Thursday, January 3, 2013

Plans for finishing the playroom/dining room

Thanks so much for the lovely comments on the 2012 recap post, especially those of you who have special needs kids. I really appreciate your kind words.

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One of the first projects I plan on doing in the New Year is finishing the dining room.  It has been livable for a while, but I'd like to bring in some finishing touches.  Currently the dining room looks like this:


If you look closely, the dining chairs are peeling paint and every single chair seat is no longer affixed to the frame. Sit down too far forward and you might get dumped on the floor.  Although I love the lines of these chairs, and wish I could take them to a refinishing shop to have them stripped and painted....I just do not have the time or energy to invest in sanding all six of them down (and all the curvy spindles!) and repainting them.


I'd like to replace them with tolix chairs.  I'm still undecided between galvanized steel or gunmetal.

When we first moved in, I planned to put these blue Ikea Stockholm Blad curtains up in the dining room, but when I went to Ikea to buy them, I saw these much cheaper curtains.  The cheaper curtains had green in them, which I though would work perfectly with the green bins of toys in the playroom.  Sadly, I was wrong.  The yellow green of the curtains clashes with the apple green of the bins. I have not liked them since the day after I put them up, but at that point I was stuck with them for a while.

This is a valuable lesson--I knew that I really wanted the blue Stockholm ones, but I talked myself into a cheaper curtain that I didn't like as much and didn't work because I wanted to save money.  I do this all the time.  I should just keep saving my money till I can get what I really want.

Another issue is that the only light in the long space is the dining room fixture.  Although the playroom area gets light from the kitchen and the dining room, there is no light fixture within the space. Since we rent, I'd rectify that by hanging a pendant light with a swagged cord instead of paying an electrician to add hardwired lighting in the room.

The sliding glass door in the playroom and the window in the kitchen need a window treatment.  I am planning on a cornice for both.  Lastly, the green bins are falling apart, so I plan to replace them with blue bins.

Here's a moodboard of what I plan to do in the space.





8 comments:

  1. Love the mood board. I must admit, when I saw your dining room I thought Palm Beach Chic. My favorite. However, if you don't like it and the bamboo chairs are going...it's over. I have made the mistake of talking myself into something based on price, too. Hopefully, I have learned that lesson. Looking forward to the evolution of this room.

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  2. I think we have all made that mistake ... trying to save a few dollars and having it not work!! Love your moodboard and the Blues!! xo

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  3. Love it! I do exactly the same thing - convince myself to buy whatever is a *little* less expensive thinking it will be OK. And it never is. I'm getting better though.

    Go for the Tolix chairs. I see them all over, but it doesn't make me love them any less. I still have my eye on the Overstock version (so reasonable!). I love all the light in your dining room.

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  4. I am MADLY MADLY in love with the curtains you already have! Are you sure you don't like them??
    But yes, I, too, have been working on changing my cheap streak. Quality over quantitiy and all that. It's a good mantra to have. :) Stick to your guns!

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  5. I so love your curtains that your original dining room post about them inspired me to buy them for a project of my own:
    http://www.foreigncircuslife.blogspot.com/2012/12/sneak-peak-at-my-evolving-patio.html

    I'm so sorry to hear you are thinking of replacing them...

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  6. Seriously, I LOVE the curtains you already have! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. With the white chairs? I love that room so much! It's my favorite room in your house. If you hate them, then obviously you should change them, but I really do think they look so great...

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  7. Girl, my dining room chairs look the same way. I have got to tackle those soon. I actually like your current curtains but understand the clashing dilemma. Hang in there. It will look great - Brandy

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  8. I love the current state of your dining room, but with that being said, I also love the direction you're headed. Have you found a place that has the tolix chairs at a reasonable price? They are on my to-buy list.

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