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jillian1996

DECOENTHUSIASTE shoutout- DINING ROOM- leaning farmhouse Help please!

7 years ago

Want to lean a bit more farmhouse. Looking for suggestions to get the dining room to look cohesive, with kitchen and adjacent area of room with cabinet. Home was carriage house many years ago. I have the barn pic pulled from another room I could use. Suggestions Please! more pics to come




Comments (22)

  • 7 years ago

    A few more..




  • 7 years ago

    You're off to a good start! I would add a rug to the DR. Do you want to add color? If so, this is a good place to start. Everything is currently monochromatic, which isn't a bad thing. But adding some color will make it more cozy, imo.

    Replacing mirror with barn is a good idea. What is the brown wall piece on wall? (Left of mirror). I would replace it with a pair of framed pieces, one over the other. Do you have anything you could put in shadowboxes?

    The blanket/throw looks out of place in the dining room. I would put in den/living room or a bedroom.

    Add a window treatment to kitchen windows. Peninsula counter needs something,

    You definitely need to add some textures. I would also turn the lampshade seams to the rear of lamps, so they don't show when lights are turned on. You have a lovely home.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Your dining room looks very nice already, you have the furniture pieces you need already and they are just right.

    I would just tweak the accessories a bit.

    I would remove the clock over the china cabinet. Guests do not need to be reminded of the time and worry if they are eating too slowly and feel that they need to hurry. The other two things atop there are two small to be seen. Take a look around your house and see if you can find somethings to put up there that are interesting and the right size. Maybe try a couple of the dogs from inside the china closet and sit at the table and see what you think.

    I would remove the lamp from the buffet. The base is over-sized for the depth of the buffet, and these days since we have electric light in all our rooms, there is no need for a lamp on our dining room buffets. Years ago, there would have been candlesticks illuminating the food that we would have laid out there, it's just not necessary anymore.

    You can do better than than the mirror over the buffet. It looks more like a mirror that would go over a bedroom dresser. If you want a mirror there, I would choose a round mirror, something like a starburst/sunburst mirror. You can get that with a wooden frame, or if you want to be a bit more snazzy, with a gilded frame.

    If you really want to keep the mirror you have, then orient it vertically, not centered over the buffet, but placed more to the left, and to the right of it hang some art work, either one thing, or two smaller things, one over the other.

    On the buffet you can place candlesticks if you like, and whatever seasonal decorations you like to display.

    On the table on a tray, place a beautiful flowering plant such as an orchid or a begonia, or a plant with colored foliage such as a coleus.

    The small plant in the big black pot to the left of the china cabinet needs to find another place to live while it is growing up, it doesn't add anything to the dining room.

    The bird picture is very nice. My guess is that it is adequately illuminated by the can lights in your ceiling and that you don't need the lamp that is on the chest below it. That lamp actually distracts and detracts from the picture. If you feel that in the evening the picture is inadequately illuminated you can purchase an inexpensive picture light that is battery powered that can be easily affixed to the wall or to the picture itself.

  • 7 years ago

    Here is inspiration from celerygirl which helps invision a few tweeks with paint and a rug. Wondering what it'd look like with my barn pic as I don't know where to find the horse pic she photoshopped in. I need sources of suggestions:)


  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago



    This rug may be too light? If I painted furniture legs and china cabinet and buffet black? Any rug suggestions as I don't know source of celerygirls inspiration picture...wayfair??


  • 7 years ago

    Great suggestions so far! I think a rug would do wonders for the room. I don't love the wooden piece you have on the wall to the left of the mirror. I like the hutch painted darker like your photo above. I'm wondering what it would look like if you left only upholstered chairs at the ends of the table and replaced the side chairs with something not so heavy. I like your barn artwork but think a bigger frame would be nice.

    jillian1996 thanked shead
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Okay Deco. So glad you found me!! TY & have a great time away! some questions when you're back..Would you paint furniture black or no? Also need idea for artwork to hang where bird is now if I go with white barn pic.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    You need a few things. First off, we think you need a rug, and either to get rid of the mirror, or you need to integrate that color in the mirror into the rest of the wood. Right now it stands out by itself.

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    jillian1996 thanked Michelle Yorke Interior Design LLC
  • 7 years ago

    Took mirror down & have the barn picture propped up for now. Not sure what kind of rug would compliment room.


  • 7 years ago

    I'm baaaaack! Pictures can be deceiving, but I'm wondering if your lantern light is centered with the footprint of the room, and is your table expanded fully (or does it even have extra leaves?)

  • 7 years ago

    YAY! Hope you had a relaxing break:) No expansion on table, Yes, lantern light centered in middle but inset where buffet is not quite centered. I moved a long dresser/buffet up from the basment today. Hope to use because it was a backbreaker...let me take a pic. It allows more room for lamps and fits inset wall better. It will need painted..currenlty a light gray, but the wood pieces in this room needs a cohesive color so will be painting when decide what color. I know it's alot of furniture styles, but it's what i have for now... Smaller curio will need to stay that color but all other is up for paint. I brought an X chair, that could be an option around the table as well?




  • 7 years ago

    can get better pics tomorrow with better light..just drug some things out I alreay have. I don't like the herron over the cabinet any longer and not sure what would look good with barn so have a large clock. It' a bit of a mess right as I've just leaned things up, but gives ideas of what I already have.


  • 7 years ago

    I like the X-back chair but it seems very formal and a bit heavy, visually, for the casual table. If you want to lean into the farmhouse look, I think reupholstering the fabric ones might work. Maybe look into a large buffalo check in an accent color for those, if you are up to the job. Adding the color and pattern in the chairs will eliminate the need for a rug. I don't believe you have room for one that is 36-42" larger than the table top on every side. Tape it out on the floor with painter's tape to see. Let the chairs add that touch instead. If they are too big a project, you would use buffalo check wallpaper on that inset wall, and possibly in the china cabinet. I like the "new" buffet, but not the lamps. You can find some with more of a farmhouse feeling, and they may need to be actual buffet lamps and therefore taller. The heron is more beachy than FH, so you're right about eliminating it.


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  • 7 years ago

    Hi Deco! Crazy day so just hopping on and so glad to hear from you! I really like black & white buffalo check but I don't want to put the $$ into redoing the chairs again and not crazy about a buffalo check wall with the barn print. I gave a different table in the garage and the matching chairs which are X back...4 side chairs, and two with arms like the one shown. The table is more of an oval with straight legs. Possibly I could use that set, paint it, and cover the upholstered seats with black/white buffalo check. (I think I may be able to handle that upholstery myself. Put a simple tablecloth down table. Gray/white would be my 2nd choice. What color do you think would look better with barn print since it seems to be staying for sure. Would need to decide on color of paint for buffet, china cabinet and chair frames.

    What did you have in mind for new lamps/ height/style? I didn't want to go too big or compete with barn print. Maybe decide after the rest of room comes together?


    If I kept camel back upholstered chairs as is and current placement of table, "new buffet" and china cabinet, what color of paint would you suggest for furniture to help breath life into chairs?

    I can bring different table with chairs in sometime this week. The X chairs are in rafters of garage so need to have hubby help get them down. His back is still resting from moving buffet from basement..:(

    Lots of possibilities and questions here..I see painting in my future:)


  • 7 years ago

    You can add buffalo check lumbar pillows to each chair and a runner on the table if you keep what you have. Would these pull the colors of the armchair through? Just one possibility.


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    You have a black frame on the barn print, and every room needs a touch of black, IMO. If you aren't sure of the color, get several and make sure they are returnable. You might match the lamp base to the color of the check, or leave them white and get a check shade. You might find buffet lamps second hand, spray paint them black (or distress them) and make your own BC shade with fabric.

    If you think you prefer the X-back set with re-upholstered seats, you might go for more color since the wood is dark. Not sure it will fit as well with your painted pieces and the barn print, but you can try it to see what you think.

  • 7 years ago

    Continuing... Looks like the top of the buffet is dark and that might work with the other table and chairs. I'm having trouble making your straight leg chairs with their contemporary feeling work with the farm table you have. If you don't entertain much, you might replace the chairs on one side with a bench found 2nd hand and painted to match the table. Would your current chairs look better with the other table? Don't paint the buffet until last. I think it will need to be your accent color. Did you like that teal one in the pic I posted? I see some teal in your barn print.

  • 7 years ago

    The "new"buffet is painted a light gray all over and is french provencial. I do see a connection with it and the existing chairs with camel back and front legs, but at this point, non of paint colors match so I think I need to pic paint colors for each piece and I prefer they be same color or coordinate nicely. I'd like to stay in nuetral color families. ie, darker gray tone or possibly weathered gray, cream, white, deep brown, or black. I don't care for turquoise on buffet, even tho there is faint color of turqoise in barn painting. I think a darker color would make the chairs pop a bit better and may look better with light floor, but am a bit leary to go too dark as the dining room doesn't get alot of natural light. I'm not crazy about maple floors, but stuck with them.

    If I use the different table, and the X back chairs that match it, I would paint table and chairs and do buffalo check seats. Also would repaint buffet and tall china cabinet to coordinate with table & chairs.

    No, current chairs would not look better with other table. I think you could get better visual if I brought other table and a few more of those chairs in. Will work on getting pics of other options this week! Thanks you for walking thru this with me Deco!


  • 7 years ago

    You're welcome, Jillian. Its a blessing that you have lots of stuff to work with and try. Maybe...


    jillian1996 thanked decoenthusiaste
  • 7 years ago




    I have ordered a few low loop solid colored 6 x 9 rugs in gray, beige and light brown for texture. Waiting on them to arrive.

  • 7 years ago

    Cute house...you're doing a great job.

    I'm sure you appreciate the input from ALL of the posters. Personally, I love all of the suggestions.

  • 7 years ago

    Thank you, Pennydesign. I very much appreciate input from all posters:) The different ideas are so interesting and helpful.. If my budget were only bigger..:):)