Let’s talk home improvements! When Austin and I moved back to New Braunfels, we had a very hard time letting go of Colorado, so we decided to hang on to a piece of it by keeping our house in Colorado Springs. We rent it out on a short term basis, which means we left it fully furnished. After buying our home in New Braunfels, a 1960’s ranch style house in need of a complete remodel, we realized we would need to be very careful with our funds. We needed to first off, furnish it and secondly, remodel just about every square inch. With our time and money resources limited, we decided to tackle a few projects every year. Today we are going to talk about one of these early projects.
Our Texas home is, well, “interesting”. That’s been the consensus when we’ve had guests over. As I mentioned earlier, it was built in the 1960s and was probably renovated in the 90s. Imagine lots of wallpaper, popcorn ceilings and heavily textured walls. It has also been added onto as much as four times, with some additions being better than others. One of these additions is what is now our dining room and the topic of today’s blog!
Our dining room was likely a….[fill in the blank here], maybe a living room, a bar, a game room, a swingers cocktail room??? Your guess is as good as mine. The gas fireplace was awkwardly placed and the wet bar was just, well, bad. Take a look at the early pictures from when we bought this little gem.
The ceiling height in the dining room was only 7’-6”, with the standard height being 8’-0”. The popcorn ceiling, wall paneling and low ceiling fan did not help our vertically challenged room. We were able to maximize the ceiling height in the room by eliminating the carpet and carpet pad, tearing out the drywall, and exposing the ceiling joists. Our joists are 6” high so it gives the dining room an illusion of higher ceilings. Bonus, the joists and plywood were already painted margarita green!
Once we finished up the demo phase, it was time to do some cleaning. Did I mention we did all of the construction ourselves? We may have had a little help…
In order to save a bit of money I decided to make our custom pendant light fixture for the dining room. I ordered all the parts online through Grand Brass (see link below). This was my first experience with DIY light fixtures and I have to say it went really well! When your budget is tight, don’t be afraid to tackle a DIY for the look you want. Next up, I spent time playing with the finishes and colors of the dining room. We decided on staining the concrete floors, which was a learning experience to say the least, but worth it!
Before we get to the really good stuff, we have to talk about this table. Truthfully, I feel this table could be a blog post in itself because it has such a great story. I bought it at Max’s Haus. a great local antique shop here in New Braunfels for $250. This was an old work bench for a furniture maker and was covered in layers of urethanes. The height of the table with the casters, a fancy way of saying wheels, was at 36”, most dining tables are typically 30” high. I sanded the table down to the raw wood, refinished it and took the casters off for an absolutely perfect table for our new dining room.
I love making something old, new again!
The reveal……….
Tada!
I love the way the light flows. In the fall, I love to open up all the windows and let the breeze in.
Part of the joy of remodeling your house is the anticipation of hosting friends and family in your newly renovated space. Thanksgiving is around the corner so I must showcase some amazing pieces that I procured while planning for the big feast. I love simple and clean design in case you hadn’t noticed. I am not the kind of person who makes purchases for the sake of current trends or because I think it’s cute. I live by my brand by staying “True” to my style with things that I love. I want to use pieces that are thoughtful and intentional. I love meeting an artist who created a piece that will be in my family for years to come. Or giving new life to a table that was once used for furniture making.
Less is more for me. Let the pieces speak for the themselves and then let your guests speak about the pieces. Also, this picture really highlights the light fixture I created.
I fell in love with these bird cloth napkins I found on Esty. I love how they compliment my dinner plates from Buck Pottery. See links below for information on these peices.
This credenza was another fun DIY project my husband, Austin, and I completed together. We love the way the pegboard sliding doors offer a fun and different texture to our space.
Fireplace no more! Now the focus is on some beautiful pieces we have acquired over the years.
Renovation seems to be a never ending process around here. I think that’s why finding pieces that are important and working through the process is so important to me. I want this room to be functional for many years to come. Over time, the dining room has become a place for me and my family to gather. Not just for a meal but you can find us here crafting with my kids, blowing out birthday candles, laying out my next project, or just having coffee with a pal. I love that and I love this room! I hope you do too. I added links below for some of the pieces in this blog if you are interested. Till next time, have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving everyone!
Best,
Allyson
