Dining Room

When my partner Ben’s sister Annie, her husband Joe, and their son Ollie recently moved back to the Midwest, we were all thrilled — not just because we’d get to see them more often, but also because they bought a house that was basically a blank canvas. The bones are great, but every room is waiting for some love. Naturally, I volunteered to kick things off with a dining room makeover (check out the YouTube video version here) to set the tone for the rest of their home.

Many of us find living room makeover ideas on social media. But Christina Beck and her husband Colin literally found a house on Instagram.“One of our followers knew his mom needed to sell the house she had spent time in growing up for her dad,” explains Christina, who owns the renovation company Vero Home in Cincinnati with Colin.“It hadn’t been updated in at least 35 years and had a lot of deferred maintenance.

When I first discovered the town of Hudson, New York, I felt like a kid in a candy store. There was so much that I wanted to explore. It’s the type of town that seems to have it all: picturesque streets filled with historical homes, rows of antique shops and boutiques, and scenic drives that lead you to local farm stands, wildflower fields, and nature trails. What more could you ask for?

When Sophie Simmons moved into her 331-square-foot New York apartment, she was living alone and planned on using the railroad apartment’s awkward middle room as her closet and living space for her “single girl setup.”“The room started as a small shoebox with a closet spanning one entire wall, and a bench seat on the other,” Sophie explains. The whole room revolved around her French Louis XVI-style John Richard coffee table that she had bought secondhand for $50.

This homeowner’s advice? Don’t be afraid to go bold.

There’s not a lot paint and wallpaper can’t fix, according to this DIYer.

It proves that it doesn’t take an entire renovation to make a major difference.

This redo sacrifices a less-than-functional mudroom, with gorgeous results.

Her 100-year-old condo had a traditional dining room that wasn’t being used to its full potential. A custom, dramatic Murphy bed changed everything.

Not every project needs to be a days-long ordeal — sometimes, all you need is a little time to make a big change.

Here's proof that little changes add up to big results.

This DIYer was inspired by fond memories of the passed-down camper from when she was a child.

"My three goals were to make the room fancy, fun, and functional, and I believe that I achieved all three," this DIYer says — the perfect trio for a formal-meets-family-friendly dining room.

First-time homeowners transformed their 1800s Italianate home and color-drenched the dining room after extensive research to find a historically accurate color. They used a bold Roman Clay shade that they later found out was original to the house’s dining room, too — making it meant to be.

This DIYer's advice for renovating on a budget? "Get thrifty." She used secondhand finds and DIYs to get an expensive-looking dining room for less.

Nope, we didn’t drop a zero on that total cost. Budget-friendly DIYs were the key to this dramatic transformation.

A few DIYs and some smart shopping turned this blank slate dining room into an inviting hangout.

You can see this dining room from almost every point on the first floor, so it was important for the design to pack a punch.

The new, bold design incorporates some of the old furniture.

And it took three tries to nail the color!

This once-blank space is now a collector’s dream.

“The room now feels like a warm hug when I walk in,” the DIYer says.

“It was my first time really taking a corner from ‘blank and awkward’ to ‘built-in and intentional,’” the DIYer says.

Removing "layers on layers of wallpaper" helped create a cozy, family-friendly dining space.

The homeowner wanted to lean into color wheel opposites.

“When one piece of furniture can play double duty, it’s a win for me,” the DIYer says.

It proves every corner counts!

The DIYer says it’s like “being immersed in an oil painting.”

“I wanted to really celebrate the craftsmanship of this space and highlight the features,” the homeowner says.

“It’s not just pretty — it feels soulful,” the DIYer says.

The rich new paint color does some heavy lifting, but it’s not the only big change.

The dining set is from Ethan Allen and belonged to the designer’s parents.

The transformation total was $200.

“Booth seating is always the spot we gravitate toward at a restaurant, so I wanted to re-create this type of space at home,” the homeowner says.

A (mostly) renter-friendly, colorful, euphoric riot? Yes please.

The new shelving racks up major compliments.

“There really was nothing I liked about this room,” the homeowner says of the “before.”