Eclectic Dining Room

It took about three months to get this space finished. This is my first time actually having a room fully completed in my house with everything I love. Over the years I would say my style has shifted a bit from contemporary to more of an eclectic vibe. It kinda fit my personality. I'm simple but there a bit of randomness that just goes. 

Initially looking at the room you may notice the beautiful wall map. This mural was painted by my god-sister, by hand, no stencil, no tracing.. just straight free forming. It was amazing watching it all come together. I tried to stay out of her way as she created it, but it was hard to not just stare and watch.

I've spoken about before my recent love of travel. Granted I've only been on one international trip, but I have been making some progress in seeing new cities domestically. One thing I'm trying to infuse into everything I design is my passions. I love to entertain and I love to travel. This map is a bit of an encouraging reminder to get out and see the world.  Every time I visit a new city I put a push pin in the wall.

When it come to entertaining, I'm pretty simple,  I like to have my favorite drink with my favorite people. I purchased two of the IKEA shoe cabinets and turned it into my mini bar. It holds all my special glass and drinks, discretely.

Another new addition to the room was my light fixture. I wanted something simple that would stand out and I was surprised to find that Target carried beautiful light fixtures... this is no plug, I was just truly surprised. It also wasn't too bad on the pocket. I believe it was about $129.00. Because I'm not a fan of downward light I did not put a bulb in the bottom of the chandy, but I don't think it looks to bad without one.

This is no doubt my most favorite room I have put together. I am absolutely in love. My daughter loves it too and hangs out and reads in the dining room. And lastly, I purchase a new table from American Signature, again another surprise find that was not expensive. Only $260. 

I spray painted my silver metal chairs a bronze finish to match with the chandy. I love love love it all. I can't want to finish the next area of my house!

If you want to get an idea of my style and the different phases of the dining room check out this post: http://www.behindthebiggreendoor.com/2016/11/the-2-year-dining-room-makeover.html

For behind the scene details, follow me on IG, www.instagram.com/behindthebiggreendoor

Coping with Carpet: Dining Room Refresh

We have been in our house for 5 years now. Somewhere around year two I promised myself I would have hardwoods in my house by year five. In came year five and still no hardwood floors. Talking it over with boo we decided to make investments in other areas of the houses, new A/C unit, updated mattresses and a new closet, so that placed hardwood floors on the back burner.

Being stuck with carpet hasn't been my favorite thing, but I have learned how to cope with it. If you are dealing with carpet woes here are some things you can do:

GO FOR A BOLD COLOR SCHEME
One way to distract from carpet is to use  bold colors. Painting the walls a bold color will bring the eyes off the carpet and onto the walls. You can also play with boldly colored accents too. In my dining room, I opted for black paint on the walls. The black walls takes the eyes off of the carpet!

CREATE A FOCAL POINT
Creating a focal point will remove the eye from the carpet also. If done correctly, your focal point will distract from your carpet. I created a family gallery wall above my bar area. This area immediately grabs the attention of my visitors as they spend time looking over the pictures

INVEST IN A LARGE AREA RUG
Area rugs are your best friend if you have carpet. The larger the best, is my opinion. They do a great job of covering up the carpet and also adding some color to your space. In my dining room, I opt-ed out of a rug and used the next tip instead.

SKIP THE RUG AND EMBRACE
Sometime coping with carpet is as simple as just accepting it. In my dining room, I choose to just accept it. I've been leaning more toward minimizing some of my decor, so accepting the carpet came more natural than adding a rug.

CLEAN IT REGULARLY
Cleaning your carper regularly is a must...and I don't mean just vacuuming. Investing in a great at home carpet cleaner will be crucial. We have an awesome carpet cleaner that we use every 3 months or so. Deep cleaning your carpet often will keep it looking fresh and clean. There's something about a freshly cleaned carpet that is refreshing and makes having carpet not too bad.

What are some ways that you have coped with having carpet? Do tell!

5 Life Lessons From My Mom

It's crazy you never know how much you need your mom until you become a mom yourself. Or maybe this was just the case for me. Becoming a mother 8 years ago opened my eyes up to just how much my mom did for me growing up. My mother was a single parent who was always there and available to me, she made parenting look easy. Looking back now, I still don't know how she did it. But she did! and she did it well! 

My mother has taught me so many things. Aside for that, I have learn so many things by just watching and observing her. The lessons I have learned can be applied to everyone and today I wanted to share a few of them:

Independence is Golden

My mom taught me how to be a go-getter, not only in her words but through her actions. Having independence is so important in life. At the end of the day we are responsible for our own life's journey. Independence is a huge part of life and being able to stand on your own two feet without help is invaluable. 

Kindness Rules
My mom has the biggest heart. She is known for her kind and loving spirit. I have always strived to have her same spirit. I have seen where others are willing to go above and beyond for my mom just off the strength of who she is. How amazing is that!

Help Out, Even When it's Inconvenient
It's easy to help others when it doesn't put much of a strain on ourselves. However, what about helping someone when it's not convenient? My mom is the queen of this...I mean super self-less! The help that she offers just means so much more because of this. She even takes it a step further by helping without expecting anything in return. She is the truest example of this.

 It's Not What You Say, it's How You Say It
How many times have you had to tell someone something that they may not be receptive to? I'm sure you can think back on a time of an uncomfortable conversation that you have had to have with a friend or family member. Knowing how to deliver these talks is my mom's specialty. She has always taught me to use the 'Love Sandwich' .... what's that you may ask...well, it's giving good news, followed by bad news, wrapped up with good news. Trust me it works. I love that my mom is sensitive enough to other's feelings that she puts effort into how she delivers news.

Once you Commit, Dedicate Yourself
You don't have to commit to do everything, but if you do commit to something, give it your all. My mom has taught and shown my that giving a 110% is a requirement. I have watched her sign up, pitch in and lend a hand all my life. She always done it with full effort and a smile on her face.

Now can you tell how awesome my mom is?? ...and today I will honor her with a few small gifts and her favorite meal. This table set up is for her and my mother in law.

Share with me, what are some life lessons you have learned from your mom?

The 2 Year Dining Room Makeover

You read that post title correctly. I've been working on my dining room for two years. While browsing through some of my older posts I ran across a post from 2014 of me discussing my dining room updates. It kind of cracked me up because the first thing I thought was, 'man has my style changed!' ... 

This actually was never a post idea but as I look at my dining room now I am compelled to share the difference and the completed (for now) space. There's are two reasons why that I'll share at the end of this post. Let's take a trip down memory lane shall we!

CIRCA 2014

oh.my.goodness is all I can say. I'm looking at this picture and just thinking how much I hate this paint color and this table. At the time, I loved this room. Today... not so much. I actually painted this wall twice. The first shade was just horrible and I settled on this one here After hating this color for 6 months I decided to lighten the space.

I also added this piece of art from Hobby Lobby. I thought it complimented the table well.

CIRCA 2015
I was becoming even more restless with this table set. I was growing more into my style and pretty much made it up in my mind that I hated matching dining sets. So I tried to add some variation by changing out the fabric of the chairs.

I also realized I didn't like that art much and wanted some a little less traditional. I instantly fell in love with this zebra print from IKEA.

That still wasn't enough for me so I figured I would get rid of this table. I didn't care how much everyone else in the house loved it... I was over it. I ventured over to craigslist to get a low top, round table.

I found a couple of chairs on craigslist too and another pair at Bargain Hunt. I planned to paint the top of the table white.....but it was too small. It was a 48" table and after having it in the space for a while I realized it wasn't going to work.

Thanks to a family friend, I was able to get another table top. He hand-made this table top for me. It measures 60" round. He mounted it onto the existing base.

at this point, I was feeling much better and much more inspired by the space. The previous table was given me serious inspiration blockage.

Now, if you checked out the first link you will see there was some things I really wanted for this space. A mini-bar, a nice rug, to update my vase and some curtains were a few of the things. Well friends, I'm happy to saw that I FINALLY have all of those things.

CIRCA 2016

....and just for fun. Let's compare the before and after

The last two thing on my list for this space is a new chandy and hardwood floors, but in the meantime I'll sit back and enjoy my completed space.

I wanted to share this post for a couple reasons:

1. Please know that it takes time for a room to come together exactly how you like it.. I know it can seem that things just happen overnight in blog world or TV, but please know, it takes time, AND THAT IS FINE!

2. It's ok for your design style to change. I went from one extreme to the other. There is nothing permanent about style.. it's evolving! I loved taking a moment to look at my progression.

Did you like this post? If so, please consider subscribing to my newsletter.

The Key to Making Over a Room - Breaking up [with] Matchy Furniture Series

If you have been following along with my Breaking up [with] matchy furniture series, you will know that I am in the process of redoing my dining room. In my last post, I shared some stuff I scored from Craigslist. At the time the plan was to redo the table and chairs. Well, we all know nothing EVER goes according to plan!

When I sat down at the table it felt way too small! It was only 48'' and I got to thinking I might need a 60'' table. My mother's friend is a wonderful carpenter and he BUILT me a bigger table top!

So here is the table and room.

and the key to making over a room... TAKE EVERYTHING OUT! ...or at least as much out as you  can. Get it the room down to the barest bones you can get it. I removed the picture, desk, and chair from the corner

That still wasn't enough! I needed it bare!

And that's the key! Why is that the key you may ask.. well when the room is bare you can truly see the space that you have to work with! You can see how big or little the room actually is. Also, with a blank slate your imagination is free to roam and not be influenced by what you may already have in the room.

So I have got some major progress done. If you remember I was talking about getting a bar cart and turning the table white. Well that has been done! Check out this post for my completed bar cart!

Still left to do is to reupholster and paint my chairs, and get a nice jute rug for under my table.

With clearing out the dining room I have added some things on my to-do,
1. Changing the curtains
2. Changing the light fixture
3. New Artwork
4. A possible buffet table.

Now Check out just how far this room has come:
Dining Room Part 1
Dining Room Part 2

So what do you think of my new table?! Also, what is your key to making over a room? Do tell!

Dining Room Plans - Breaking Up [with] Matchy Furniture Series

I tried ya'll, I really tried! But I just could not find a way to love my dining room set. I haven't talked about the dining room - breaking up with matching furniture series lately, but it is still on my to do list. If you remember, I purchased a dining room set a couple years ago. At the time, I loved it, but now as my design taste evolves, I hate it! I mean straight up hate it!

Well last night I got so tired of it that I went on a spending spree to replace it....and by spending spree I mean $90! I don't plan on spending no more that $150 on this set and maybe another $150 for accessories. I'll tell you how I got it done and then plans I have for completing my dining room.

So far I have purchased a table and four chairs.

I got the table and metal chairs off Craigslist for $30. I was able to negotiate a bit on this and saved a few bucks. I recently shared my Craigslist tips, check that post out HERE.

The two upholstered chairs are from Bargain Hunt for $30 a piece. Bargain hunt is a scratch and dent furniture/clothing store. Which is perfect for someone like me who loves to fix things up. The chairs aren't perfect but it's nothing that can't be patched. I love the color of the chairs so those will stay as is and just get a good cleaning.

This may look like a pile of confusion, but once I put my finishing touches on it, it will be perfect. The plan is to paint the table a glossy white. I will also add bar cart to the room and some nice accessories. I already have a bar cart that I purchased maybe 2 years ago from a thrift store for $20 with the intentions of giving it a makeover. I never got around to it, but now I have some motivation!

For fabrics, I want to add a rug, probably a jute one. I will also change the metal chairs' fabric. I like small amounts of animal prints, so I'm thinking a dalmatian print on the chairs. I will leave the chairs' frame black more than likely.

So there's my plans. I hope to have another update on this next weekend.

Check out my other Breaking up [with] Matchy Furniture series post:
Reupholstering Chairs
Dining Room Inspiration

Reupholstering Chairs - Breaking up [with] Matchy Furniture Series

If you remember from my last post, I am trying to break up my matchy dining room furniture. The first thing I went after was changing the chairs' fabric. I got this done on Saturday afternoon while watching TV. It's very simple to do and if you want to do it yourself, check out my How To Reupholster Chairs post HERE.

Now on to the details, here's what I originally started with:

Yes, my chairs really looked like this..hanging fabric and all. I had changed the fabric on these chairs a couple of times and some kind of way it ended up getting to this point.

If you follow me on Insta you will know of me sharing my bargain find at Hobby Lobby. Here's the fabric that I found. I love the texture and color.

I use my step by step guide to reupholster the chairs. The process seemed to take forever for some reason, or maybe I was just super impatient at the time. Nevertheless, I got it done.

So I completed step one of breaking up this set, and trying to make it look less "out of the box." If you want to see what it originally started with, check out my previous post. Up next I'll be looking to add some different style chairs to the table, maybe I will get lucky and find something thrifted. If not, I have my eye on something at World Market that I think will fit just fine.