Dining Room Update + A Fun Table Runner

Our dining room, much like any dining room that isn’t used for actual daily dinning, had become a room with a lost identity.

Three main problems plagued this space:

• It had a giant table but no chairs. { At one point I did have 8 beautiful, modern chairs, covered in a dusty-rose velvet. Bought in a momentary relapse where I forgot I had four young kids. They were later sold on Facebook Marketplace. }

• It is the first room off the front entrance. By default the dining table had become an open invitation for everyone in our home to off load their junk. { Who are these crazy people I choose to live with I asked myself daily! }

• The walls. The dark blue walls which are beautifully dramatic and cozy but also a major light-suck when left blank.

Two weeks ago, I decided life is too short to live like this. Also, being the one who hates to spend money on anything that impedes my plan to pack and move to France immediately, I DID NOT want to spend ANY $$$ on new things.

I have learned that above all, the willingness to be frugal is the best outlet for all my creative ideas. In this case, I simply walked around my house and found items gathering dust. This included a rug, two benches from our patio table, and two chairs from the living room that were always in the way. I did decide to spend money on good artwork which I found for a reasonable price on Wayfair.

Last Friday we had some friends over for movie and pizza night. with 9 kids in total, I decided to use painters’ paper-roll as the table runner for my newly dressed dining table. Purchased from Sherwin Williams for just $12 for another art project, it worked so well for our little guests. It brought me so much joy to see their little creations.

It feels so good when things work out on a budget doesn’t it? I am so happy to have a real dining room that still doesn’t get used for daily dining but is useful, charming, and inviting nonetheless!

This truly feels like an Antibland makeover! Do you have a dining room with challenges? Can we talk about it please??