Dining Room Decoration Archives

Set Your Easter Table

March 23, 2016 · by Maria · 2 Comments

You know how I have always told you that I like to buy neutral pieces that are not particular to any one holiday? That way the pieces are versatile enough to use year-round? That was true until these little bunny plates went on sale. My resolve and practical good sense went out the window.

The dinner plate version was also available, but I told myself that these salad plates would take up less room to store. That was me easing my conscience. 🙂

I am so glad that I picked them up! I purchased 9 of them, as I usually buy an extra plate just in case somebunny breaks one.

I found the plates and the tablecloth at Homegoods. The tablecloth could use a few more inches all the way around and I am thinking about adding a green border all around the tablecloth, so that it feels more sizable. Tablecloths and comforters should be made a little larger than they currently are. Don’t you agree?

I have had my eye on these gold utensils for over a year! Finally they went on sale last year (after Christmas) and I purchased 2 sets. I was also considering this one from Amazon but decided on these from CB2. I love them and the only critique that I have is the size of the little fork – it is unusually small. Maybe it would be perfect as an appetizer fork, but kind of small for salad.

There was a lot of color already on the table, especially with the busy pattern of the tablecloth, so these linen napkins were my go-to. I paired them with a simple gold napkin ring that matched the chargers and the utensils.

You all know how I love fresh flowers but I had this little yellow arrangement by my bed and it fit perfectly inside Mr. Bunny. To make this more substantial, I sat him on a pretty blue cake pedestal.

I had these faux eggs in my kitchen. Don’t they look real? I placed them on these tiny bunny plates. I also thought of filling them with jelly beans.

Flanking the yellow flowers are these two potted plants (not real). I like how the pots even have some weathering, which make them more believable. From far away all the greenery and flowers look real.

So will I be using this table for Easter? I have no idea! We have yet to really make plans but I am glad that the table is set and ready to go just in case we do some last minute hosting. #JustAddTheHam

Will you be hosting Easter at your home this year? Is it a holiday that you decorate for? All I do is set the table but not too much more decorating. I would love to hear about your traditions on this special day.

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Organized Home Week 9 – The Dining Room

March 16, 2015 · by Maria · 3 Comments

This week we are organizing the dining room. In our home, we have a formal dining room and a small table in our kitchen which is where we usually eat. When we have guests over, we move into the formal dining room because otherwise we wouldn’t fit in the small table.

Like any other room in the house, the dining room needs a little love and order. When we purchased our dining room set 11 years ago I went back and forth as to whether to buy the matching china hutch or the matching buffet. At some point I wanted both but my husband gave me crazy eyes when I suggested it so I picked the china hutch. Of course, had I purchased both I would now hate the room being cluttered, so I am thankful that my husband opened his eyes as wide as he did when I said “I think I want both”.

We opted for this piece.

And I love it, I really do. There is a lot of storage in this piece but I did miss having drawers. So in the entrance of our home I added a buffet instead of a sofa table so that I could store some more dining items.

The top two drawers are dedicated to napkin rings and an extra set of silverware.

Here is the second drawer.

So why do I need so much storage? As much as I preach on pairing down and getting rid of excess, I love to be a prepared hostess. Over the past 17 years, I have collected pieces that I love and use for entertaining. I donate items as I bring in new ones so that everything still has it’s place.

A great idea if you don’t have a china hutch, a buffet or just need a little extra storage, is using an ottoman.

I keep this ottoman in my living room and it is full of napkins. Wanna see? Promise you won’t give me crazy eyes.

I love setting a pretty table and over the years, I have collected quite a few napkins. I only buy napkins when they go on sale, sometimes for $2 a piece. I won’t buy more than fit in this ottoman which I guess means, I won’t buy more. 🙂

I don’t buy as many placemats. I only have a few different designs and they are all pretty neutral. I would rather dress up the table with napkins which are less expensive and not as bulky to store.

So now that you had a mini tour through my dining storage, let’s get to work!

Create piles for Discarding, Giving away and Keeping

If the items that you currently have do not fit into the designated space, do your best to sort through everything and decide what can go. It is such a good feeling to open up an organized drawer and you can actually find things when you need them. When it comes to entertaining, that’s a big plus!

Clean the items that you are keeping

Since you have emptied your space, take advantage of the opportunity and clean up. Sometimes we don’t notice how cloudy cups can get stored away in a hutch. Also inside the furniture dust accumulates over time, even if it has doors. Dust is sneaky like that! Everything will look amazing when you put clean items back into a clean and organized space.

Also, take the time to clean your dining room table thoroughly, including the table legs that often get ignored. This is also a great time to clean the chairs in those little crevices that gather dust. I can’t say that anyone will notice that your chairs don’t have dust in that little hole where the arm meets the seat cushion, but you and I will know and that gives us comfort and hope and crazy eyes.

Organize the dining room

The fun part! Placing items back into the designated space. Be sure to make it pretty, not just functional. Last year, I shared how I organize my china hutch. You can certainly stack items but try your best to keep the visible storage from looking too busy. Inside the drawers, things don’t have to be perfect but be sure that items are accessible. When you are entertaining and need a large platter or server, you want to be able to access it.

Voila! All done.

Do you enjoy entertaining and collecting housewares? What are your favorite items that you keep in the dining room? A silver piece, fine china, something small with big meaning?

Also in this series:

Week 1 – Organizing the Refrigerator

Week 2 – Organizing Kitchen Cabinets

Week 3- Organizing the Pantry

Week 4- The Master Bedroom

Week 5- Organizing the Entryway

Week 6 – Organizing Kid’s Bedrooms

Week 7 – Organizing the Laundry Room

Week 8 – Organizing Hall Closets

Updating the Dining Room

August 25, 2014 · by Maria · 7 Comments

Earlier this week, I shared how I updated my old curtains and I promised pictures of how I was updating the rest of the dining room. When we moved in 10 years ago, I was nine months pregnant and we were in a hurry to get the house ready before the baby. We painted the house in a rush and didn’t worry about most of the furnishings until after I had the baby. I eventually realized that some of the colors we chose didn’t compliment the furniture, as well as I would have liked. But we spent so much money on paint, and it was so much work to paint the whole house again, that I figured I would change the colors sometime down the line. Well, it’s now sometime down the line. The paint has lasted over 10 years and I can’t ask for more. The colors that I wanted to change asap were the ones in my kitchen and the color in my dining room.

Although there is a french door in the dining room, there isn’t much natural light that comes in through the adjacent room. The wall color was dark, the furniture is dark, the curtains are dark…I’m depressed just writing this… Overall, the room needed to be brighter! We weren’t about to change the furniture, so I went off to the paint store to find the right color. I knew I wanted a white shade but finding the right shade of white was harder than expected. Some whites are cool and others warm, the cool tones were my favorite. However, cool tones didn’t match the existing decor, so I had to go with a warmer white. But I didn’t want it too warm, too yellow. I know…your head is spinning. Mine was too.

After looking at so many swatches of color, I chose one from Sherwin Williams called “White Duck”.

Like many of my paint projects, I started at night. After all, the kids were in bed and I didn’t have to worry about them running around while I tried to paint. Here is the before picture of the room.

Look at the difference in the colors. At first I wondered if the new color was too light.

But after finishing one wall, the room was already looking brighter. Although outside it was getting a lot darker. I needed sleep.

The next morning, I moved the china hutch and painted behind that last wall.

And here is the finished product, with the curtains and art back up on the wall.

Here is the other side. So much brighter! The ceiling was already painted and I wasn’t about to mess with that. Painting ceilings is for people far braver than I.

I did paint the molding as well to make the room look fresh and complete.

One last look at the table and another angle of the room.

All I did to update this room was change the curtains, and change the paint color. The room feels so airy with the lighter tone and we all love it!

What’s the next room in your home that you will probably paint? For me, it will probably be the kitchen.

Maria