Before + After: Dining Area Reveal

I have envisage how I want our small dining area to look for so long that once the art and mirror was finally hung on the wall and the new furniture put in place and I took a look at it all it was so familiar to me because I've dreamt about the design for so long!

I absolutely love how it has turned out ... come take a look at the scary befores and pretty afters of the Dining Room reveal.

Before - Dining Area and Window

After - Dining Area with French Doors

Before - Dining Area was a blank canvass

After - Dining Area with art and mirror

 

On Saturday morning Mr P and I were up early and fuelled on McMuffins waiting for the shops to open on a mission to find dining chairs to go with the dining table we bought a few weeks ago.

Although we dreamed of having indoor bench seats for the dining area seating we managed to find a table that would fit the space and just needed 4 dining chairs to fit around it.

Our recent purchases - Ikea glass dining table and yellow Replica stools

I had in mind black leather seats with silver legs to match the dining table but all the chairs we saw were quite plain, not very comfortable or well made, or the legs were round instead of square (which wouldn't match the dining table legs).

The dining chairs ranged from $80 at the cheaper shops up to $300 at the more expensive shops.

One of the contenders from Harvey Norman but the $299 price tag was not appealing

As we were nearing midday we had to head home and decided to make a last minute stop at Lifestyle Furniture which has a great mix of modern and retro furniture.

Mr P spotted these fabric chairs first and then I stopped in my tracks and stared at them like it was love at first sight.

The silver fabric was a brave choice but they will match the painted grey walls, the legs were square and shiny exactly like the table legs, the dark edged pattern is a grey/brown colour and will go beautifully with the jarrah floorboards and there is flecks of a green/yellow and yellow is the accent colour in the kitchen and dining.

They were perfect ... I had to have them!

Then the bartering began, they would only sell the chairs in a set of 8 as they were the last ones they had and we only needed 4 chairs but decided we could fit 6 at the dining table and put 1 in the study and 1 in the guest bedroom.

We also haggled for a discount and instead of $129 paid $110 per chair. We managed to fit all 8 chairs in the ute and on the back seat and took them home there and then.

Then on Sunday we finished off the rest of the room.

Once we knew where the dining furniture would sit centred on the wall, we could hang up the mirror which I got from Freedom a few months back and thought it would be perfect for above the dining table.

I think mirrors in dining areas are a fantastic way to create a zone, especially in an open plan style like my kitchen/dining area. They also help to bounce light around which helps make the space look bigger.

Freedom's Karla mirror

I managed to get it reduced even further to $154 ... but there was a 1 month wait to order it in



The mirror at 20kg was to heavy to lift to see where to hang it, so we just measured to centre it on the wall

Removing the packaging and praying that it was not damaged !

Drilling holes for the brackets

  

Attaching the brackets to the wall

Then the mirror was hung straight on to the brackets

We checked that our heads weren't going to touch the mirror - it was hung at the perfect height

Once the mirror was hung on the wall I could set up the furniture and I was so damn excited by this stage I couldn't wait to see it come together! 

I borrowed the silver rug that was in the Guest Bedroom as I want to protect the jarrah floorboards we spent hours sanding, sealing and restoring. Until we work out what type of rug to put here I think this silver shag rug looks really good except the size is a little small. 

Once the rug was down the dining table and chairs went onto it .... it looks like a proper dining area now!

A rug not only protects the floorboards but also anchors the dining area

The dining setting fits perfectly in this corner against the wall and out of the way

The pops of yellow from the stools compliment the fabric chairs

I know where that saying the cat that got the cream comes from now ... I am just happy that I followed my heart and took a risk with the design and colours in this room I think it has really come together well. 

Looking back to the first rooms we renovated and decorated I really played it safe with colours and design but now I feel I'm a lot more confident and taking a risk really pays off.

I also want to say a big thanks to my gorgeous Mr P who has always encouraged my inner interior designer and given me full reins to design and decorate however my heart desires. 

What do you think of the new dining area?

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[All images my own]

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