Dining Room Makeover
New Hardwood Floors
My hardwood floors are finished and I’m finally sharing the progress. I’m thrilled with how the updates are coming together. With a kitchen remodel happening at the same time, the house has been a busy place, but the dining room is back in use and it feels wonderful to restore this space. Fall nesting, here I come!
The Hickory hardwood floors have transformed the room’s atmosphere. They bring light, texture, and a refined yet relaxed feeling that fits the vision for our home. Choosing prefinished floors allowed installation with minimal dust and a quick turnaround, which was a big plus during other ongoing projects.
The floors look fantastic and complement the updated staircase as well. I partnered with Lowe’s on this hardwood floor project, which helped me check another item off my Home Dreams list for the year. Their support made the process easier and faster.
I’ve enjoyed rethinking the style of each room now that the new floors are a major feature. Carpet had been distracting from my intended design, but the hardwoods introduced a clear palette to build on. I’ve been simplifying furniture and reducing clutter so the room’s architectural details and finishes can stand out.
My approach is to return only pieces I truly love and use. While many existing items were reused, I’ve also mixed in a few new pieces where they fit. The goal is a balanced, functional space rather than filling it with unnecessary furniture.
I decided to remove both the baker’s rack and the armoire that had previously occupied the dining room. Although they were nice pieces, the room breathes better without extra cabinets and now feels more inviting for daily meals and gatherings. The white armoire has been relocated to an upstairs bedroom, keeping it in the home but out of this space.
To complete the look after the floors were installed, I wanted four new chairs. I’d long admired woven gray Kooboo armchairs at World Market. After watching and waiting, they went on sale and I brought two home. They are perfect: the texture and scale suit our modest dining area. I also mixed in two gray metal chairs from World Market that were on sale, creating a casual, layered seating arrangement around our white table. Extra black metal chairs are available when needed.
For artwork, I placed a 19th-century oil painting on the right wall. Its coastal tones and impressionist mood are an ideal fit. That painting traveled with me from my previous house; I bought it from the seller and later discovered it is an original from the Impressionist circle.
I planned to hang a driftwood mirror on the left wall, but repeated attempts revealed the drywall wouldn’t cooperate. Instead of continuing to struggle, I added decorative plates to the wall to cover the many small holes. The mirror is still on my list for another day—sometimes finishing a project matters more than perfecting every detail right away.
Is the dining room complete?
Not exactly. Is a room ever truly finished when you enjoy tweaking and evolving it? I see this and other rooms as ongoing projects—refinements happen over time. Each year the space develops a bit more and my style becomes clearer. That’s the joy of decorating: it’s an evolving process, not a single destination. The dining room may look different next year, but for now I’m happy with its direction.
The house is evolving into a style that suits me. I love the mix of natural materials—woven chairs combined with mixed-metal accents like the lantern and chairs. That blend gives our Craftsman home a vintage character with a modern edge.
Future tasks include repainting the dining table, finishing a ceiling band that still needs attention, and painting baseboards. I also keep my options open for wall color—currently Studio Taupe by Behr—but a change may be in the cards as the room continues to evolve.
Despite remaining tasks, we’ve made significant progress over the past few years.
Here’s the starting point: the before photo above shows the room as we first moved in. It wasn’t arranged or finished, but it highlights how much has changed—old carpet, dated wall color, and an outdated light fixture are all gone.
This dining room has evolved step by step, with small updates adding up over three and a half years to create the current look.
Progress timeline:
- I waited ten months for my previous house to sell before moving furniture into this home.
- I installed an antique stained glass piece to screen an unappealing view.
- I painted my table, chairs, and armoire to brighten and unify mismatched woods.
- I hung temporary curtains carried over from my old house.
- I painted the walls Studio Taupe by Behr to freshen the room.
- I added a new character-filled lantern for lighting.
- I rearranged furniture, moving the dresser out and placing a baker’s rack.
- I introduced new chairs to refine the seating.
- I rehung repurposed blue-and-white curtains to add pattern and softness.
- We removed carpet and furniture to install new Hickory hardwood floors.
- Today we have the new floors in place and updated seating and decor.
There you have it: the dining room progress report and before-and-after update.
Now I’m ready for fall and excited to keep refining the home. The adjoining living room has also seen updates, and I’ll continue evolving each space as inspiration and time allow.
Lantern source: Pottery Barn