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OKAY…

Building houses from scratch is nuts grand and all, but even though I’ve painted my fair share of furniture/walls, caulked trim until I got blisters, and held things up for measurements, my mad DIY house-building skills are…not so mad after all. As in, they would probably make whoever ended up being the recipient of them rather mad/angry, and that’s about it.

Part of me likes the concept of learning to wield a power tool like a boss. And the other (much more practical) part of me is all: yeah, but I’d stink at it and make lots of mistakes for a while, which is kind of a big waste of time when I’d have to pay a babysitter to even get the practice in, and Shaun could do it well the first time.

So, when we’re in the hardcore building stages of the house, my job is to keep our children alive and tell him how wide I want the trim to be and what the roof of the porch should look like.

Oh, and make design boards. Naturally

I showed you my Anthro dining room chair score on Monday and promised to show you how I plan to incorporate them into my decor.

But…

The truth is that I haven’t quite decided.

I mean, I could go with the pastel theme and keep things relatively neutral with a side of quirk a la wallpaper (that pattern is reeeeeally popular in blog world right now, which usually means that I’m not interested, but–sigh–I love it lots), gold dot curtains, and a gold sputnik light.olioboard1

Another option would be to hang simple drop cloth curtains (seriously considering these since we’ll have 10′ ceilings, and tall curtains are expensive, yo), go for a slightly more “country-chic” table look, and throw in a colorful cow print. Because I just can’t quit the quirk. (Bumper sticker, anyone?)

Side note: I totally forgot to factor in rug selections, which is weird because I’m kind of a rug fanatic. But I’d probably use this overdyed turquoise rug
that we currently own if I went with the cow art.olioboard2

And then we have the mad-hatter version of this room. Complete with florals + stripes.
I think the stripes could work as a table runner, but they would also be super-fun in large scale as a rug (that would stay clean for approximately .02 seconds under a dining table so…probably no).

olioboard3

If you’re wondering why the sputnik light features in all three boards, that would be because I already bought a version in silver from Lowe’s that I plan to gold-leaf or spray paint. I have yet to find an affordable option in the brassy gold I love, so I figured a cheap-o makeover would do the trick.

Because that, my friends, is the type of DIY I do like a boss.

So, what do you think of my dining room dreaming? Did you have a favorite look? Hated all of them? Have a suggestion for me?

I’m listening!

0 Comments

  1. Wallpaper is such a HUGE long-term commitment – that alone would chase me away from #1. I simply adore the look of #2 – current, yet easy to change should the desire strike you!

  2. I really love elements from all 3! What about the table from one, curtains and cow painting from 2, and black and white stripes as placemats/table runner from 3? I’m sure whatever you choose will look fab!

  3. #3 is almost exactly my dining room-I LOVE a b/w stripe and floral combo any day of the week, and my rug is easy to clean (from Rugs USA) But I’ve been on the hunt for better floral curtains. Can you tell me where those are from?

  4. #1 is too blah. And wallpaper isn’t easy to change up if you fall in love with something else a year down the road. #3 is SOOO fun! But it could be too trendy. Maybe too hard to switch up (without buying all new things) for a new look. So I guess my pick would be #2! It’s cost effective, the rug and curtains are neutral enough to make changes as you choose to, and I think it looks very clean & put together with the right amount of quirk!

  5. I love # 2! I can’t explain why exactly but part of it is the cow picture. And I like that you already have the rug to go with it.

  6. PRACTICAL SIDE SAYS: I love the table in Number 1, and the pastel colours. Also, because it is the most basic, it would be really easy to add to it for seasonal changes (i.e. Flowers of any colour for spring, harvest-themed centrepieces for fall, and garland for winter).
    FUN SIDE SAYS: love Number 3 as well!!!

I love hearing from you guys!