Dining Room Part 1

Before my dining room was green...every part of it. It was like a olive colored paint truck exploded in there. It wasn't that the color was bad...on contrar...it was actually a very appealing color. Too much of a good thing can make it ain't so good. That plus the fact that it was the only room in the house with olive and gold - made it stick out like a Yankees fan in Fenway Park. And that people, is just plain dangerous.

Here is the before with the drab colored walls, chandelier shades and curtains. I shared my mini makeover of this room before so you know that some of these items got swapped. But alas, it was not enough. I decided to repaint the whole darn thing. Here are my reasons:

• Selling Prep - this house will not be our "forever" home...yes, it's sad. In fact, it probably will be our five year home if we are lucky...and being the lazy gal that I am, I want to go neutral now so that repainting won't be necessary come listing time
• Matchy-matchy - the boyfriend and I like to be matchy-matchy. I like my outfit to be matchy-matchy...he likes his to be matchy-matchy...we even like to make sure our outfits together are matchy-matchy (just in case of a photo opportunity)...so it is only fitting to make sure our rooms match too. In this case, our new shmancy paint color matches our only other finished room - the living room.
• Let there be Light - before the room was dark on dark on dark. Now the room has dimension and light. Below the chair rail is the same color as in my living room. Above the chair rail is the shade lighter on the paint swatch to give the room depth. Placing the darker color on the bottom grounds the room while still allowing the majority of the space is be fresh and light.

And for the reveal:

Ta-da! Sure there are several things still to do but the background work is done. Some of my favorite details:

Pottery Barn's Holman shelves in action. My china never looked so good! Not only are these shelves super-sturdy, I scored them at the outlet so all three cost less than one at normal price. I love how the plates and teacups are so easy to access and a little cloth dusting is all they need to be utilized in an instant. Bonus points for making fancy lenox a little more laid back!

Ikea's derierre in a chair fav! These little pads will help all you out with less junk in your trunk. Unfortunately, I can't share my junk but these little cushions will make those long after-dinner convos a little more enjoyable even if your tushie needs no cushie.

Pottery Barn's discontinued wine bottle shelves. I could only find an ebay link - but you get the idea. Obviously at the outlet these little beauties needed a pick-me-up...and I was there to pick-them-up-in-a-jiffy. A few coats with white spray-paint and wahLA!

Now all I need is to get some of these for the bottom of the top two and I have an instant wine bar...or my favorite - sparkling cider bar! Call me lame but I could seriously drink a whole bottle of the faux bubbly in one sitting. yum yum yum! Dining room Part 2 - change the curtains to white linen...currently they are too blah. Also for part 2 - need to find a small table or tray stand for under the racks - can we say drink station?! Yes we can!

You might be wondering about the big open space above the buffet. Since taking down the country inspired hutch, this blank canvas is begging for some bling. And I have just the thing:

These lovelies got a quick coat in white and are just waiting for hang-time. Definitely stay tuned for part 2 of the Bower Power Dining Room makeover....there is much more to come till this olive beast is a radiant beauty. And in the mean time, let me know if you think that this makeover was a collosal mistake or just makes you green with envy. Olive you and all your opinions!