House of Hydrangeas

Navy blue dining rooms have really been catching my attention lately.  The richness of color alone is enough to make a huge statement, but that, coupled with the instant intimacy the color evokes, makes for a perfect dining space color.   via Rue Mag If our dining room walls weren't openly connected to the rest of my living space, I would paint them navy in a heartbeat.  What you do you think about navy?  Too dark or just right?

 {Wow.  Hanging floral halos and crisp white tables.} {Dipped treats with bows--simple and cute.} {Everything about this space is amazing.} {Tickle Me Francey by OPI...my new go-to fall color.} {Speaking of fall...it has arrived at our house!...well, at least indoors :) } Happy Friday!  

Before After Before After Quite a transformation, huh? It's amazing what new floors, new paint and a little furniture rearranging will do to a room. Now obviously the before pictures didn't have all of the furniture in the right place because we had moved things before the workers came to put in the floors, but the silver chest was moved and replaced with the antique rocking horse that was previously in the corner and the game table (seen in the bottom right corner of the second before shot) was moved to the living room to free up some space. I'm kind of obsessed the new room and think it looks so much more open and upscale. The gray walls showcase all of my mom's silver and antiques much better than the previous cream ones did, and contrary to what many assume, the darker color actually makes the room feel larger as opposed to smaller.  I'm so happy with the outcome.  Here are a few more pictures from different angles in the room. The room is not quite co...

I'm happy to say that the dining room is almost done being painted! Due to the chair rail, base boards, crown molding and plantation shutters, the edging took far longer than I expected. I got up early this morning to finish off the second coat of it and now each wall has at least one coat of paint on it! One wall is completely finished and the others will be after I roll on the second coat. Luckily, that is the easiest part. You can't get the full effect because the walls are still drying but you'll get the jist. I think it looks great, and I can't wait to see it all back together! The last thing to do will be to recover the chairs, and hopefully we'll shop for that fabric tomorrow night! I'm going to take a break and meet some girlfriends for lunch and a pedicure and then paint the second coat and head back to tackle the wallpaper tonight.

Here's a photo of the wallpaper from you know where. There were three of us working on getting it down yesterday afternoon, and I'd say it's a little over half way done now. Towards the end, my hand was killing me from using the spray bottle so I started to dump some of the gel in my hand and apply it to the wall, and it worked pretty good. The key is having the paper really saturated and letting it sit for awhile before you start scrapping. It's still a long process, but I just keep telling myself it will all be worth it in the end. My main project today is paint the dining room.  Here are the samples I applied yesterday so we could get a good look at how the color would be during the day, at night and with the lights on.  The middle color is the one I mentioned choosing yesterday.  It's called Mountain Smoke by Valspar.  And in case you're interested in what the colors are called the top one is Elephant, as by Valspar, and the bottom one...

Well after a few setbacks, I finally made it to my mom's in Alabama at 11:30 Saturday night. Yesterday I helped my friend Bekah add the finishing touches of accessories and art to her adorable new home, and today I'm tackling some projects at my mom's...or at least trying to. There are two things I'd really love to complete by the end of the week.  The first is to paint the formal dining room a gray color.  The picture below is my main inspiration. I went to Lowe's and got samples of a few different colors, and after seeing them all up on the wall, I think I've decided on Mountain Smoke by Valspar.  I think this tone of gray will work well with my mom's furniture and gold framed oil paintings, and I love having the idea of adding a dark color to this room (which is currently cream) because it evokes a more intimate setting for dining.    So the dining room color was decided.  Easy enough, I thought.  Then came the kitchen.  It's a whole oth...

The newest issue of Ivy & Piper has lots of stunning spaces in it, but I particularly fell in love with this gorgeous dining/kitchen area.  Check out of the rest of fabulous designs  here .

I'm sharing some more inspiration from my "Wish List" file today--this time with the dining room.  If you haven't seen the before and after of our dining room in this house, you can check it out here .  While I love our dining room, I do wish to change/add some things to our next one... here are a few ideas I've stashed away for our next place. I love this color.  It's called Fairview Taupe by Benjamin Moore.  Board and batten.  Green hydrangeas.  Crystal chandelier.  Woven blinds.  I love it all. via Made By Girl While I adore the chandelier and marble top table, it was the benches that caught my attention in this one. via Meg Adams  Thinking of turning my  thrift store lamps  into something like these. via Rue  The silk draperies, the striped wall, the recessed ceiling and medallion...all make up a contemporary traditional style that I love.  And our table and chairs are almost identical to th...