ORC Spring 2018 – (Guest Participant) Week 1 – Dining Room Refresh

Hello friends!  Today I am excited to announce that I am diving into the One Room Challenge again!  I have only attempted this challenge once before when I designed my home office a few years back.

Even though it means a lot of work and a lot of decisions, I am ready to take on another room.

For those of you who not familiar with the One Room Challenge, it is a bi-annual event created by Linda from Calling It Home where designers and bloggers challenge themselves to finish one room over a course of six weeks.  Featured designers share their rooms on Wednesdays and guest participants (like myself), link up their rooms every Thursday.  At the end of six weeks, the participants are expected to share the finished room.  For those of us who work best with a deadline, this can be a great motivator to complete those decorating projects.

This time, I have decided to work on my Dining Room…

Before Photos:

My dining room has been red for about 15 or so years and that color served us well.  It was warm and inviting during our annual Thanksgiving dinners and it felt very festive at Christmas time.

But after all those years, I need change.  I almost chose to go light with the color but every time I would come across a navy room, I was reminded of how much I wanted one in my own home.  Last spring, I fell in love with a navy room in a decorator showhouse.  Then I went on a house tour in the summer and fell in love with another navy room.  I kept trying to talk myself out of navy for some reason.  Even when I wrote my recent post, How to Work Navy into Your Decor, I was still undecided.

What forced me to make a decision?  A deadline!  I had ordered plantation shutters for my living room and the company called me a couple weeks ago to set up an installation date.  They were ready much faster than I anticipated and I had to have my old shades removed and the holes patched before the shutters were installed.  I called our contractor who did our kitchen renovation because he is very meticulous and knew he would do a perfect job patching the holes and repainting the window moldings.  I figured I would have the windows patched and painted at the same time I had my dining room painted.  And…that is what pushed me into deciding on a paint color!

Since the painters are coming tomorrow, I thought I would keep up the momentum in the room and finally get the room done!  I tend to take a long time making decisions when it comes to my home.  With a 6 week deadline, I am forced to focus and actually make some choices.  Will they be the right choices?  I don’t know but I am not hesitating any more!

The Plan:

Things That Will Definitely Change:
Paint color from red to navy
Curtains
Head chairs
Seat covers on the side chairs
Buy new buffet/sideboard for empty wall
Artwork

Possibly Buy:
New rug
New chandelier
Bar cart – (because they are just so much fun to decorate!)

Thing That Will Be Staying:
Table
Some chairs
China Cabinet (because my husband can’t justify buying a new one!)
3 Ledge shelves on wall

Okay, now that I just typed all those things, I am getting a little stressed but hey I’ve got six weeks!

Wish me luck!

Also, be sure to visit the other guest participants in the Spring 2018 – One Room Challenge.

What are you decorating these days?

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