Happy Way Day! I hope that you are able to find some deals on any new home decor you’d been eyeing.
Since it’s Wayfair’s Way Day and we’ve been talking furniture and home decor so much, I thought to give another little home decor update. About a month ago, I asked for your help in redecorating our living room and you all came through with the tips. But I’m still feeling really overwhelmed by all the choices. So instead I’m going to start with a much smaller project: our dining nook.
As I’ve mentioned before, our entry, living, and dining rooms all are in the same space. So instead of a traditional dining room, we have more of a dining nook or dining area. I actually started pulling images and putting them together in a design deck to show Andy and got really excited about this project. Because it’s a smaller space, it feels more manageable. Not like I’m biting off more than I can chew. It will also be less expensive. While I’d like to replace the table for something like this, I think we can hold onto ours a bit longer. That just leaves new chairs and a big piece of art for the wall. And trust me, we REALLY need new chairs.
Our original dining set was a hand-me-down from Andrew’s parents. It’s a perfectly fine set however, all the chairs started breaking this year. It’s like they all reached their max usage within six months of each other. So long story short, we started with six chairs and now have two. Yup, two fully functional chairs. (There is a third but it is broken, we just haven’t gotten rid of it yet.)
So yes, our dining area needs some work. I’d really like to turn it into a little nook where we can sit comfortably and eat together. I like to imagine down the line, Teddy sitting there doing school work. It just needs some personality. You could say that’s the theme of (almost) our entire house.
So chairs and wall art.
As far as art, I already have an idea of what I’d like. This scuba diver tryptic really struck me when I first saw it. It’s the right size for the large space but Andrew’s also a scuba diver. So while this image was originally taken in the late ’60s, it’s also part of our story. But then I saw the price tag. Because it’s a trademarked image, this image and design are going to cost hundreds of dollars. So back to the drawing board.
In the long run, I think I’d like to take some photos and have them placed in a tryptic. But until then, I really like this sailboat print. AllPosters.com is a decent place to get prints. I had this one from them in the past. It’s generally cheaper to get a big print then frame it yourself with a simple frame like these from Ikea or the thrift store but their framing isn’t too expensive.
That brings us to chairs. Personally I love the idea of a dining settee bench. It gives you the nook feel without having to build a full-on bench, which was my original idea. I ordered this emerald green settee last week and it already arrived. I’ve already assembled it and it looks so good! I love the color and am glad that I went with my gut on this choice.
For the other chairs, I’m planning on getting black bistro chairs. I think they will look more minimal and elevate the space because they have a slim design. Because it’s a small space, anything too large will feel cluttered or overcrowded. These rattan backed armchairs would be beautiful is we ever needed end chairs but we don’t need them right now.
Anyways that’s about 600 words on what I’m thinking for the dining area. I’m actually really excited about this project. I think it will inject a lot of much-needed personality and aesthetic into our home. Plus since it’s a small project, it gives me a quick dose of confidence in my design capabilities.
Below is part of the design deck that I sent to Andrew if you are interested or want some inspiration for your own small dining nook makeover. Enjoy!
