We moved into our home almost a year ago. Crazy how fast time flies. And it seems crazy how some of those projects we (I) wanted to do in the very beginning are still incomplete almost a year later. I am learning to be content in my dreaming. Knowing that one day it will come together like I imagine but it just takes time.

A sweet friend that I have only only met via Instagram said something last week in regards to her new dream home that brought a lot of encouragement to me. She said, “This house is beyond our dreams. And yet, there’s still the opportunity to dream within it…”

When we found our home last October, I thought I was going to just die at the thought of living here. It was literally beyond our dreams and yet it became ours. My heart was overflowing with gratefulness and when I found myself dreaming up all kinds of possibilities I suddenly became guilt-ridden over the thought that my dreaming was an indicator of discontentment or ungratefulness. So I sat on much of the dreaming and left the plans undone.

Until a few weeks ago when I realized that it is ok to dream. God gave me this desire to be creative within our home and to make it ours and that is not a bad thing. He has given us this gift and I am sure as a loving father would receive so much joy in their child enjoying their gifts, God is joyful over us really cherishing this gift as well.

So welcome to my dining room. I am hesitant to show you because it is not finished. Not even close. And I am a prideful perfectionist who only likes to display my best. But I decided that showing you the process and the dream coming to life will be more fun and encouraging to you knowing that most of us who have real lives do not complete makeovers in a day, rather over time as we have the resources and ability.

This is the view of the dining room from the foyer. We have a gorgeous stairwell that divides the dining room from the rest of the house.

Our table was purchased from an overstock outlet when we moved to Florida 4 1/2 years ago. After an unfortunate accident involving me, an iron and the table earlier this year I was forced to paint the table. I still loved the lines and shape of the table so I wanted to make it work. I painted the table a perfect white and sealed it with polyurethane. BAD IDEA. The poly has turned (and is turning) the table yellow. It doesn’t look too bad in this picture but in person it’s terrible. I have to sand it down and start again. After a little research I found that sealing/protecting painted pieces with polyurethane will inevitably turn them yellow. A solution to this (because a dining room table must be protected, especially with someone like me who tends to spill things…) is using polycrylic. It is water based, low-odor and dried crystal clear.

I love my new chairs! This is actually round 2 of new chairs. When we first purchased the table we also purchased leather parsons chairs. While they were great, they were visually really heavy and dark and my husband had a strong disdain for how hot they were. I sold them on Craigslist for a great price and set out to replace them with the elusive ‘perfect’ chair. The first set I purchased was from Ikea and although I loved the minimalist style of the chairs and the clean lines they were too stark of a contrast to the lines of the table. So I returned them and started the hunt again.

And then I found these beauties from Restoration Hardware at a steal of a deal. The lines are perfection and I loved that while beautiful they still have a casual feel with the rustic stained wood and wicker seat. The seat really needed a cushion to make them feel finished. So thankful for a mama who knows how to not only work a sewing machine but pick out the perfect fabric and make her own patterns too. The cushions are perfection and at only $45.00 total, far less than purchasing the matching cushions from Restoration Hardware.

Eventually I would love to endcap the table with a chair a little more formal, maybe like this.

The wall color is the same throughout the house (except for the bedrooms and bathrooms which we painted as soon as we moved in.) Its a creamy yellow that I think could be beautiful but when paired with our honey oak floors it seems more orangy than we would like. Soon the wall color will be updated through the house. The color is still undecided. 🙂

My dream for this space is to have a high craftsman style wainscoting like this (source uknown.) and potentially a wallpaper (gasp!) above it. I would love a ledge on said wainscoting where I could layer frames and canvases in strategically placed points around the room. So eventually this little gallery will be gone. For now though its a great placeholder and I love that my mama’s recipe for Carrot Cake is framed alongside Emily Ley‘s Grace, Not Perfection print and that the adorable fork, knife, spoon art is actually from one of my best friend’s wedding’s earlier this year. I plan to fill the other empty frames with recipes from my granny and mother-in-law.

How do you feel about the idea of wainscoting? Is it right for this space? I want to add some character and uniqueness to this room since it is a bit separate from the rest of the house. Really making it a formal space that is still casual enough to use everyday. I would love your thoughts!

This cabinet was my graduation gift from high school. It was handcrafted by a local craftsman in Floyd, Virginia. It made the trek from Riner, Virginia to Harrisonburg, Virginia and then to Tampa. I painted it white and took off the doors and began filling it with any white thing I wanted. There are a lot of stories in that cabinet. The tricky thing is that it doesn’t quite fit in this room due to the size and layout of the room itself… but I’m unsure as to a better place for this cabinet I love so much. For now, it stays right where it is.

We are hosting a little Thanksgiving dinner here for a few friends that are like us and unable to go home for the holiday. I would love to have this room semi-transformed by then! We shall see (and I will update you along the way!)

A List of Projects/Needs/Wants (in the immediate and far future)

• Paint walls (at least in this room)
• New Light Fixture (Currently deciding between this one from West Elm and this one from Crate and Barrel. What do you think?)
• Area Rug (right? Or do you think rugs in dining spaces are silly? I like this one. For when I win the lottery.)
• Bar Cart (this one is amazing right?)
• Repaint and seal table
• Update curtains with heavier linen version (still white of course, but less casual)
• Wainscoting
• Wallpaper (I love the idea of a grasscloth like this (again, source not found)

What would you do in this space? I would love to hear your ideas!!

P.S. See why I need to update the light fixture asap? See photo below! Tiny little light, you are not getting the job done in our dining room and I cannot wait to replace you with a modern, sleeker and bigger version that actually shines light into this dining space.