My Dining Room Refresh And 10 Tips For Yours!
When our son, Tommy was here working for four weeks in May, I gave him my office and worked in the dining room. I just looked and looked at my surroundings and wanted a dining room refresh! (Know what I mean?).
A few years ago, I bought a WS Home dining bench on super sale always intending to recover it. And I wanted new updated but comfortable chairs. Tommy took our old dining chairs back with him to Los Angeles so that gave me some motivation to purchase new ones!
After I ordering new chairs (thinking I could wait for a new table), a jug filled with flowers leaked and overnight completely bubbled the veneer on the old table. I hated the look, but fortunately, someone was happy to have it so I gave it to her…and went about shopping for a new table.
If you are tired of looking at the same four walls, here are…
My Dining Room Refresh Tips
Let me know if you have any questions…
- remove the table protective cover if you have one. Life is short…enjoy the finish every day. Use table linens like placemats when in use. Embrace a scratch or two like smile lines. (Old English works well on scratches).
- take a leaf or two to make the table more intimate when you aren’t having a big dinner party.
- mix in a couple of host chairs that are larger and different for an updated look to an all matched set.
- recover your existing dining chairs if they are in a dated fabric.
- use performance fabrics to make cleaning spills easier.
- take down heavy draperies.
- consider an updated light fixture.
- have a pretty fresh centerpiece that you can enjoy every day…like a fern in a soup tureen, or seasonal fruit in a footed bowl
- reframe your art to update it. If you don’t have large pieces of art, assemble smaller pieces in a gallery.
- mirrors look great in dining rooms as they reflect candlelight.
Here is what I did in my dining room that may work for you.
My Dining Room Refresh
Dining Chairs
I purchased four of these armchairs to use with the dining bench. I’m putting one in the living room when we don’t need it to create more space in the dining room.
The basic linen seats were recovered in Schumacher Sarong Weave performance fabric. I already had the Serena and Lily lumbar pillows which I don’t see on their website in this color blue anymore. But there are other colors on sale here. I like the little suede trim and back zipper.
Dining Bench
The WS Home dining bench was recovered in performance fabrics also, the same Schumacher on the seats and ivory (to blend with the caning on the other seats) Crypton linen-like fabric on the back.
Iron X Base Dark Wood Table
Even though we live in a city, the new table is more casual and reflective of the way we live and entertain (hopefully soon) now. You can see I adhere to my tip about mirrors in a dining room. Also, I like some antiques/vintage in the mix like the Trumeau mirror and the French marble-topped bookcase holding dishes.
This Martino X base table was on sale at Pottery Barn and I see it’s no longer available (I just got it a few weeks ago).
The natural brass chandelier is from Lumens. The cane chairs can be purchased without arms, too.
Dining Room Gallery Wall
I’ve shown this before…my collection of paintings from the last 20 years or so. The little vintage seascape is new from Etsy.
I’m writing this post from that bench right now.
That’s my dining room refresh! Thanks for coming by!
Mary Ann
You may also like Traditional Dining Room Refresh; Before and After and Eight Steps to Refresh Your Bedroom
Thank you for sharing this and really loved the tips. Keep posting!
Your dining room looks so beautiful and , well, classic and casual! I really like to Sarong Weave fabric; did you use Mediterranean? It looks more green than blue on the website? I need to recover my dining room chairs after about 15 years :/ and thinking I want a performance fabric in a small print.
Be well,
Mary
Great ideas! The bench and chairs are wonderful … it’s a beautiful new look. I appreciate the reminder about a mirror. I need to find one for our little dining room. xo
Great choice on the dining table and chairs. They go really well together! The bench came out nice as well. I love WS Home…I bought a console from there last summer that I am very happy with. Had my eye on it for quite awhile saved up the money and pounced when it was on sale. They have a great Summer sale going on right now. I’ve been saving up for dining room furniture 2/3 of the way there. Not sure where I will end up purchasing it…will have to check out Pottery Barn. My husband and I spent the afternoon today purging stuff out of the garage. Ugh 22 years worth of crap. Can’t believe how much artwork my daughter had that we saved. And what was up with all the rabbit stuffed animals?? I told my husband they must have been mating because I don’t remember purchasing most of them lol.
Linda
I have to check out the sale, Linda! Although I shouldn’t. We need to purge too.
A lovely room with the chairs, bench, and artwork!
Mary Ann,
Your dining room redo is so pretty. I love the cane chairs and bench. The table is great. Your art gallery is lovely.
As usual, great inspiration and ideas.
xo,
Karen
Your dining room looks great, always enjoy your posts, and taking a leaf out of my dining room table was such great advice you gave me. Annette
Thanks for commenting, Annette!
What a beautiful “re-fresh”…I’ve turned my formal dining room into my “covid-castle”…I even hung a temporary curtain on the larger opening to carve out some visual privacy…I will move the art around and hang some more mirrors…Can you tell me about the lovely vase the flowers are in – I see it’s featured often…love that!
Thanks!! I got the vase on super sale at Anthropologie.
Mary Ann, your dining room update is fabulous. I adore those chairs and the bench is beautiful with the new fabric. I love your new table too. Can I please come live with you? I can cook, clean, iron, sew pillow covers and much more. Your gorgeous room only enhances the view!
Hahaha! I miss you Gail!
It’s a lovely composition of elements. What a great table! And of course, your view is one that is unbeatable – and always classic!
Thanks, Pamela! I waited a long time to do this!
Great tips and your chairs look so pretty! That gallery wall is to die for. You must feel so good when you walk in there now!
Yes Cindy, in fact, I am still working in here!