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In my old house, my dining room was the room that never got used. Do you have one of those? Fancy table. Maybe a china hutch and a buffet? Maybe you see it on Easter or Christmas if you’re celebrating at your home, but otherwise, it’s a room you dust? Yeah, I know all about that. I had one of those before we moved. In this house, however, my dining room is just as much of a workhorse as my kitchen. Without a breakfast table, we actually use our dining room. Go figure.
Because our dining room is part of our very open floor plan, the space needed to blend with the rest of our decor and be comfortable for a casual dinner, elegant for a special occasion meal, and serve as another area for the kids to gather for homework and crafts. Ok. I may be overstating just a tad. I’m not really into crafts. But, I want it to feel like one could do crafts at the table. You know? 🙂
The foundation for any dining room is a great rug. A great rug with a lot of colors that will expertly hide spilled wine, dirt, food, paint and glitter. Yes, this is A LOT to ask of a mere rug, but one must be demanding. I actually really love the wool rugs from Pottery Barn. Their muted earth tone colors are excellent “hiders,” and although many Pottery Barn items are splurges, their rugs are a great value.
Next, we must protect the chairs. Allow me to show you what happens if you don’t. A once, quite innocent bit of drool (yes my cooking is that good), turned into this giant looks-like-someone-peed-their-pants-at-the-table spot on my dining chair after I tried to clean it up. (No, my cooking isn’t that good.)
So now, we cover all of the chairs with these beige Everday Elegance Chair Covers from ViveVita. They are super easy to put on the chairs and are machine washable. Not bad, right? Purchase your own in a variety of covers on Amazon. {Don’t miss the giveaway at the end of the post for a set of 2 Everyday Elegance Chair Covers!}
Another area I struggle with when it comes to children and dining is how to keep the table top clean enough to be presentable, yet not feel like a slave to windex and rags. First step: glass table tops be gone! Whew! That has made such a huge difference.
Second: Stylish and easy to clean placemats. I am so glad I found Keri’s Etsy Shop, Izy and Oly. I found these red and beige geometric placemats in her shop along with some other adorable children’s placemats that I’ll be sharing with y’all later on. Not only do they look great, but I swear they clean off with just a damp rag. Wine beads up and wipes right off. Smooshed in bright blue icing came off with a rag. Yes, I thoroughly vetted these guys for you and plan to get another set of six soon, just so I can mix up my decor a bit! You can use the discount code, ROOMBYROOM10 for 10% off her entire shop. {Don’t miss the $25 gift card for Izy and Oly at the end of the post!}
Finally, no room is complete without the finishing touches of greenery and art. I was beyond lucky to discover Hilda Oomen’s fine art shop on Etsy. Her still lifes take my breath away. I just adored her work and new it would be perfect for my new home. We discussed the space that I was working with and we ended up picking the piece that you see here:
Remember how yesterday, I said pick what you love and make it work for your space, rather than the other way around? That’s what I did here. The painting was definitely small for the wall I wanted to hang it on, so once again, I consulted my interior designer, Andrea Robinson, who suggested picking an oversized frame and papering the wall behind the art with a neutral stripe.
I ended up finding a grasscloth that was relatively inexpensive, and hired Joan Hobbs, from Color My Walls, to paper this wall and others in my house (once again, you’ll see that work later).
It turned out just as I had hoped, and I think that the wall turned out to be the perfect backdrop for Oomen’s work. I hope to add more of her original works to my collection over the next few years. I’m thinking one of her floral still lifes would make a fab Christmas present or Mother’s Day present. Hint. Hint. She’s also offering readers a 10% discount on her entire shop. Simply contact her prior to purchase and she’ll apply your discount.
Finally, let’s chat greenery. I like to have flowers and plants in every room. If possible. Sure, they are a biz-nitch to water, but kids can sometimes be annoying to feed and we do it anyway. Because we love them. I love my plants too. But, I only get non-finicky ones. Otherwise, they die. Perhaps that’s why my kids are so well behaved? 😉 Hah.
Anyways, I’ve strayed. Yes, the greenery – I like to combine several potted plants of various heights in corners throughout my house, like I’ve done here.
And, I absolutely love my {real-life} succulent wreath from Amber Lights Decor. I have it hanging with a command hook on my glass door, and it’s so low maintenance. You only need to soak it every other week or so (when it feels dry). I use my bathtub to soak it, or if it’s raining, and I remember, I just set it outside. It’s grown quite a bit since I’ve had it, and it’s proven to be quite the conversation piece in our dining room.
Next stop…. The Living Room and Office. But, in the meantime, don’t miss these awesome giveaways!
Enter to win 2 Everyday Elegance Chair Covers from ViveVita:
Enter to win a $25 gift card from Izy and Oly: a Rafflecopter giveaway
You can follow our journey with by using the #thisnewhouse hashtag on Twitter and Facebook!
*I did not receive compensation for any of the elements of the This New House Series. I was provided with product and/or services to review and will only be sharing those with the audience that I fully support. All opinions are always my own!*
LOVE The succulent wreath! Gorgeous!! How’s it holding up?! Do update.