dining room photo tour + SEVERAL easy DIY projects mixed in.

so excited to give you guys a photo tour of our dining room! all photos were taken by the talented and amazing andrea jenkins, aka hula. also, there are many easy do-it-yourself projects + ideas mixed in. i hope you get inspired!

the dining room is the center of our home. i really, really love this room. bright + cheery makes me happy. one of my favorite pieces in this room is the makeshift table in the back left. it’s a chair with a vintage suitcase placed on top. i’m pretty sure my mom fashioned it up when we were unpacking. i just love it and it holds our plant and lamp perfectly.

there’s another little table fashioned from a vintage suitcase. and just so you know, that lovely orchid was a housewarming gift that promptly died a week later (we tried!!). the painting is the one that mati and i painted together – really love it in this new space (it was in our bedroom).

john’s family gave us some of the family china YEARS ago (like, 10 years ago) but we’ve never had a place to put it so it’s been stored in boxes all of these years. i can’t tell you how awesome it was to FINALLY get a sweet little china cabinet (that my mom painted white – thanks, mom!) and unpack all the lovely vintage china. i love, love, love this china. it’s simple and sweet and we use it often.

we bought white curtains from target and sewed some pretty fabric to the bottoms. when i say “we” i mean “my mom” – i love this DIY project. it’s simple yet easy and changes the whole room.

we found this vintage table for less than $75. the color. love.

the table runner is made from several pretty vintage hankies sewn together. i saw this idea in a magazine years ago and it was so great to finally do it. this was another sewing project that mom quickly whipped up for me. seriously, what would i do without her?

i can’t remember how i came to be the owner of such a long feather but i like it in the plant. it gives that little piece of corner some height. feather + plants = why not!

john’s parents gifted us this old church pew after i went on and on about how much i loved it (it used to be in their house). it’s one of my favorite pieces.

that’s me, super duper preggers. man, that feels like forever ago.

a contractor bought the house next door and is currently renovating it (it’s another 1916 bungalow). he so graciously gave us the chandelier that was hanging in the dining room over there. i thought he was crazy for giving it up but i didn’t argue:) and man, i spent a lot of time cleaning it and getting it back in shape. i love, love it so so much. and yes, it has just two shades even though it has six lights. i fell in love with the white ruffly shades and had to have them (even though there were only two). i sort of like the quirkiness of it.

a peak into the living room….so there you have it. our cozy smallish dining room – the very center of our home and where we spend a lot, a lot of time. thanks again to andrea who captured it perfectly.

writing this post has reminded me about how, at 8 months pregnant, we moved into this place, unpacked, did a million projects, and worked super hard to get ready for baby true. my parents came out twice to help us unpack, decorate, and build things because i was sooo huge and uncomfortable toward the end. we had been living in a tiny furnished apt and a hotel for months while all of our stuff was in storage and while we renovated this house. it was craziness and the center of my entire year last year, but as soon as we had the baby a few short weeks later, i promptly forgot about it. just like that. looking back, i’m so, so grateful we worked so hard (and for everyone that helped us finish) as our home was a great comfort to us in those first few weeks of new parenthood. it’s literally been the foundation of what’s held us together as we make our way….thank you, house. we heart you so.

other photo tours of our home:
kitchen
the complete remodel