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    Dining Room Turned Family Space

    November 12, 2016 |

    I'm really excited to share today's room reveal with you! I look into the room and smile, you truly can tell a family lives here. 

    We bought our home two years ago and this "formal dining room" was left unused or holding things that didn't belong. I wanted it to be a family space, an extension of the family room. A spot to do homework, play games, and color. Maybe a little nook for reading.

    Oh wow, I love this unused dining room turned family space!

    As happy as I am with how it turned out, this room was challenging! So many gorgeous colors which made me step out of my comfort zone.

    It's like an extension of the family room. After dinner, usually our two oldest would be doing homework in the kitchen (on the other side). Now we can unwind on the couch, they can do their homework nearby, sit in the cozy chair to read, color, or just play.

    IMG_3249

    unused dining room turned colorful family space

    (excuse the pillow on the floor which I JUST REALIZED #lifewithkids)

    We color matched the trim and painted the walls the same white. A tree right outside the window was removed to improve drainage and brighten the room. Both made a huge difference!
    unused dining room turned colorful family space

    In addition to paint, we moved a wall to create mudroom storage in our new laundry room. It eliminated the nook in the back right corner of the room.

    Here's what the space looked like not long after we moved in. The white gives it a nice, blank canvas where the walls fade away and our family's artwork and photos shine, rather than compete with the gray tones.

    unused dining room turned family space

    I've been considering this colorful rug for over a year and loved the bright colors, but it was so out of my comfort zone! I was nervous right up until I broke into the package right there on my stoop, fresh off the delivery truck. I was even more giddy once it was rolled out, the rug completes the space beautifully. (Thank you to Rugs USA for providing the rug for our makeover.)

    All the heart eyes for this colorful rug!

    I found the chairs and table at two different garage sales a year apart, but they were both a natural, yellow stain color (see the before here). We sanded the table completely down and stained it this dark brown. For the chairs I used this white chalky finish spray paint, about one can per chair. The existing gray toned fabric was in good condition, so it stayed.

    unused dining room turned colorful family space
    Once everything in the space, something was still missing. I reached out to my friends at World Market for help creating a little reading nook in the corner. I went into the store to buy this fuschia Nina chair and chickened out with a blue one.

    I shared the whole thing on snapchat and instagram stories, to get suggestions from you all. I realized this was a go big or go home moment. I went in for a pink chair so I returned the blue chair, and came home with my new hot pink beauty. 

    A basket I had on hand holds a snake plant, and spray painted this (formerly turquoise) floor lamp gold to match a plant stand in the opposite corner.

    unused dining room turned colorful family space

    Across the nook is this wall, used for book storage and showing off school papers. The burlap covered bulletin board is from our old house, the wall mount basket, an old Home Goods find, is a lesson in when decluttering isn't always the best. I bought it while at the old house, KNEW I HAD TO FIND A SPOT, and found one in this house. 🙂

    You can see a little peek into our (not yet blogged) family room. If you're curious, here are the before pictures.

    Kids artwork display, metal file baskets for books.

    These DIY shibori curtains started as a craft fail. I switched up my method and used this kit. Here's a Facebook LIVE video of the process, where I'm seeing them finished for the first time. You can see how giddy I truly was. 🙂

    unused dining room turned colorful family space

     unused dining room turned colorful family space

    This basket on the table helps to corral school papers, coloring books, pencils, and coloring supplies.

    unused dining room turned colorful family space

    The "stuff" basket, frames, square canvases, and hello sign are all from Michaels. The frames are filled with family photos, kid paintings, and artwork sent from my good friend Lindsay, the artist behind Pen & Paint:

    • kid-colored prints from the Color Happy Coloring Book
    • Do Small Things With Great Love print
    • Always Believe Something Wonderful is About to Happen print

    picture ledges for kids artwork, I love this!

    Eventually we'll install a white ceiling fan in here. I almost waited to post this until then, but couldn't wait. Lessons in embracing imperfection in action.

    unused dining room turned colorful family space

    Here's another look at that before and after:

    unused dining room turned family spaceOn the journey to simplify our lives, I'm trying to be intentional with my decorating and design decisions. A formal dining room would have gone unused and we have a great eat-in-kitchen. So far we use this space as much as the family room and kitchen. To me, that's a success! 🙂

    More our new house

    • Update on Selling and Moving!
    • DIY Shibori Pillow Covers - Refreshing Our Outdoor Space
    • We're Moving - Our White House with Black Shutters is for Sale!
    • How to Keep Kids Clothes from Taking Over

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie Roberts

      December 01, 2016 at 12:41 pm

      Goodness, I wish you lived right down the road from me so you could help me with my house! Love the room, it looks great!

    2. Lacey Bean

      December 01, 2016 at 7:43 am

      Just found your blog - this is an amazing room! I love the pops of color. Great job!

    3. Amy

      November 14, 2016 at 6:29 pm

      That rug is SO much fun! Is it as fuzzy feeling as it looks?

      • Ann Marie Heasley

        November 20, 2016 at 6:58 pm

        YES! It's really, really soft.

    4. Hilary

      November 14, 2016 at 10:50 am

      I love it! White + color accents are totally outside my comfort zone too.

    5. Aimee Lentz

      November 14, 2016 at 10:42 am

      I finally got a chance to look at this. The space looks so amazing! I may have to hire you. I get so many ideas for my spaces but can never figure out how to implement them or I am stopped for budget reasons. Thank you for sharing. I love seeing the before and after. It really is a beautiful cozy space. Nice job!!

    6. Kim

      November 13, 2016 at 5:00 pm

      Did you build or buy the white toy bin on wheels?

      • Ann Marie Heasley

        November 13, 2016 at 5:16 pm

        I bought it at a garage sale. The material is MDF and it looks like they added heavy duty casters from the hardware store. It's been great for toy storage!

      • Kim

        November 13, 2016 at 5:31 pm

        Nice! You find some great garage sale finds. Thx for the quick response. I'll have to try to convince hubby to build it!

      • Ann Marie Heasley

        November 13, 2016 at 5:44 pm

        You're welcome. 🙂 We really do! The only downside is when I can't give a source, I actually feel guilty, haha.

        Good luck convincing him! It's a very simple box and good size, dimensions are roughly 20" wide, 12" deep, 18" tall.

      • Kim

        November 14, 2016 at 11:13 am

        Thanks for the dimensions, that helps! I have this vision of doing a sensory board on one side. Wheel it out for play time and then put it up against wall when guests come over to be hidden. We'll see!

      • Ann Marie Heasley

        November 14, 2016 at 11:18 am

        Oh, that sounds perfect!

      • Julie Roberts

        December 01, 2016 at 12:44 pm

        The Ana White website has some plans for the wooden boxes.

    7. Sharon Heasley

      November 13, 2016 at 12:14 am

      Everything looks so beautiful! I can't wait to see it I person!

    8. Gayle

      November 13, 2016 at 12:14 am

      Lovely! The chair color is amazing, and that rug is to die for. Really inviting space.

    9. Patricia Olson

      November 12, 2016 at 5:43 pm

      So creative! I could live there!?

    10. Andrea

      November 12, 2016 at 4:19 pm

      I absolutely love this room! My favorite parts are the bright colors and the picture rail with the artwork on top. It's so crisp and calm. Lovely!

      • Ann Marie Heasley

        November 12, 2016 at 5:06 pm

        Thank you, Andrea! The picture rail (and everything on it) is by far my favorite part. 🙂

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    Hi, I'm Ann Marie. I want to help you find peace in your home through simplifying your life, taking on small projects, and learning to find your style. Learn more about this site and why I started it...

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    Hi, I'm Ann Marie. I want to help you find peace in your home through simplifying your life, taking on small projects, and learning to find your style. Learn more about this site and why I started it...

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