Dining Room Mood Board

What to do with the Dining Room stumped me for a long time.  Maybe it was because when we moved in we ony had a dining table and an armoire for the room.  No chairs, no rug, no curtains, no art.  A dining table does not a dining room make.  So the room quickly became the dead space between the office and the family room.  It was certainly valuable real estate in the first floor layout, but  we walked past it quickly without giving it a thought.

We had an extra gallon of Plumage paint after painting the nursery.  Since Plumage was part of our whole house color scheme we knew we could easily use it in another room.  But which room to paint teal?  It is definitely the strongest color in our palette.  The only unpainted rooms left were the mudroom and the dining room.  The mudroom is a little dark to handle such a deep color.  I thought it could be stunning in the dining room, but not floor to ceiling…that would be overwhelming.  So the paint hung out in the garage for another 6 months and the dining room remained a dead space.

Then everywhere I looked I started to see these inspiring DIY wainscoting and board and batten treatments.  I knew I wanted to add some architectural interest to the dining room to help break up the large expanse of wall.  I liked the simplicity of the board and batten and it was a given that we would paint the wall above Plumage.  That was the jumping off point.  Add in smoky blue fabrics (yes, I have a mild obsessions with West Elm’s steel blue) and a splash of green in the wall art.  Finally we have a formal dining room in the making.  The color and wainscot have brought the room to life…even though we still have no chairs.  More on that later.

Sakura Rug – West Elm

Linear Crystal Chandelier – ZGallerie

Velvet Grommet Window Panels in Steel Blue – West Elm

Plumage paint – Martha Stewart Living

DIY Board and Batten Inspiration – Centsational Girl

Curved Upholstered Dining Chair in Steel Blue Velvet – West Elm

Prakesh Tablecloth by Dwell Studio for Target (no longer available)

Portica Steel and Wood Table – Room & Board

Yumiko Armoire – Room and Board