Living & Dining Room Fall Refresh And Our New Chandelier
Sometimes building a room can take time, and that’s okay. You may be dealing with a limited budget, or having a hard time deciding on or commuting to those large purchases… or, you simply want to let the room evolve over time. I like to call it slow decorating, and I think you usually end up adding extra character if you build a room over time too. I am happy to share with you that after lots of online scouring & searching, some electrical work, and a lucky trip to HomeGoods, I’ve finally got a real-live almost “proper” dining room. Just in time for Fall and the upcoming holiday season! Come see…
After many, many long years in the dark. We have light! Okay, so we had “light.” But we didn’t have LIGHT! Not like this.
And it’s all thanks to a magical little squirrel that crawled around up in our attic to install an electrical box. Such a talented furry little guy. We’ll call him “Tom”. Tom likes cookies. And this girl is happy to bake her fanny off for this really nice squirrel anytime.
We now have a chandelier in this living space.
Oh I know it has been many things over the years, and flipped-flopped, but it’s now officially and forever, the formal dining room. Or, as formal as you can get in a little house. Let’s all just ignore the front door, and have pretend fancy dining room dreams for a moment.
Well maybe not totally ignore the door. After all, it did get a fresh color.
The aqua is taking a break, and the door is now wearing Worldly Gray by Sherwin Williams. It’s a soft, buttery gray. Warm, yet still neutral. I love it in The Little Cottage bathroom and I love it here. Perhaps even a pinch more.
You may spy a peek at the new brick wall in the mirror above, and it’s so close to being done. I’ll have a reveal post and tutorial as soon as I can. This has been a crazy Summer for change and projects here and I’m trying hard to keep up.
Which is one of the reasons I wanted a deep breath, and some calm before the rich riot of Autumn color hits, and after that the holidays just seem to come so quickly! Everything is very subtle & minimal right now.
While I shopped for months & months before deciding on the new chandelier, I decided on the new dining chairs in a snap.
I was at HomeGoods and I happened across a matching set of 4. They were everything I needed them to be. Besides in the right place at the right time. Which luckily I was!
They were the right color, the right scale and they weren’t too formal. A full upholstered chair could be more than this room could handle, but the open weave of the caning on the top portion is just right. And I think the style plays nicely with the captains chairs I already have, as well as the new chandelier. I truly did get so very lucky!
I’ve always been a fan of a more relaxed style, and the white washed/lime waxed finish couldn’t be more perfect.
I wanted a soft white curtain in here all Summer, and had picked a few things up on a previous trip when we went up for the day to see Austin. One of them being these linen drapes. You can tell these are real linen because of the wrinkles. So you know, I left them for authenticity.
Actually, I hung them to see how I liked them… and well… you know what happened next. There they hang. Wrinkles and all.
It’s on my to-do list…
The store was overflowing with lots of Halloween and some Autumn decor too. I tried to be selective and well behaved, but it is so hard!
The driftwood Owl had to come home with me. I am a total sucker for the little animal stuff. But I’ve got to be careful not to put too much out at once. Lest it look like a tchotchke zoo in here.
While blue in Summer, these Hydrangeas turn the best shade of granny apple green, with a blush of lilac as Summer fades. They are beyond beautiful and such a gift. We all know that the Deer eat mine, but my niece’s vintage bush is sheltered and heavy with blooms. I’m so lucky she generously shares with me, they are a simple pleasure to be sure!
I’m still using the coffee table Jimmy made me and the sofa and chairs are wearing big, fluffy white pillows to keep everything bright and airy. It’s still beautiful and sunny here and I’m celebrating in every drop of sunshine I can. And I want it mimicked inside.
Though admittedly, the air is changing and getting crisp in the evening, and still holds a slight chill in the early mornings. Which calls for keeping lots of throws at hand. I stole the big basket from The Little Cottage and I love it up here. and I’m actually using instead of it just looking pretty there, so it’s staying here!
I added the fabric pumpkin because it was so cute, I couldn’t resist. I can’t find any baby boos here in town… but the great things about non-organic pumpkins, is that I never have to wait for them to show up at the stores. I just go to my totes and grab them when the mood hits!
I usually add a few new ones each year. The pale aqua one was picked up at HomeGoods a few seasons ago.
It’s a perfect match to the new toss pillows. That I only allowed myself to get because they have a stripped back that I can use any time of the year. I’ve been making myself take it easy on the pillow buying and I’ve been doing pretty good!
And that’s it for today friends! Jim and I have been flying around here prepping for some more changes and working like crazy on projects, and getting the house tucked in for the Winter.
– Are you guys still having beautiful weather where you are? Oregon is just glorious this time of year. It feels like magic. xo Shannon
Special thanks to my good friends at HomeGoods for partnering with me on a portion of today’s post. I’ve been a HomeGoods shopper for much longer than I’ve been blogging, and I love getting to share my recent finds with you!
SOURCES:
Some courtesy shopping links below may be affiliate.
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HomeGoods: Dining Chairs, rattan pumpkin, fabric pumpkins, owl, pumpkin pillows, throws, XL basket, wreath, linen draperies,
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Chandelier: mine is French Umber click here
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Chandelier: also in Parisian White here
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Olive Tree Topiary: here
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Door Color: Sherwin Williams, Worldly Gray in eg-shel
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Barcart: Target
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Brass Wall Sconce Lights: here
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Mantel Mirror: Vintage
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Farm Table: Tru Furniture | Similar here
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Vintage Door: Vintage 101
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Coffee Table: DIY
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Sisal Rugs: here
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Picture Ledge Shelves: DIY tutorial here
COMING SOON (updated!)
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Brick Wall Reveal & NEW Kitchen Island [click here]
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The Little Cottage: Dutch Door & NEW Paint Reveal [click here]
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Exterior House Paint Reveal! [click here]
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The Little Cottage: Faux Beam Installation
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The Little Cottage: DIY Board & Batten [click here]
More Fall To Get You In The Mood…
Vintage Cottage Fall Decorating [click here]
Easy Summer to Fall Transition [click here]
More Ideas & Inspiration
Black, White and Neutral Cozy Fall Home Decorating Ideas
Little Cottage Exterior Paint + Dutch Door Reveal
A Flutter of Fall Home Decorating
New Home Decorating Tips and Ideas
Fall Front Porch and Fabulous Urn Planter
Fall Dining Room Decorating Made Easy
Before And After White House Paint Reveal
Fresh New Year Winter Home Makeover
Wow. It all looks so pretty. I love the calming colors with little pops of accent colors. And those dining room chairs were a great find!
Thank you Angie, they were! I sure got lucky getting 4 that matched!
It looks beautiful Shannon! I love, love, love the chairs! They are perfection.
Well hey there Miss G!! Thanks so much 🙂
Happy Fall ~ xo
Love the dining room! Ready for fall. Can you tell me where you got the concrete squirrels?Thank you.
Hi Phyllis, I think I grabbed those at Ross! This year too 😉
Shannon! Oh, my gosh, girl! I am loving all the changes in this room! Everything looks so updated and elegant. The chandelier is gorgeous and I’m really thinking about where I can put those brass sconce lights! Love them! Enjoy the beautiful weather while you can!!
Hi Jane! We are, it’s wonderful again today, and we should have several more weeks. Crossing my fingers on that, we are having the house painted.
We love those brass lights, they are the handiest things. 😉 Happy Fall to you and Leo. xo
What is your trick for cutting hydrangeas? Because I’ve had no luck–I cut them and put them in water and they wilt within a few hours and never recover. What am I doing wrong?
Jenny I will share that with you soon. Running out to do some painting. I’ll get back to you! Promise.
Okay. So here are a few things that might help. You can cut them (and Lilacs) early morning or late evening. You’ll want to cut the stems diagonally and I go so far as to split the stem vertically with my scissors to allow for better hydration. You can even scrape off the sides of the stems to let them drink more. If they wilt right after, try a water bath. Soak them in cool water for a few hours, even overnight. They drink from the petals as well so this helps. If that doesn’t work, there is a boiling water method but I’ve never tried that one. You can Google it 😉 Good luck!!
So I love your little metal eyed owl, your nut gatherers are cute on the table but not in the attic, and for some reason this post got me all turned around on your floor plan. I thought I knew it.
Well I’ve only changed the furniture in that room 47,000 times. So understandable. That is my front door, and open right into our home. No entry or easing in.
‘Tom’ is the man! the light, chairs, room…all look so pretty.
“Tom” is seriously the biggest blessing!! His wife and I joke that he is my second husband 😉 haha