modern farmhouse DIY…

Welcome to our modern farmhouse dining room. We love it now, but this DIY project took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get it to that point.

*This post contains some affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy HERE.*

When we moved to our home in the country last year, we knew there were a lot of gut jobs ahead of us. The dining room, however, was not supposed to be one of those.

But, when all was said and done, it had not only become a gut job, but also a serious gut check. *Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy here.*

Before we get knee deep in the blood, guts and termites…if you’re here to find the source list for this space, here you go:

- Chandelier
- Herringbone Rug
- Table/buffet/chairs
- floral curtain fabric
- Toile Runner (similar fabric)
- Paint (above board & batten) – Pale Smoke (Benjamin Moore)
- Paint (board & batten) – Ultra Pure White Behr Semi-Gloss

Here was the dining room before we purchased the house. I love this room. It is bathed in light throughout the day. It has two large windows and a beautiful set of french doors which lead out to a covered porch.

Our plan for this room was so simplistic. We wanted to go for a modern farmhouse look. Just add some DIY molding, paint, change the fixture…call it a day.

That WAS the plan. UNTIL….dun dun dun…

We found THIS!

This was my face (and my hair and makeup were perfectly coiffed like this at the time, too, in case you were curious).

Then again, now that I think about it… it probably looked more like this…

That’s my “You’ve gotta be flipping kidding me with this horrible turn of events” face. And yes, I do enjoy rocking my hotel-inspired-stash-them-in-my-suitcase-when-I-leave-the-holiday-inn shower caps every now and again while I DIY.

While pulling down the existing chair moulding in the dining room, I stumbled across the dreaded termite tracks. More demolition followed, and when all was said and done, a horror story unfolded before our eyes. The structure of two exterior walls of the room were almost completely compromised. Below is a close-up of the header that was atop the french doors.

You could stick your finger in the middle of that header and just shred it…like pulled pork in a crock pot. Horrific.

Here’s some video footage of the horror show:

Needless to say, DOWN came walls, and UP went the budget for this job.

In goes the DIY molding…

Slowly Humpty Dumpty was put back together again. We started putting up the DIY molding that we had originally envisioned. AND, went through four different chandeliers trying to find “the one”. The one pictured above was the third one we tried. Too dark.

This was the one we tried before that…too modern.

Can you believe I’m still married? I’m sure most people would have filed some type of papers after the third chandelier install (not to mention the four rugs I went through)…

BUT after months, many new studs, and several chandeliers, our modern farmhouse dining room finally came together. Here it is now:

As you can probably tell, we are big fans of color and pattern around here. This room was bright already, and I wanted it to read that way…light, happy and inviting.

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The chandelier we finally decided on is probably the most formal and fancy aspect of the room, but it’s hard to take it too seriously when it’s paired with the yellow houndstooth rug.

I think this room is in it’s element in the summer with all the bright, happy colors.

And the spring, too.

But it also transitions easily to fall.

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Our modern farmhouse dining room was one of the rooms featured in the fall Cottages & Bungalows magazine, which we will happily send you a copy of if you haven’t already received it! Just click below to get it sent to you 🙂

Despite it’s bright, colorful vibe, I think the space still can transition well for fall, Thanksgiving and on into the rest of the holiday season and winter.

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Thankful. That’s the word that is thrown around a lot at this time of year. But never a truer word was there for how we feel this Thanksgiving. Thankful for healthfulness, smiles and hugs from our three little mischief-makers and lots of family and friends nearby. And last, but not least, thankful that this termite-infested-hole-in-our-wallet-burning-never-ending-“it’s just cosmetic”-OMG-I-can’t-believe-we bought-this-pit dining room project has FINALLY come to an end!

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