Makeover: A Red Dungeon to a Delightful Dining Room

One of the rooms that really made an (ahem) impact when we bought our home was our dining room…but not in a good way. Our dining room was our version of the red room of pain, because it was painful to look at.
We couldn’t start on it right away, because we were in the middle of a major kitchen renovation. I knew I wanted a two-toned paint look in the room, that we needed a new light fixture, and all the accessories!
While I took a break from the kitchen renovation, I primed the walls since they were coated with sloppily painted red and a peachy-tan paint. I realized as I primed that the chair rail molding was beyond saving. Whoever painted the wall red obviously did not use painter’s tape or they may have been blind. It was not cute. The moldings had to go.
For the paint, I knew I wanted a two-toned look, but grays can be tricky. To make sure the paint was in the same tone, I used a super secret fancy trick. I painted the darker, lower portion of the wall first (Intellectual Gray by Sherwin-Williams), then added white paint to lighten it up. Same paint- just lighter!
We bought all new trim, stained it the same shade as the floors, and added a coat of polyurethane.
With the walls of the room complete, it was time to move in the furniture and accessories!
Our dining room table is a table given to us by my in-laws that we stained and chalk painted for a fresh look. Stay tuned for a tutorial on how we finished the table.
After a few more accessories and furniture pieces, our dining room is complete!
Interested in the same look? Here’s where to shop:
Place mats: Home Goods
Paint: Intellectual Gray Sherwin-Williams
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