I tend to ramble, so I'll try and keep this short. We found the chandelier in the attic, and it sort of influenced the rest of the room. I was really anxious about that chandy...didn't know if it would be too small, too sparkly, too bright, too dim, too retro, too whatever, but I'm really, really happy with it.

We don't actually eat in this room (yet) but we use it as a serving area when we entertain.

I painted the china cabinet, played around with some accessories, and finally chose a window treatment. I wanted something with a curved hem, to mimic the pass-through arch.

Here are the "before" pics, and my idea for a wt.

And here it is now:

The details:

Still to do: paint the built-in, replace that small white table with an old mahogony cabinet (it needs a lot of work, so it'll be a winter project), that's why those old prints look like they might be hung a bit high...the old cabinet is a bit taller than the table. If I can ever find a tiny, two seat pedestal dining table, I'll move the buffet to the other side of that pass through, and we can actually eat in there. It's a small room, I think 9x10, so I'm kind of limited with the furniture.

I usually don't look at blogs but have started lately. Your DR looks like some of the best redo's I have seen lately. You really have a great start...can hardly wait to see the table and the builtin when complete. c

I can't believe I didn't get a good pic of my plates! I've had these a few years, and almost got rid of them when I was downsizing. When we found the chandelier, I knew I had to use them, because the colors are the same as in the crystals. I've got a set of three on each side of the curtains.

What color did you decide on for the built-in? Are you going to paint the back wall a different color from the rest? The horizontal part?

I'm still loving the redo on the other cabinet. The new curtains on the pass through and chandy make this look so modern. Give yourself a BIG pat on the back and keep us updated on this room.

Punk

It was a LOT of work, but totally worth it. And adding those appliques was a whim, but I think made all the difference. Thanks again to Paintergirl, who gave me great advice on another forum on finishing that.

That big bowl is actually brass!

I haven't decided what to do with the built-in. It's not great quality wood, and it was kind of haphazardly finished with a LOT of polyurethane. I thought about staining it a darker color, but that would be a huge chore.

The old chippy buffet actually came that way. I found it in an antique shop, but it had some really tacky decals and pulls on it, so all I did was remove the decals and swap out the hardware for something old.

Lori, yes! I used to collect several HL patterns, but have since downsized a lot. I love old dinnerware!

What size table can your room accommodate? The bigger rounds, I've found the hard way, can be difficult to fit into a smaller space, unless you use a table for two, which would be very pretty as well. I've recently noticed some posters have found a bit bigger sized round occasional side-type tables. That look would be nice in your space, especially once covered.

Nice job. Thanks for sharing!

For the built-in -- simply brush on Liquid Sandpaper (yes thats the actual name of the product!) -- wait about 30 minutes or so until the finish has gone a bit "cloudy" -- prime -- and paint.

Paint the built-in in the wonderful white -- and it will actually blend into the whole room!

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I love your chandy & hutch (& the candles on top). Would you mind if I ask where you got that wonderful brass bowl?

I have a rectangular pass-through in my kitchen (not nice like your arched one). Your pic gave me an idea. Maybe I can put a rod there with a cafe curtain just on the lower half.

Really great job.

Gobruno, I used those adhesive discs. I found mine on Amazon, but I've seen them on ebay as well. People seem to either love them or hate them, but so far, I'm happy.

Jan, that's what I was thinking. It's sort of a dark corner right now, and I'm thinking a creamy white, with maybe a contasting color for the back wall of it. I don't think I want an all-white room, though. I'll be adding the small dark stained cabinet, and hope to find a stained dining set.

Thank you all so much! I sometimes have a lot of anxiety about my decorating choices. DH rarely has an opinion about any of it, although when a room is done, he acts sort of impressed and amazed, which is sweet. Most of my family and friends have very different tastes than I do. They also tend to be the "go buy it from the store and throw it in the room" kind, and I'm more of a "find a way to make the things that you collect/find/love work together" so when I try and run ideas by people, I get the furrowed brow, wrinkled nose, "ew" kind of response.

That chandelier was a work of love. I saw it in the attic when we first looked at the house (a '70's ranch)and that was the first thing I looked for when we got the keys. DH dug it out of the insulation, and (bless his heart) picked through the insulation to find the crystals. He found all but two of them! I took the whole thing apart, cleaned it, ordered the missing parts, and had it rewired.

Everything in the room is something that I've found that I just loved. The frame from a thrift store I found 8 years ago, the buffet from the antique mall, the candlesticks from ebay, etc.

Anyway, thanks again! It's nice to get some props for making it all work!

Oh, and about that sideboard/buffet...when people see it, they either gasp and say they LOVE it, or they make a face, and say something like "You're going to refinish that, aren't you?"

And this is why I have angst. Really, I don't decorate for the support and approval of others. I decorate with things that are meaningful to us, things that are useful, things that I've enjoyed rehabbing into something pretty, things that suit the way we live.

I wanted that room to be really pretty, not because we actually use it as a dining room every day (which many people think is weird), but because I walk past it about 20 times a day, and can see it from my back porch. Do you know, someone actually suggested covering over that arched pass-through with sheetrock? Either that, or knocking down that whole wall to make it all open? We have several arched doorways in that part of the house, and that's one of the things we love about the place!

I'm still trying to figure out this whole decorating thing. I struggle with color and pattern, texture, scale. I soak up every bit of wisdom that I run across, I do a lot of trial and error, I buy and return a lot, and some days, it feels like there's a revolving door at my local thrifts. I've sewed and re-sewed curtains and pillows. But I know what I like. If I like it and it makes me happy, I'll try to find some way to incorporate it into the house.