Wednesday, January 28, 2015

What's in Your Dining Room? A Pinterest Adventure



When I promised ManO we would eat in the dining room more often, I didn't realize the ripple effect it would have on my meals, our conversation, and most especially the decor!  One month and I figured we'd be tired of it and I'd get to turn the room I never used into my dream library.

But a funny thing happened. We liked talking to each other and guests without the distraction of the television or dirty dishes (I'm a use all the dishes, spread the mess around kinda cook). There's a reason restaurants are so popular! No television unless we're in a pub and then ManO sneaks looks at the scores. No dirty dishes. Except we have "seat them by the kitchen" faces. We did an informal study once and realized 90-99% of the time, that's where the host leads us unless we say ASAP, "we want to be FAR, FAR, FAR away from the kitchen." I keep hoping it's because that's where a lot of restaurants seat families with children and we look like we're young parents or, at the very least, tolerant grandparent types.

So why didn't we eat in the dining room before now?  It's simple.We'd started referring to it as
"the museum." The dining room was the last decluttering domain, a reminder of times and people past. Last year, we still couldn't bring ourselves to go through all the formal  stuff we'd inherited.

But after our challenging 2014, 2015 needed to start fresh!  This month's experiment proved we liked eating in the dining room. We just needed to make it our own, keep a few valued heirlooms and antiques then mix them with our favorite things. ManO wanted to keep our newlywed furniture (he's sentimental and it's solid wood) but he wouldn't let me paint that maple no matter what Pinterest said!

My $50 budget also kept me under control because Pinterest can tempt you to do things you never thought you'd do.  We wanted an Ameri-Parisien feel to the room. Plenty of ideas on the boards. Faux French linen placemats were a much less expensive touch than the real thing. 

I had a huge grill-front tavern plate rack of my mom's above my buffet. I wish I had a picture. My sisters and I've called it the "pigeon coop" since we were little, if that gives you an idea. It overwhelmed and darkened the room.  Off the wall it went. Wow, a more serene space already.
My favorite antique from my childhood bedroom is the four drawer apothecary chest. 
I'd spent $17 on four placemats and $20 on wall paint/patch supplies so my personalized art pieces had to be cheap.
 A frame borrowed from another part of the house and an 8x10 print for $3.99 added another dash of  Paris.  ManO looks quite, um, dashing on this bridge over the Seine.

Pinterest helped again when I looked for ways to update our decor.  I love the sign trend out now but that's what it is, a trend. So I went shopping in my house for another frame. I thought about my favorite quotes en Francais and consulted Belle Calhoune  who loves all things French. She also has ten years of French lessons to my seven.

The French have such beautiful words like etoile for star and amour for love. What to choose? But the beauty of making my own "quote art" is I can switch it out. For now I settled on a Matisse quote reflecting my philosophy of life, "There are always flowers for those who wish to see them." It's about finding beauty in the world (see Jan Drexler's Monday post, ) and gratitude in the dark times.


I hope Monet forgives me for using a Matisse quote overlaying a picture we took in his garden. 


By this point my library idea was toast. But no Paris apartment would be without books. Out when all the things that made the hutch look like my grandma's and in came my favorite books and pottery collection.
Best Pinterest book/bookshelf styling tip: No need to buy books by the yard. Use books that you have and love. My flower arranging, spiritual writing and reading, and our travel books look great together without the dust jackets. Bonus, they lighten up the brown hutch I wasn't allowed to paint!

Not everyone can or wants to have a Paris inspired dining room but I leave you with one of the most wonderful spice blends from Penzeys Spices,  Sunny Paris. Such a wonderful blend of purple shallots, chives, green peppercorns, tarragon, and more. I use it on plain chicken and fish to dress it up, in salad dressing, over asparagus and in breakfast dishes. Yummy and so easy to use!


So, if you could have a dining room anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Are you decluttering this winter? Do you have a favorite spice that makes you think of far away lands? PS. Have you visited the Yankee Belle folks' boards on Pinterest? Such fun.

20 comments:

  1. Speaking of penzeys...they lowered their min to $20 for free shipping til thurs..what should I get to try?! Other than the one you mentioned. They have a roasted garlic that sounds good..but most of it started sounded good!

    I need to get back to my decorating..I know nothing of French.i think I'm more eclectic or mixed in my tastes. Formal stuff makes me nervous after a while for some reason.pretty to admire in others homes though! I'm afraid of Pinterest..sigh...
    Susanna

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    1. Suzanna, I like Buttermilk Ranch seasoning to make a nice dressing and I use their Pizza seasoning for all my Italian dishes. Their roasted garlic IS good and a little goes a long way. Their Chesapeake Bay seasoning is like Old Bay without the MSG. All are great but I like the blends the best.

      I have to set a timer on Pinterest. I have a lot of quilting friends on there and you can definitely get lost in the quilts and technique pins alone.

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  2. No Pinterest! The Penzy store is on the other side of Atlanta, but I need to visit it one day. As for a dining room in the world....I would pick the one at my father's house. We had such merry times there.

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    1. God bless you, Piper! Memories are blessed things. The table I use as my craft and writing table now was in our dining room as was my corner cupboard. I always think of my mom's open house parties when I look at them.

      And Penzeys has mail order, though with the price of gas dropping it might not be a better option anymore.

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  3. You are amazingly creative! Because I have no life or worldly travels, I kind of decorate in early Child and growing Baby themes. The theme gravitates throughout the house and leads the unsuspecting visitor to stumbling blocks of various sizes, like American Ninja Warrior does on TV. Luckily we keep our insurance paid for unexpected but not unlikely hospital visits!!!

    This is charming, Julie! Absolutely charming! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! You certainly have an amazing eye for things, and that's a talent!

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    1. We Hilton sisters credit our mom who was an amazing florist, ikebana artist and decorator. She had the ability to talk to anyone and learn from everyone.

      Our family room is about to undergo a renovation into early Child and growing toddler. The upstairs playroom is being taken over by ManO's train room remodel and that means the grandkidlets get to take over the downstairs. Yep, we are going for an umbrella policy because of course the kids need their toys.

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  4. I avoid Pinterest. I have to budget writing time already, the last thing I need or want is another distraction. I'd rather write or chat with buddies on facebook or pick on Mary Connealy. But I do fly to Pinterest now and again for ideas for the kids' projects, etc. For that I find it useful, but I guard against time-stealers daily.

    Piper, I bet that dining room was wonderful!

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    1. I have to set the timer, Ruthy. No lie. I go there to look at my inspiration and mantra sayings, get fashion ideas for my characters, gluten free recipes, and now I have to have a board for the remodel because we are adding a shower downstairs so we can stay in place and not move as we age. Pinterest makes even the hard stuff easier. But yep, it can be evil.

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  5. Julie, It's beautiful!! I hope you have many, many happy meals there!

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    1. Thanks so much, Holly. We sure are already having fun there. Even the plainest meals seem special.

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  6. I love the look! And also the idea of quiet dinner conversation in the French room. :)

    I'm still chuckling at your quote: I hope Monet forgives me for using a Matisse quote overlaying a picture we took in his garden.

    :)

    Oh, and thanks for the spice mix recommendation!

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    1. Thanks, Missy. I would love to have all those French artists and a few writers over for dinner. I bet the conversation would be fabulous. But I am not sure they would love each other!

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  7. Love this, Julie. It makes decorating on the cheap tres chic. Love that you're enjoying the dining room and the wonderful memories the furniture and pictures remind you of. And a sentimental man? Be still my heart. Yes, don't paint over his maple. A sentimental man deserves to have a say in the décor. :-)

    I love this kind of decorating, where you pair down and shop around your house instead of a store. You did an awesome job.

    I don't have a dining room -- a long living/dining room with two entrances which makes things kind of awkward. Right now the round table is laden with physiotherapy equipment and the floor space is taken up by a treadmill so my dining ambiance is cutting edge -- gym and sneakers. LOL If I could have any kind of dining room I'd have to go with an old-fashioned Irish dining room. Massive fireplace on one wall. White stucco walls, exposed wooden beams. Lattice windows with thick windowsills you can place a row of pots on. And enough room to have a cozy settee in there too. Basically, a room about the size of my whole house. LOL.

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    1. I know that Irish room. So cozy. And isn't it also called a keeping room if your nook has a fireplace?

      So many folks just starting out are doing the same or creating treasures out of flea market finds. They are all over Pinterest!

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  8. Hey Julie. Fantastique! C'est tres jolie. I love your dining room décor and your homage to la vie Parisienne. There are so many nice touches. I have my eye on that gorgeous decorative pillow. I can't believe your transformation was achieved by spending only $50. That in itself is marvelous. And you know how I love Pinterest...even though it sometimes feels like a little black hole we fall into. And shhh....don't tell Piper I said this, but we'll get her on board one of these days.

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    1. Merci beaucoup. My pillow was from the now defunct Cold Water Creek but Pinterest is full of burlap pillows decorating in black.

      Piper better watch out.

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  9. Hmmm somehow I don't think the usual free shipping minimum would be a problem !
    Susanna

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    1. Hahaha! I have to budget when I go in the store. I usually buy two things I am most in danger of running out of and try one new thing in one of the small containers. My spice rack runneth over.

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  10. I love your dining room, Julie! Great job of merging old favorites in new ways to create the look you wanted :)

    And I agree with Man-O! Don't paint that furniture! Painted furniture is just a trend. If you want painted stuff, buy cheap unfinished furniture (if you can find it!) and paint that. Leave the beautiful Maple alone!

    I have a favorite oak kitchen table and chairs that I bought at a garage sale for $10 when I was furnishing my first apartment. It's so cute - but we outgrew it once the second child came along. I had been using it for a desk in my office until all the children decided to move to South Dakota with us (I'm not complaining!!!). But someday I'll have my office back and that sweet oak table will come out of storage again. :)

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    1. True, so true. That's what I learned growing up with antiques. Things trend. Right now I am looking at my farmhouse kitchen table from the 90s. What is the difference now? Every table top is now dark stained oak instead of natural. But I really do need to do something about the legs. Or sand them more to make the chipped parts look fashionably distressed.

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