It’s here! My French Chateau Dining Room Reveal! So thrilled with this One Room Challenge Room.
This One Room Challenge room was a labor of love…well at least labor. This room was all about paint, paint, paint. Hubby painted the walls for me and helped me paint the windows (I don’t like going that high on the ladder). I painted every bit of furniture in this space. At night when I went to bed I felt like I still had a paint brush in my hands.
You need to sit down for this next tidbit of info…there are only four items in this space that did not come from a thrift store or Facebook marketplace. The chandeliers (2 of them) and the parsons chairs on each side of the buffet (Ballards Outlet).
I bought the buffet, table, and six dining chairs off Facebook Marketplace. The Italian Candelabras I bought at the thrift years ago. The pair of mirrors were a thrift store purchase about 5 years ago. The plates have been collected from thrift store trips (I never pay more than $1.99 for a plate). The small ones are Haviland (I scored a set of 48 for $35) and the white are Lenox Butler’s Pantry ($10).
I ran out to the thrift just a few nights ago looking for something to put in the center of the buffet. I had already shopped all the big box stores and didn’t find anything that spoke to me. I walked in to the thrift and found this for $15. I knew it was perfect, perfect, perfect.
I found this cherub planter a few months back at Goodwill for $15. I bought it with plans to paint it and make it look like concrete. But when I put it in the middle of the table to get a visual I decided they are just right as are (at least for now).
I love items with history and character. Sometimes mass produced items just don’t give me that immediate love that a vintage find do.
The china cabinet in the corner was a thrift purchase for $120. I loved it immediately but couldn’t commit. I hate when I do that. I walked away from it twice and finally on my third return I decided to take it home with me. I’m so grateful it was still there when I went back because I can’t imagine this space without it.
I painted this china cabinet and the buffet with Annie Sloan paint in Coco. Then I gave the whole piece a white wash and pulled back some of the paint using a wet distress technique. I went back in with a brush and a light hand to highlight all the carving with white.
Okay…oops. I was fibbing. See that large vase/crock on the top shelf in this cabinet? It came from Kohls earlier in the fall (5 new items).
The real game-changer in this space were the chandeliers. Once they went up it seemed to all come together and make sense. They are so beautiful and sparkle all day and night. I have a view of our dining room from my favorite chair in the living room. I love sipping my coffee in the morning and seeing the sun shine through them.
I painted the chairs and apron/legs of the dining table with Miss Mustarseed milk paint in white (I can’t remember the name). I love the matte finish and the spotty coverage.
I used the same Coco paint on the buffet. Instead of a whitewash all over the piece I just white washed the inside portions of the doors and drawers then wiped it back with a wet rag giving it some texture and letting the original finish come through.
This next photo is not very good. I tried and tried to get a good photo this direction. I used every camera trick in the book that I know how to do but couldn’t get this shot. But for context, I thought I would show you the drama of these windows even if the picture is dark.
I can’t wait to deck this space out for Christmas, which should happen in about 52 minutes. 🙂
I also really wanted to sew slip covers for the seats but just ran out of time. Can you believe this was the original fabric on these chairs? When I picked the set up, the man said it was his mother’s and they were only allowed to sit on them for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I’m sure she’d be mad knowing I painted it. 😐
I’ll leave you with one more shot of the room with a before and after photo. I hope you enjoyed my One Room Challenge Reveal! Let me know what you think in the comments below. 🙂
Cost Breakdown:
- Dining Table, Chairs, Buffet ($250 Facebook Marketplace)
- China Cabinet ($120 NLB Thrift Store)
- Crystal Chandelier ($220 x 2 Amazon)
- Plates on Wall: Lenox Butler’s Pantry and Haviland ($12 thrifted)
- Black Mirrors ($20 for the pair-thrifted)
- Italian Candelabras ($30 for the pair- thrifted)
- Buffet Centerpiece ($15 thrifted)
- China cabinet items ($20 thrifted) except for large vase from Kohls ($20)
- Ballards Parsons Chairs ($128 for the pair at the Outlet)
- Cherub Planter ($15 thrifted)
- Paint and supplies ( I had most in my stash $35)
Total: $1,105
Don’t forget to go check out all the other room reveals! There is so much inspiration out there! I’m going to sit with a glass of something good and spend a few hours. 🙂
A big thanks to Linda from the One Room Challenge and Better Homes and Gardens for sponsoring this crazy six week mad dash.
Nancy
You did a incredibly beautiful room. A+ I think you are a designer and should get a show of your own. All on a budget! Yay!
Awwww. Thank you so much! What an awesome compliment. Nancy
what a beautiful and romantic space you’ve created! i love love love the chandeliers!
Thanks!! They are such a bargain. I was worried they would look cheap because they are so affordable but they are beautiful in person.
Nancy
What a beautiful transformation! Really beautiful, especially those gorgeous chandeliers! You have a gift for decor!!
Oh thank you so much Mindy! What a great compliment. A lot of hard work but so worth it in the end. Thanks for stopping by.
Nancy
It is gorgeous! I love the chandeliers and the black painted windows.
Thanks Debi! I was kind of nervous about the black windows but they are such a great difference.
Nancy
It’s absolutely beautiful! I love the fresh new look
Thank you so much Jamala! It does feel so much more fresh to me.
Nancy
Nancy,
Anyone that has ever painted furniture knows how much time and effort went into this room.
To accomplish it in 6 weeks is truly
a feather in your cap.
You had great vision for all of the furniture and tied together with the chandeliers created a room worthy of a magazine cover.
Just in time for Thanksgiving dinner!!
Thank you so much Deb! I appreciate it so much. Yes, we will for sure enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner around this table this year.
Nancy
What a beautiful room!
Thank you so much Heidi!
Nancy
Stunning! The chandeliers are the true wow and pull everything together…one question…how did you decide how to hang the chandeliers…I think that can be tricky to get right…are the lights parallel to each other or at slightly different heights…I do love how the lights fit within the windows and over the table…Thanks! Your Thanksgiving will be wonderfully sparkly!
Thank you Jeanne! The lights are the same height. My husband took painstaking care to make sure they were perfectly the same height and in line with each other.
Nancy
Beautifully done! It’s so chic and elegant, but so vintage, too. Just the perfect combo of new and old and French. I’m so thrilled for you and so proud of you. Nobody could have worked harder or faster. Big Kudos!! Now time to enjoy! ~~ Susie from Chelsea Project
Thank you so much Susie! I for sure worked hard but I loved it so much! I love how it will be a room I love for years to come.
Nancy
It’s stunning! I love the way your new dining room turned out. It’s so elegant but not over the top fussy. Between the beautiful windows and dramatic chandlers the room sparkles both day and night. I can’t wait to see how you decorate it for Christmas!
Thank you Marilyn! That is exactly what I was going for!
Nancy
Amazing! I am new to your blog (found you in the comments section at Thistlewood Farms) and have to ask: Did you say you have a regular job outside of home? And you managed to put all this together in 6 weeks? I am so impressed. Wonderful to have a supportive spouse, too, lol.
I love your “look” and especially that almost everything is thrifted or re-purposed from things you already had.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you so much! I am so happy you popped over. I love Karianne so much! I do work as a high school teacher by day. I love decor and DIY and crafts so this is such a stress reliever for me. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Nancy
Beautiful! And as a Marketplace fan, I say, “Bravo!” I love seeing rooms done like this! Well done!!
Thank you Angela! I find the best stuff on there. It’s amazing what people will get rid of.
Nancy
NANCY!!!!!!!!!!
I adore it! You knocked it out of the park! I’d love to showcase this on Thistlekeeping if you are up for me sharing a photo!
Just let me know!
karianne
This room is brilliant! And you are so talented (and ambitious to have tackled all that painting)! Happy to have discovered your blog via Thistlekeeping this morn!
Gorgeous and awesome makeover!
Love it very much, I also liked the before but the after is very easy on the eyes. It is motivating to get a big project like this done before the holidays. I am a teacher too so you must have lots of energy to do this level of makeover. Wow, well done. Thistlewood sent me here.
You did an incredible job. EXCELLENT choices with the paint. I LOVE it all!!!!
Another viewer from Thistlewood. Wow. This is amazing and looks super high end.
Hi Nancy I’m new to your blog. I am just an admirer of your amazing DIY project, your stunning Dining Room makeover! I also love to go to thrift stores and pick up treasures. I feel in love with
your choice of colour for your thrifited set, it came out beautiful!
I think you’ve inspired me to give some tables in my living room a new life, I have already
painted them with A S chaulk paint in old white I think it was.
I’m a real sucker for chandy’s! Yours are breath taking!
Consider me a new fan of your beautiful blog! Happy Decorating, Have a wonderful holiday this week. Best regards, Cynthia from Treasure Coast of FL.😃