Finished/Not-Finished Dining Room

I surely do love a formal dining room.  This house has a dining room AND a roomy kitchen nook, basically my dream come true. 

Since I like a dining room to get as much use as possible, I tried to keep ours cozy enough to sit at the table with coffee, and casual enough to allow the kids to spread out with their art projects.  This room has amazing natural light and a lovely view.  It's closely connected to the living room, making it easily accessible for more than 'formal dining.'  Our kids like to park their chairs at the windows and yell to people as they're coming up the front walk.  Don't be frightened if that happens to you when you come to visit.

do you like my map? 

Before: the walls were light blue, and a pewter colored chandelier hung from the ceiling.  The window treatment, while pretty, was a little too fancy for my personal taste.   The rug came with the house, but having little children to clean up after means I prefer hard floors in eating rooms. 

I love having windows at child-height

I painted the walls Dutch Boy Rudimentary Beige.  I used this same color all throughout the house.  Maybe boring, but I love it.  David hung the new light, and he's currently working on building me a hutch.  You'll notice I don't show one wall of this room, and that would be because it's completely blank until the new hutch comes in.  Once it's decorated and the rest of the wall art hung, I will have an even better 'after' to show.  Let's all text David multiple times a day and ask when my hutch will be finished, shall we?

(FYI, the table is set because friends were coming for supper.  We're not quite fancy enough to always keep the dining room table set up.)

We found the house blueprints in one of the closets and framed the front page drawing.  I just love it.   That flower picture is in need of a frame, but who has time for frame shopping?. 

my view from the kitchen sink

nice flow to the living room

hi Daph! who is running from the kitchen

Our dining room chairs are the same that we had at the Parkrose house, but I painted them black to trick myself into thinking I have new chairs.  We love how they turned out, and love the black against the light walls. We have a plan for some wainscoting or board and batten in this room, but I have to figure out exactly what I want and of course have to have David home long enough to help with the project. 

Aren't you excited for me to get my new hutch?  In time for some fall and then Christmas decorating?  Yes, me too.