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.
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.
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
Oh, and before moving on, if you’re the type who loves decorating your home BIG time, but on a small-time budget? Then you’ll want to grab a free copy of “Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!” Click here or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!
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!
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.
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 its element in the summer with all the bright, happy colors.
And the spring, too.
But it also transitions easily to fall.
Despite its 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.
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!
Pin this post for later! And if you make one, leave a comment (or better yet, a photo) on the pin! That helps others know whether they want to try this project, too!
Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of “Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!” Click here to enter your email or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!
Kim says
I recently found your blog and adore your styling in your home! So fresh and unique. So many blogs are beginning to look alike with monochromatic hues, whites and pale gray’s. Your vibrant bursts of color are so refreshing and dramatic against your soft background. I hope to order a rug, like this but it is out of stock currently. Can you tell me how much fabric you used on each panel? LOVE it, Heather!!!!
Elisabeth says
Hi Heather,
Not sure you’ll get this after all this time, but I’ve only just seen this post. I absolutely love this area! It is faaantastic! Thank you, thank you! I’ve been trying to think of how to decorate/renovate/whatever a tricky space in our house (Two fairly useless rooms which we actually call – the useless rooms), and wanted them to be warm and inviting, just so at least they could look nice! I’ve struggled with choosing a warm colour, as the carpet is blue. I think yellow accessories will really do the trick! Plus, inject some lightheartedness into the room; you know – frivolity!
I’d always intended doing the board and battening, but at a lower height. Yours looks fantastic at that height! Can you tell me what your decider was for the height, and also, how did you work out the spacings between your verticals? What height is your ceiling? I guess I could just Blutack timber onto the wall until I get what I like???
Thanks Heather. Well done, this is just such a lovely space.
Cheers, Liz (Australia).
Heather says
I sure did get it Liz! Thanks for your comments, and would love to see your space when it’s done! Our ceiling height is about 8ft 6in. I think we chose that height because we wanted the white moulding to play more of a role than the color on the wall above since we knew we’d be putting a lot of color/pattern into the room in other ways like with the rug, curtains, etc. Best of luck, and so glad you’ve found us!
Elisabeth says
Thanks very much Heather. I found you quite a while ago, but stupidly didn’t read back through all your posts. Am doing so now though! 🙂
Have to say, now that I have seen the light (well the dining room actually), I feel I have a direction! The ideas are just falling in place, and I’m so excited!!!!! Not sure The Hubster will share my enthusiasm, as this may equate to a loss of moolah. Oh well, can’t keep everyone happy now, can we? He’ll be happy in the end, so I shall cling to that thought….. chuckle. Better go and prepare for the plasterer! He’s arriving in about an hour, and then this show is ON The ROAD! Yeehaaar! Happy days! (Or daze, depending on how quickly and consistently I work!).
Thanks again! Liz. 🙂
Heather says
Get er done LIz! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!!
zandra zuraw says
I can totally relate to trying out 4 chandeliers and 4 different rugs before finding the perfect ones! (And I, too, am surprised that I’m still married 🙂 Love the wall color!