Dining Room Before & After: Reclaimed Wood Table

House projects are the main items on my to-do list these days.  Buying a house and moving is a whole lot of work.  But it is rewarding, and our new (to us) house is turning into a home!

The downstairs common area is open…the kitchen, dining room and living room are all together.  We only have one eating space, so our dining room table is also the space where we eat all of our meals.  It is a large room, and we had to buy a table more accommodating to the space.

All along we wanted a large, long, rectangular farm-style table.  Though our pick is not a true farm table, it is made from reclaimed pine.  I love the detail of the legs, and the size of the table.  It is pretty huge – around 8′ long!  When we bought our table, it was slightly less expensive, then it sold out.  It appears they have it back in stock, but very few left. 

Here are some before pictures of the room…

After painting the room, before adding the new table.

We have had the entire downstairs painted, and it is now greige colors throughout.  We have mostly neutral furniture, including the whitewash colored dining table.  Pops of blue and white are my current go-tos.

Here are the pictures I took this past weekend.  We received our new table a couple of weeks ago, and have put it together and truly enjoyed it.  Todd did seal it with a clear polyurethane product from Sherwin Williams.  It did not come sealed, and from reviews we read, we knew it would stain easily.  No stains so far with 2 coats of the sealant!

I’ve also worked on reorganizing the shelf behind the table.  I’m sure I’ll change it several times, but it works for now.  I have a mix of our serving pieces, with some blue, white, silver, and cream accents.

 

We were able to use our existing dining chairs, but we need to buy 2 new chairs for either end of the table.  I’m thinking something more substantial, with arms.  Maybe upholstered?  Our current chairs were finds from Sleepy Poet years ago.  They used to be a green-gold color with old fabric in the same color scheme.  With the help of Todd and my mom, we refurbished them, and I continue to love the look.

 

These hydrangea are from my parents’ yard.  She brought them to me over the weekend, and I couldn’t wait to get them arranged in this wooden box Todd made me a few years ago.  I think both the flowers and the box are a perfect fit on our new table!

My mom gave me a tip for getting cut hydrangea to last longer…cut the stems to the desired length at an angle.  Dip the ends of the stems into boiling water for 20 seconds, then place in your vase or container.  It has worked for her, so I can’t wait to see how long these last! 

Next on the list is new lighting for the kitchen island and the dining room.  I have some ideas – hope to post some options soon! 

Thank you for reading!  I’m hoping to keep posting about our house progress and design projects, especially if it is something that you all would be interested in reading.  Have a great Tuesday!