DIY Our 1970's House Makeover Part 10: The Dining Room Reveal!

Hey ya'll!
So, the dining room is hold out finished. It feels similar it took a lifetime to slice together, but nonetheless, it's done. And I'm thus excited to hold out live able to portion all of the piddling details amongst you.
I was tempted to type out a piddling alert for you, telling y'all that this is a real long post filled amongst real weird pictures in addition to real weird stories, but in addition to thus I realized that my entire weblog is that.

And in addition to thus I kinda felt similar hiding.

But, anyways, enjoy!

So, let's start at the beginning.
This piddling 1970's solid has been through thus many changes over the yesteryear iv years, in addition to it's thus rewarding for me to await dorsum in addition to run into how far it's come.

When nosotros firstly moved in, the upstairs surface area looked similar this.

The solid was a 2 story split-level, in addition to although it was totally dated, I knew it had potential the minute I saw it. The other houses inwards the surface area were nigh twice the toll in addition to one-half the size, thus this solid had me excited even though it was stuck inwards full 1970's overload.
And although quite a few tried to steer me away from buying an older house, I did it anyways.

Within the firstly year, I started to brand some changes.
I actually had no sentiment what I was doing.
Like almost inwards a scary way. I call upwards standing at Home Depot in addition to looking at white spray pigment in addition to beingness similar 'Hmmmm...can I simply spray this on my trim?'.
No, Virginia. No, y'all tin shipping away not.

So, after a lot of googling, in addition to a lot of standing roughly confused inwards the hardware store, I finally got the courage to pigment all of the cut inwards the house. I started inwards this front end component of the solid (living room, entryway, dining room, kitchen) in addition to simply form of learned equally I went.
I rationalized that all of this cut would eventually conduct maintain to come upwards up when nosotros replaced the flooring anyway (which it did), thus if I messed it up, it wasn't the goal of the world.

This was roughly the same fourth dimension that I constitute us our firstly dining room assault Craigslist for $400. In retrospect, it wasn't all that awesome, but at the fourth dimension I sentiment it was the best affair ever.
Even though the tabular array was almost equally large equally the room, in addition to nosotros had to squish roughly it similar eager piddling sardines.

About half-dozen months later, I came to price amongst the fact that it was simply likewise big, in addition to I decided to sell it on Craigslist in addition to endeavour again.
It sold correct away, for nigh $500, in addition to it was rapidly hauled off, leaving an empty pit inwards our dining room.

This was all roughly the same fourth dimension that I had unopen my ebay shop in addition to had decided to start my weblog (which I talked a piddling flake nigh during the business office makeover), in addition to I was simply form of running on fiscal fumes....able to acquire by, but non actually able to atmospheric condition whatsoever storms that came my way. Jesse had also of late switched jobs at the time, in addition to although his novel project seemed similar a non bad chance at first, inside the firstly month, the society had gone nether in addition to had stopped paying its employees. So, that was a fun time.

But, sometimes beingness pushed off the cliff forces y'all to wing in addition to conduct maintain that risk that y'all needed to conduct maintain all along....which is ultimately how Jesse became a component of the media start upwards he's been working on for the yesteryear 2 years, in addition to how I ended upwards pouring every ounce of my unloose energy into this blog.

So, how does this all relate to the dining room? Well, I've never actually explained why our dining room was empty for the entire 2.5 twelvemonth duration of this blog, in addition to forthwith y'all know.
And although going without a dining room was actually annoying, inwards the grand system of things, it actually wasn't that large of a deal.
Basically, I've learned that a perfect solid is totally irrelevant to my happiness level. I've proven it to myself fourth dimension in addition to fourth dimension again. I tin shipping away brand myself pitiful in addition to I tin shipping away brand myself happy, in addition to some shiny tabular array or chair or pillow or chotskie has nil to practise amongst it.
But that beingness said, it is squeamish to conduct maintain somewhere to sit down in addition to consume your macaroni.

And now, earlier nosotros motility on to the novel dining room reveal, allow me remind y'all that at that spot was a piddling blip inwards the radar nigh 1.5 years agone when I constitute this piddling $50 tabular array on Craigslist.
That's some random guy's garage.
Mine isn't much better.
Actually, it's worse. Yep. Definitely worse.

And in addition to thus I tried to pigment it amongst some homemade grayness chalk paint. Which worked out okay, but looked kinda sad.

And then I painted it amongst some high gloss dark crude paint.

And although I kinda liked it black, nosotros never actually used it.

Um, because at that spot were no chairs.

Every forthwith in addition to and thus I would haul the lonely desk chair inwards at that spot in addition to pretend similar nosotros had chairs, but let's live honest, that sucks.

So, the dining room simply got kinda forgotten nigh for the improve component of 2 years, in addition to instead I focused my unloose energy on the ease of the house.

And on learning how to blog.

And over time, Jesse's work concern began to grow, in addition to my weblog began to grow, too. And equally a result, nosotros were hold out able to motility forwards amongst some of the ideas in addition to plans we've had for this solid since twenty-four hours one.

We started inwards February yesteryear fierce downwards the wall betwixt the dining room in addition to kitchen.

And also expanding the doorway into the hallway. Knocking downwards those 2 walls gave us thus much to a greater extent than space, in addition to actually opened upwards the entire firstly degree of the house.

And in addition to thus nosotros spent several long months installing novel raw forest flooring throughout the house.

Then inwards May nosotros built the novel step rails in addition to I tortured myself trying to pigment it amongst a pigment sprayer. We also hung novel Simply White.

And in addition to thus for residuum of the summer, I generally traveled amongst Jesse in addition to tried to recuperate my brain. Just this yesteryear month, I hold out started inching dorsum into finishing upwards the pocket-size details I had left behind.
Like switching out the gross quondam tan outlets amongst fresh white ones (Okay, fine, Jesse did that part.), in addition to finishing upwards all of the novel cut (which reminded me that I actually demand a friend who volition vesture sweatpants in addition to pigment amongst me).
Thank y'all for making me experience similar I already conduct maintain one. Posting that in addition to seeing your responses non alone cracked me up, but also kinda made me yell because I was similar 'Look Jesse!! There ARE girls out at that spot similar me. I'm non a full freak! It's a miracle!'

And forthwith that all of the laborious piddling details are hold out finished on this primary degree of the house....
almost 8 months later...

There's hold out a surgical operation dining room that I tin shipping away consume macaroni in!

Will y'all saltation upwards in addition to downwards amongst me in addition to non live mad if I accidentally laugh-cry on your shoulder in addition to exit snot on your sweatshirt?
It would hateful a lot to me.

So, let's utter details for a minute.

The tabular array took me months to find, equally I had real specific measurements in addition to a real pocket-size budget, in addition to I hold out constitute 1 I loved at a local salve store. The chairs are white leather amongst stainless steel legs from Overstock. I honey the piddling steel legs. They simply brand everything experience thus modern in addition to fresh, which is actually squeamish after the 70's cave of yesteryear.

And mostly, at that spot are multiple chairs. Let's non lose focus on what's actually important.

Oh, in addition to the lighting was from Lowe's in addition to the mirrors in addition to accessories are generally thrift shop finds.

Also of note...I moved the lucite chair from the office into the kitchen. Because it's a terrible piddling chair (kinda similar sitting on a fork), but it's got a lot of sass, in addition to I tin shipping away laid my junk all over it when I firstly come upwards home.

Jesse thinks this is actually bizarre, but seems to tolerate it.

Just imagine a similar human face upwards equally below.

From that 1 actually awkward fourth dimension nosotros made Mathias conduct maintain our 'engagement photos' at my grandma's house. Also known equally Jesse's to the lowest degree favorite day.

As for other novel additions to the the upstairs area, I've made some other irrational orchid purchase.

I experience similar most bloggers would simply seat it at that spot in addition to non experience the demand to utter nigh it. Ever.

But, me? Oh no...I purchase orchids. I kill them. I purchase them again. I kill them again. And in addition to thus I purchase an fifty-fifty bigger one, in addition to pretend similar this fourth dimension it's gonna live different.

It's a sickness, in addition to I reject to endure inwards darkness.

As for that wall amongst the mirror (that y'all can't actually run into thank y'all to my promising photography work), it even thus needs some help. For now, I'm simply likewise depleted. But, I'm thinking eventually...a painting? a gallery wall of plates?

I'm working on it.

But similar non correct now.

I may also eventually add together a rug, but for now, I'm enjoying non having to build clean a rug.

I've also added a few novel additions to this piddling area, similar a copper mug, a silvery tray for the java machine, in addition to some piddling alphabet magnets that I spray painted silvery in addition to gold.

Those magnets are a hot mess, in addition to I honey them. I don't know that I'll always acquire sick of Jesse leaving me weird messages.

I've also added some piddling golden pair of scissors to my utensil pot.

I conduct maintain nil else to tell nigh that really, but it seemed noteable.

And in addition to thus I swapped out the living room pillows amongst my most favorite ones always that I constitute on Etsy.

I'm thinking of making an additional twosome for the bedroom, equally they're simply dark in addition to white striped fabric, cutting into iv squares on the diagonal in addition to and thus sewn together.

Kinda awesome.

I intend they may conduct maintain officially seat an goal to my compulsive pillow swapping problem.

I'm in all likelihood lying.

I simply honey that y'all tin shipping away run into a piddling popular of them inwards the background from the dining room.

So, ya'll. That's the dining room (and other things I felt similar mentioning).

I know it's non perfect. And it never volition be.

But, it feels similar the glorious complete to a actually long marathon that I didn't actually develop for. Thanks for sticking roughly to witness me limp through the complete line.

I honey ya for it.

'Til side yesteryear side time!

P.S. The other posts inwards the House Makeover serial tin shipping away live constitute here:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9