Vintage Dining Set Makeover - Progress Pictures

We have made quite a bit of progress on the dining set we found last weekend.  My husband has been sanding the table down to bare wood because I want to stain it. I usually do painted furniture because I absolutely love painted furniture... But, for this project I decided to do something a little different and go with a stain on the table and an antique white painted finish on the chairs. Although I've done many  painted pieces over the years, stain is a little foreign to me. I'm all for trying something new... And I figure, if I don't like it, it will be easy to paint over (hehe, just don't tell my hubby I said that...). 

First, a leaf was sanded to see how well it would come out.  As you can see, sanding worked well! Note: For safety, when sanding always wear a mask. Paper masks are cheap and can be found at any hardware store.

My husband is almost done with the sanding of the table. Next he will start on the chairs. Since we will be doing a paint finish on the chairs, they won't require as detailed of a sanding. It's amazing that the table below is the same table. Originally is war a honey color with many chips and scratches. After a complete sanding, it's like new!

Below are the fabrics I purchased yesterday at the Joann's sale... I love the color aqua and have used it elsewhere in our home, so I decided to use it in the dining room mixed with a mocha color. The left two fabrics will be used on the dining chairs. The striped fabric is for drapery panels.

I can't wait to see the entire dining room come together. Our goal is to have it finished in time for Thanksgiving.  I will post more progress pictures as we get more done...

Fabric and Stain Color Decisions for Dining Set Makeover

I finally decided which fabric I am going with on the dining chairs. I'm off to Joann's Superstore to get the fabric to re-upholster the dining chairs that we got this past weekend. Joann Stores is having a huge sale... 50% off of the home decor fabrics... and they sent out coupons via email for an additional 25% off entire purchase for today through Sunday... Woohoo.... I love a good sale.

This morning I put six different stain colors on the back of one of the table leaves to decide which color of stain to choose.  Above each stain color I wrote the colors name in pencil so I wouldn't forget which was which. (Note: It is important to always test stain colors on your project, as stain can take completely differently from one type of wood to the next.)  I think I've decided on the stain color for the table (second stain from the left)... but I will let my husband look at it when he gets home, to make sure he likes it too. I should at least let him think he had a choice... lol.  I've decided to paint the dining chair frames an off white color... I might distress them a little for a shabby cottage chic feel. I wanted a contrast between the table and chairs for more of a vintage look.

Off to shopping...  I sure hope they have my fabric in stock! I will post more pictures of our project as it progresses this weekend.

Happy decorating!!!

Creative Holiday Chandelier Ideas

Cool way to make an overhead decorative chandelier for Christmas. Just a wood branch dripping with Christmas ornaments. If you have an electrical source you could put white or colored christmas lights on it. If you don’t have an electrical source, consider finding battery operated lights for it. Suspend the branch from the ceiling on a couple of cup ceiling hooks and fishing line or ribbon. Easy, fun, DIY project…

Other items you can use in place of the branch could be a vintage ladder, a flat piece of wood hung level (you can actually put candles on top and ornaments on the bottom), a dowel or wood broomstick hung straight across with a single row of ornaments. The possibilities are endless… Just use your imagination and see what you can create.

If you have an existing chandelier, consider hanging beautiful ornaments from it and possibly some greenery around it. Be creative and have fun making a Christmas holiday chandelier for your home.

Also, notice in the first picture the variety of dining room chairs. They are all, flea market, thrift and garage sale finds. Vintage wood chairs like this can usually be found for $5 to $10 each. Often they look ugly when you find them, but with a little cleaning and a can of spray paint they look like new. These chairs have all been painted the same color to give a cohesive look to the space. This a great way to design an inexpensive dining room for large gatherings and it looks amazing!

(photos via: apartment therapy, chic on a shoestring)

Dining Inspiration Pictures

Before searching for an old dining table to rehab, I had searched the internet for pictures to provide me with inspiration for our formal dining room table. I didn't know for sure what I would find but I was regularly attracted to French County or farmhouse dining room sets... and sets with contrasting colored table and chairs.  I like the rustic elegance and cottage shabby chic look and feel. Below are some of the pictures I saved as inspiration for our eventual dining room set.

Our dining room set will not be done the same as these, but I do get inspiration and ideas from pictures that I like.  Being able to visually see what appeals to me helps me, a self taught DIY decorator to design for my home. If you are learning to decorate or have a project in mind that you'd like to start, look for pictures will inspire you. I find it's a great way to get started.

Dining Table Project - Before Pics

Here is the dining table we found this weekend on Craigslist. The first two pictures are from the actual Craigslist posting. The table and chairs do have several chips and some surface damage, but being that it is made from solid wood, when we are done refinishing the set it will be like new again.  The seller had it out at a garage sale last week and it did not sell (lucky for us). Apparently it was meant to be ours...

I originally scoured the internet for inspirational dining room pictures and I am always drawn to the French Country style sets, so this set was perfect for us... and at $200 the price was right. Below are a few pictures of it close up, in our garage shop. These are all before pictures. It will take a couple of weeks to completely redo it. We plan to have it done in time for Thanksgiving.

Yesterday we (my hubby and I) went to Joann's Fabrics and looked for what we might use to upholster the chairs. We came home with several samples and I'm still trying to figure out which way I want to go. Since the home decor fabrics are on sale right now for 50% off, my timing is perfect. Below are a few of the fabrics I am looking at. I think i will put a solid on the rear of the chair so you will see the ladder detail of the chair and then a print on the front and seat. I love the color aqua so these are my favorites right now.  I need to decide which way to go by this weekend, because the fabric store has a coupon this weekend for an additional 25% off my entire purchase... Yeah, I love saving money!

As for the table and chair finish... I am thinking of refinishing the table in a darker brown stain and the chairs painted in an antique white. I might give the chairs a shabby cottage chic look, but I'm not sure yet. I know I don't want a matchy matchy look to the set. I love the look of contrasting colors. Depending on the fabric we decide to go with, will help decide how to proceed on the chair finish.

Tomorrow Jim will start sanding down the table and we will go to look at stain choices.  I will keep you all updated as we go forward. This project is going to be so much fun!