When we moved in, the dining room was a dark brown color. I didn't like the color, the light fixture, or really anything.
We bought this table in Dallas, and I added in some accessories like drapes that PERFECTLY coordinated with the table. I knew this room was missing something. I knew it needed change, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It doesn't show in pictures, but the brown walls were making the room very dark, and the table (which I wanted to be a focal point) was just blending in. I literally had to live in this house for 11 months before it hit me.......
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| Note: I did like the room when it looked like this (table dressed, a few good accessories....but in person the walls were just so dark and the wrong shade. The above picture looks pretty good, but in person it didn't work. |
This room needed wallpaper! I knew it needed to be something that would make all the neutral shades in my house make sense together. I needed pattern. I wanted something different but still in my traditional style.
But I was TERRIFIED.
I literally couldn't believe it when I went to the store to look at wallpaper. (Sidenote: this all happened before our adoption proceedings began; I just didn't blog about it. So I wasn't going on a shopping spree while trying to raise adoption funds!) I flipped through book after book, with fabric swatches in hand, when---BOOM! I found it! It blends the blue/purpley/gray/taupe tones of my table with the other shades of neutral and cream in my house. It's the perfect touch of British cottage and I LOVE IT.
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| Cue the Bennett family. |
You might hate it, but I LOVE IT.
The room is incredibly far from finished (it never will be--I'm always changing things), and I'm constantly tweaking. But I'm telling you, when sunlight streams through those windows a certain way, I feel like I'm in the middle of Pride and Prejudice. I consider that a success.
My mother and law and I hung the wallpaper this weekend, and I loved it more and more as each piece went up. Ironically, this paper was the least expensive one I saw, and it was the only one I loved.
Now the furniture and drapes POP but it's not loud and garish.
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| Other sidenotes: The rest of my matching chairs are still in Dallas and we'll be getting them this summer. I found the light fixture at my favorite local antique/craft place. It was a steal, and they even spray painted it for me! |
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| Pardon my lack of Goo Gone on my apothecary jars. This is real life. |
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| Yummy drapes, handmade by my mother in law! |
The best part? There's a pretty gold color in the paper that makes the perfect backdrop for this beautiful picture of the most adorable little girl in the world. :)
My huge design risk (floral wallpaper!) = SUCCESS!!!
Please take a look at our adoption fundraiser shop! It's a great way to show your support for adoption and look cute while doing it!
