Baroque on a Budget - The Dining Room

Welcome to my dining room, or nook as it may be. I wanted to create something baroque and extravagant for little cost (with the exception of an item or two). Starting with the cheapest but most time consuming piece of the puzzle ... The Stenciling

I ordered a damask stencil online and completed this project myself. It is definitely a DIY anyone can do; though I would recommended only doing one wall, as an accent, since a) the pattern could be too overwhelming if you do an entire room and b) it is a simple but time consuming project. I absolutely love the end result.

Materials used: A stencil, painter's tape (you want to tape the stencil to the wall before you paint over it), paint, roller frame, roller cover. This is optional but I kept around wet wipes for any errors made along the way.

These chairs were such a great find. I bought them at a local consignment shop from a lady who reclaims vintage furniture by painting & reupholstering. As a big fan of vintage, saving money, and the DIY this is something I want to start doing myself down the road. When buying furniture I always recommend shopping thrift or consignment shops first - you'll find more unique and cheaper options. Anyone who does furniture reclaiming, link me to your projects!

Note of caution: be careful when ordering items online described as "antique white" or "cream" if you don't want a yellow tinted piece. This wood bench is beautiful, but you can see the difference in color between the photo in the link and my actual photo of the bench. I've been meaning to sand & repaint it to more of a cream/white color to match my chairs but haven't just yet.

I got this mirrored panel as a gift and it took me forever to figure out where it should go. I originally wanted to put it in my bedroom but it didn't seem to go as a stand alone piece. Then I was afraid if I hung it next to the damask stenciling it would look tacky, but when I finally did it I found they really complimented each other. The damask reflects off the mirrored panels, making it look even prettier in person. Sometimes when you put two things together you don't think will work, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

And finally I tried to keep the tabletop accessories simple. Taper holders and taper candles purchased from Pier 1 and the pop of red in these Parisian inspired placemats helps breakup the monochromatic whites and creams.

Just to point it out, I do have a new blog title! Let me know if you like.

Michelle