Before & After: You Won’t Believe How Fantastically This Inexpensive Dining Room Refresh Came Together

published Aug 2, 2019
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Credit: Alexandra Madison

Sometimes all a space needs to feel inviting is a little refresh. When Alexandra Madison moved into her fiancé’s house about a year ago, the dining room featured conflict-free beige walls and basic lighting fixtures. Cosmetically, it was fine, but Alexandra loves “taking old spaces and making them feel new and fresh,” she writes, so in a few weeks and with less than $600, she gave the space an entirely updated feel. 

Credit: Alexandra Madison

She started with the walls, painting them a cool, light gray and adding shelving that helps create dimension. She nabbed a few of the shelf brackets from IKEA as they were being discontinued and ended up finding the rest of what she needed to complete the project on eBay. The white shelves are a perfect perch for plants and a few personal items that make the room feel homey and inviting.

Credit: Alexandra Madison

It wasn’t in the budget at the time to rip out the carpet and install wood flooring, so Alexandra added a rug from Cost Plus World Market. She chose one that doesn’t compete with the carpet, but works alongside it to freshen up the floor. She also featured a sleek table from AllModern and two different kinds of dining chairs, from AtHome and Target. 

Credit: Alexandra Madison

Tying it all together, she installed a new chandelier from Ferguson, where her fiancé is a home design consultant. A swag hook with a chain means the lighting fixture can hang over the center of the table—a smart move!

Credit: Alexandra Madison

Thank you for sharing, Alexandra!