I’m going to give myself credit where credit is due. Our dining room has gone from dark and depressing to bright and cheerful with relatively little money ($750) and a LOT of sweat. When we bought the house I knew that this room had TONS of potential- and I was right!
Andrew and I primed and painted all the wood paneling ourselves, which made the largest difference in the feel of the room. I wish I had a before picture of the dining set, which was gifted to us by Andrew’s grandfather, so you could see the difference. I painted the chairs with enamel paint ($25) and had them reupholstered in zebra linen ($9 a yard) with silver nailheads (upholstery cost: $40 per chair). They look so great and make me smile everytime I walk in the room. The rug is a chocolate sisal from IKEA ($150), which has rubber backing on it so no need for a rug pad. The West Elm metal and wood chandelier adds a more modern twist to things, and only set us back $150. There are still things to do, such as put up the grasscloth wallpaper I purchased from Creative Wallcovering for $200 and possibly some window treatments as well. I hope this inspires others to roll up their sleeves and think creatively when considering a room rehaul! You can save tons of money by doing it yourself and gain a real sense of accomplishment too!