Dining Room Facelift

Today I'm linking up with the Dog Days of Winter Make-It Linky Party.  Click here to see all the fun projects being shared!

Do you have that room in your house that you just hate to look at, let along walk through several times a a day? Welcome to my space.  My house is always evolving and I am constantly changing up the decor but I have never been happy with the design in my dining room and since it is what you see when you walk into the front door it needs to be spectacular.  As it stood before I felt like it could scare away any visitor.

The items in here are random:  a mason jar chandelier that I DIY'd the week I moved into my house, an antique door from a store in Fenton, a shutter I picked up from a garage sale for $1, a wine cooler that my brother handed down to me (which I've never plugged in), a table I got for a great deal on Craigslist, and four chairs from World Market.  This room needs some help.  Even Lucy looks sad to be in this room. 

I bought that buffet on Craigslist exactly one year ago.  I remember dragging it into the house the day of my annual friends Thanksgiving dinner that I host.  It worked great that night (and since then) to store my Grandmother's china and to serve food buffet style.  But it didn't take long for me to realize that it lessens the walk-way area and the vacuum cord gets caught in the corner every time.  So annoying.

It's provides so much storage that it seems to be a landing area for junk.  Seriously, there were atleast two drawers that stored mail and projects that were in the works.  The stain is a cherry color and didn't fit in with my house.  I knew this when I bought it and had plans to refinish it.  However, it really is a beautiful antique and I actually felt guilty removing that beautiful stain and replacing it with paint.  I sold Grandma's china (sorry Grams!) and reduce the clutter no longer needing storage.  So I found a new home for the buffet (um...the garage for now), right after we celebrated it's one year anniversary. 

What did I end up doing?  Let's rewind back about 22 months.  I almost bought a house for the mantle alone.  In the 10 minutes I walked through the ghost-haunted, spider-infested dump, I had already planned my Christmas mantle.  I considered buying a house for a mantle.  Thankfully, I decided it wasn't worth it, and forgot about my dream mantle when I saw this hanging out in my basement (this is taken before I owned my  house)...

That beauty of a mantle left my house when I took ownership.  I actually had a nightmare that my mantle resembled that fireplace.  I was afraid that if I created a faux fireplace it would end up looking tacky and out of place.  This is the first time I'm sharing my basement.  Eek! The dark pit of my house...that will get tackled. One day.

I was determined to find a mantle with out a fireplace that was eye candy. I've seen many fireplaces closed up and turned into a nice feature, and thought, I can do that... it's not tacky. In fact, they all seem cozy and glamorous even with out a warm fire glowing inside.

   

I love the gallery frames above the fireplace on the right, and the book pages decoupaged in the opening on the left...  These images were found on a google search for Faux Fireplace. 

I spotted a beautiful addition to a dining room here, we know the girl has awesome style when I see a mason jar chandelier hung above her dining table!  We could be friends.  I love the style of the mantle her and her hubby built, and the cedar wood on the inside was making me melt...see, who needs a fire?

If you click the picture you will be taken to the source of the photo.  The blogger (Kara Paslay) and I seem to have quite a lot in common when you compare our styles.  Our dining tables look similar and check out the paneling on her kitchen ceiling!  The trim in my house is plain and sqaure, so the style of the mantle above was exactly what I was looking for.  I wanted my fireplace to be taller (4'3" tall) and thinner (3'6" wide), and I had another idea for the wall adorning the mantle. 

I had plans to build the mantle to see what I could do.  As I was explaining the plans to my contractor (he was here to work on the refrigerator built-in) I finished my sentence by saying "well, if you have time you could help me!" as if I was doing him a favor by allowing him to help me.  Then again, I did see him pet the finished mantle as he was leaving.  I don't blame him.

He and I actually ended up building the mantle in place (which I probably wouldn't have thought to do). Here is the bare wall after I moved the buffet.  First, we removed the trim and shoe molding.

We created the two columns and brought them in so I could eye the width before creating the center piece.

 

From here, we added the trim pieces (1x3 trim).  I considered wrapping the 8" base molding around the column, but it took away from the height, so we swapped it out for the 3" trim.  Then used a 1x8 to create the top piece, which would give me enough room to display a frame and candles.  

I planned to paint the open part of the mantle and needed a clean surface, so it was either skim coat the existing wall or install 1/4" plywood.  I like the look of the cedar surround, but knew I would want to stain it down the road.  So we placed in the opening but didn't secure it so I could later remove it to stain

Joe photobombed that picture above.  Can you find him? He just so happens to be the same color as the hardwood floors.  Chillin' in his usual spot....next to the heat vent.  

Tonight I was able to prime and paint the mantle.  What d'ya think?  I'm in love.  Yes, that is chalkboard paint.  It's a staple in my house.

I have big plans for the wall surround and I still need to test some stain samples on a spare piece of cedar.  Stay tuned...  You'll see more of my dining room transformation as it comes together.  This could take a while.  Please chime in and let me know your thoughts and ideas too!

So far, I love love love this!  I am so excited that it's actually mine.  In fact, I'm a little sad just looking into the future and knowing that this can't go with me.  The future owner of my home is a very lucky person.  :)  

Here is what the mantle looks like today.

The chalkboard gets frequent updates.  Prior to the flames, the chalkboard read "c'mon baby light my fire."  

So what do you think of a mantle sans fireplace? Justin and I keep calling it the "fireplace, er...mantle."  We always joke about being careful not to stand too close to the open flames.  

Mary