If the photo above gives you flashbacks of stonewashed jeans, permed hair, and an Achy Breaky Heart, there's good reason. The last time this dining room was decorated was in 1991 — and it shows! But never fear, this outdated room got a makeover that brought it firmly into 2012!
Sarah shares this dining room update on her blog, Dumped and Discovered. The outdated room is actually in a home belonging to her semi-retired parents, who rarely use the house. While her parents wait for the real estate market to rebound so that they can sell the home, Sarah and her husband are renting (and updating) it. First project: this outdated dining room.
After pulling down the magnolia wallpaper border, Sarah painted the walls a cool, modern gray. That simple update alone is enough to bring this dining room zooming into the 21st century! Sarah also replaced the old brass chandelier with a rehabbed light fixture she picked up at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore and switched out some of the furniture pieces to further stage the room. Simple changes but they go a long way in modernizing the space.
Check out the full post, along with many more DIY projects, on Sarah's blog — Dumped and Discovered.
(Images: Dumped and Discovered)
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Seriously, simple changes that make a huge impact! Good job.
I dont know, it doesn't look 2012 to me. Its nice tho.
great makeover --the before looks so much like a sort of cheesy display " furniture store " truly 1990. The after is more relaxed and elegant. The greenery was very nice, no reason to eliminate it.
wait a minute... why are the windows changed??
Doesn't look like the windows are changed, she just took the lattices out. Good call.
I hope she kept that fantastic tree!
Well, I thought there was a slight change to the way the windows looked anyway :)
Love it. It's great to see what an inspired use of paint can accomplish.
Still looks a little "mature" but definitely an improvement. Bring back the plant though please.
Looks fantastic!
Honestly, I don't think that it looks very 2012. While the paint color/wallpaper border removal is a tremendous improvement, I think that the sideboard and faux black wrought iron chandelier look very 2001. Brass is actually very on trend right now.
Fresher, for sure, but I liked the latticed windows in the before pic.
Lose the table runner or use a different off white or different color.
Thing the lamp on the table is too big too - sorry - and agree about the plant - much nicer than that stove and jug arrangement.
Better, but what's the point of the cheesy disproportionate "stove" or whatever that is in the corner with the metal teapot ??? And the cluttered little table between the windows ? Yuck. She should have just left the nice plant and been done with it. The chandelier is a big improvement, but the runner seems too small for the table and the room could use a little pattern and color there instead. Love the painted sideboard. Love the brass lamps painted dark, much better impact. Good for you !
I agree with previous comments...it is not 2012, The mullions on the window were much nicer than the plain windows and the chandelier is too large. Why not just spray paint the old one??
A big improvement..great paint color and love the white sideboard. There are a few things I'd change though..the little wood stove needs to go(unless of course it's a permanent fixture), add a rug in neutral colors to soften things up, maybe add some white curtain panels, and ditch that little table between the windows. And I agree about bringing back the plant..maybe in the corner where the stove is.
The mullions were very dated. Plain glass is much better. Obviously, working with a budget like many of us. Nice quick and easy change up that shows you don't have to do a whole lot to update or change the look of a room.
The table with the sides down is way too small in the before picture. If that's the same table in the after, it's still too small for that room. I would turn it 45 degrees if one must keep it.
They are right, ditch the stove. Put it on the porch where it belongs.
I love the change in the wall colours, but the loss of those beautiful windows and plants is unfortunate.
A definite improvement!
I think my only real disappointment is the windows, which - as other have said - look more dated now than had they been worked with as they were before.
I have a similar plant in my house and it can definitely take over a room. We keep moving it rather than get rid of it or split and replant it.
On trend or not, fake brass is tacky. I think the 1991 dining room really would have been fine without the wallpaper border and fake brass chandelier. Actually, I think fake brass and wallpaper borders should just be outlawed. I do like the 2012 redo, but the painted sideboard makes me cry a little.
I am glad the plant is gone. Plants in a dining room personally weird me out. I'm sure it found a happy home. As for the styling, I think the room looks great. No one claimed it was supposed to be modern 2012, just into the 2000s. Anyway it's about personal style and it looks amazing in comparison to the before. Bravo.
The paint colour is an improvement, but the bright white 'iced cake' trim still looks a little dated.
WOW! I had no idea that our dining room would make it onto this site! Thanks so much for featuring this! Just to set the record straight.... My parents still have ALL of their furniture in this house. it has been interesting to try to "mix" our things (most of our stuff is in the garage) until they officially retire. We made some improvements to the room, but weren't able to do as much as we really wanted to! The plant is in a more appropriate room, and we decided to put the inserts back in the windows! Thanks so much for your feedback! We'll have many more "updates" as time goes on!
I love that table - but add some texture or color to the runner (and shorten it some). I was gonna groan about the painted buffet but it looks like a different one? Either way, the wood top/distressed painted body of the buffet looks much more dated than the rich wood of the before. Bring it back and add a great rug - you've got some great bones here!
The paint job is inspiring, and I would love to see more of that china cabinet in the before picture!
I think the word we're looking for is "muntins" and yes, it's definitely an improvement!
I prefer the before tbh.
its better! but looks like you went from 1991 to 1997.
Thanks, thebeththomas, for correcting folks on the proper terminology. I wasn't sure how I was going to mention it without sounding like a know-it-all;)
In any case, I agree with the comments about the muntins and the plant and the tablecloth and the little stove. That said, this is a definite improvement. And if the house will soon be on the market, it's probably best to be cautious and neutral, even erring on the side of dull.
Looks much improved! I have a table that is a LOT like that drop-leaf in the center of the room. Mine belonged to my great-grandmother, and was lovingly restored by my parents. Unfortunately, it has warped a bit with age but it' still a great table. Yours looks so beautiful here.
All looks like "Before" pictures to me.
Real muntins are timeless; fake muntins are cheesy. The problem with muntins is the expense: If you have real muntins, you probably have leaky, inefficient single-glazed windows, which is "very 1991" and costly in terms of utility bills. Or else you have real muntins and a bunch of individually double-glazed panes, which is even more expensive. Maybe you got new double-glazed windows and chose the fake muntins sandwiched between the layers of glass; this is not the worst option, but you're still not fooling anyone, given the way that light reflects off the broad panes. The snap-in muntins -- which seem to be the case here -- are awful. They always look cheap, and again you're not fooling anyone.
I'm predicting that 50 years from now, muntinless windows will be the standard. People will regard windows with muntins the way we now regard bathroom sinks with a cold faucet on one side and a separate hot faucet on the other: "Why did they ever do it this way?"
(Regarding this room: The stove is cute/quaint/charming, the turquoise covered dish is divine, and thank you for repurposing the console lamps instead of throwing them out. The "before" picture looks like the room thinks it's a country club and reminds me of how much I'm still sick of hunter green.)
I think the after looks great! I really prefer the windows without the muntins, but that's just me.
Sorry muntins, not mullions. And I do think fake muntins are cheesy but vinyl windows, in general, look cheesy so maybe its better to just own it???
hm... even if the befores were really dated now it just looks really "meh" and generic.
I can see where people think the After isn't very 2012, but to combine styles---even when one is traditional---is a current approach (not that it really wasn't a trend before, though). I think it's the traditional decor that people are thinking makes it look dated.
Maybe it's just my personal tastes, but it seems something is lacking, something funky or unique or personal in this room. It's definitely a great improvement... it just feels cold or too arranged for me. Like it could take something else to really make it shine...
Where are the windows from the before picture?. I feel they should have been kept as they were. In my opinion,. it gave the room elegance I also would have kept the plant. otherwise good job.
Gosh, there are a lot of negative comments on here. It looks like a fine upgrade without a huge cash outlay. Some of the changes aren't my taste but they worked with what they had and they are happy with it. Why be so nasty?
I love the after! Especially the windows.
Remember, they are SELLING this house.......as a buyer I would appreciate the "after" because it shows off the structure of the room and brings the outdoors inside.