult to photograph and editing the pics also put my nerves to the test! Enjoy and thanks for reading!

I ordered the buffet from Birch Lane, however it is no longer on their website. I did find a similar one on the Wayfair website. Table runner is from Home Goods. Woven placemats are from Pier 1 Imports. Plates are from Pier 1 Imports. Clic…

I ordered the buffet from Birch Lane, however it is no longer on their website. I did find a similar one on the Wayfair website. Table runner is from Home Goods. Woven placemats are from Pier 1 Imports. Plates are from Pier 1 Imports. Click the links to go directly to products.

A new chandy would look fabulous - right?! :D

A new chandy would look fabulous - right?! :D

Close-up of the buffet to show details of the fabric front panels and the top.

Close-up of the buffet to show details of the fabric front panels and the top.

Mirror detail

Mirror detail

Pottery Barn Ashton Non-Tufted Dining Chairs in Silver Taupe. Showing the fabric and wood detail up-close. Honestly, these chairs are well worth the price! Incredibly sturdy and comfortable! 

Pottery Barn Ashton Non-Tufted Dining Chairs in Silver Taupe. Showing the fabric and wood detail up-close. Honestly, these chairs are well worth the price! Incredibly sturdy and comfortable! 

Chair detail. The fabric is fabulous!

Chair detail. The fabric is fabulous!

Fun coastal decor from Hobby Lobby.

Fun coastal decor from Hobby Lobby.

Coastal Artwork from Home Goods.

Coastal Artwork from Home Goods.

Crystal and rustic go together like peas and carrots in my book! Just love the look anytime I see the two together. The painted clay pot was a fabulous find at Pier 1 Imports a few years ago. Faux hydrangea flowers from Pier 1 and Michael's.

Crystal and rustic go together like peas and carrots in my book! Just love the look anytime I see the two together. The painted clay pot was a fabulous find at Pier 1 Imports a few years ago. Faux hydrangea flowers from Pier 1 and Michael's.

Paint color is Ocean Pearl by Behr.

Paint color is Ocean Pearl by Behr.

View from the foyer.

View from the foyer.

Showing table detail. The wood was lightly sanded and a clear wax applied. No stain or sealer. This is the color of the wood naturally.Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read through my post! Comments are welcomed below! :) 

Showing table detail. The wood was lightly sanded and a clear wax applied. No stain or sealer. This is the color of the wood naturally.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read through my post! Comments are welcomed below! :)