It’s been quite some time between the last installation of revealing a new spot in Maple Hollow Cottage and this one, but I’m really excited to finally share our finished dining room!

When we started designing and planning this room, we knew that we wanted to paint the walls to match the kitchen island that could be seen from the dining room, to really tie in all of the colors. We also knew that we liked the light fixture (from IKEA) that was already there and that we’d be keeping it. That’s basically all we knew. I’ll share a picture of what the dining room looked like before we moved in and then I’ll walk you through what we did with it!

Here is the BEFORE:

I remember seeing pictures of our house before we went to tour it and I remember thinking how beautiful the dining room was. Now that I’m looking back at the listing pictures, it’s kinda obvious that their dining room wound up being an amalgamation of random items that didn’t really go together. But it’s light and airy! We wound up darkening it up a bit and, of course, my iPhone photos are nowhere near professional quality…but let’s get started!

Here is the AFTER:

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The only natural light coming into the room is from the windows above the window seat. The combination of that and the navy blue walls and a main light fixture with one bulb makes for a slightly darker, moodier dining room. The above photos show the room from just above every angle so you can get a sense of what it’s like to be in the room.

And now for my favorite part…let’s go through the details!

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I absolutely adored that the dining room had a large window seat in it looking out over our pretty patio and flowers/shrubs/trees. Because of our navy blue walls, my husband was dead set on using pops of golden yellow for a Provencal vibe to fit out Victorian French theme (as you’ll see in the coming photos). I’m glad that he was a dog with a bone on this because the golden yellows wound up looking incredible. We picked out a velvet fabric at a local shop and had custom cushions made and then added some fun pillows we found at At Home. We actually used the same velvet fabric to reupholster the dining room chairs, which we bought from Facebook marketplace for stupid cheap and then spray painted to match the table. Would you believe me if I told you that altogether the dining room table and chairs cost less than $300? Oh yeah. This room looks very expensive but you have no idea what kind of deals and bargains the Farrs can find! lol! The curtains were left in the house from the previous owner and since they were a simple gauzy white, we decided to leave them hanging. We plan on adding two wall sconces on the interior “walls” of the window seat area for additional lighting in the room. When it’s dark outside, you can imagine how dimly lit it feels in the room so we really need that extra light!

I absolutely adore the prints we have on the wall by the window seat. The Etsy artist that made them is so talented. I could buy probably 50 other prints of hers. Somehow I was able to narrow it down to these funky colored Staffordshire dogs and a Ladurée macaron chart. It’s completely whimsical, Victorian, French and entirely lovely. Shop the prints and our golden bracket frames below!

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Beside the window seat is this beautiful antique hutch we picked up from the West Bottoms district in Kansas City, MO. It’s a gorgeous piece, but it’s what’s inside of it that really matters. Since I was a little girl, I’ve been collecting Currier and Ives dishes. Well, really it was my parents that collected these pieces for me haha but I have an enormous collection now that I’m very proud of and that I love displaying in this hutch. We also display some beautiful pink crystal dishes passed down from Adam’s mother, some silver wedding drinking cups used in our wedding, some silver pieces we’ve collected at various estate sales and a tea pot from the Waldorf Astoria in NYC bought at auction as they were closing their doors. I love when we host people in our home that walk around and look at the details that we’ve so carefully and caringly put together. There’s so much to take in and admire and I love seeing the wonder on our guests’ faces as they explore our home. Plus it allows us to tell the stories behind the things in our home!

Scooting to the other side of the room now, let’s check out this little space!

We picked up that golden garden table at a local consignment store. I loved the bamboo and crane design, which is hard to see in this photo but absolutely lovely in person. I thought it was so cute styled with some entertaining books and a pretty blue and white pot with my basil plant in it. My mom recently found that Delft pot at an antique store and got it for me. It was the perfect accent for this room! The mirror was purchased at a local antique store. We bought it at the same time we bought the dining room table. You’ll noticed the frame has been painted with the same paint that was used on the table! And lastly, the champagne bucket was a Chairish purchase. If you know me, you know I love me some Chairish! It’s upscale design, art, antiques, etc. from shops all over the US but all in one place online. I browse it probably every day!

Shop the books and the lamp here:

Moving on to the other side of the buffet…

I’ve had this candelabra for years! Way longer than I’ve been married. Again, I got it at a local antique store. I’m pretty sure it’s either from a Catholic church or maybe it was previously used for wedding ceremonies? Either way, it was $38, adorable and instantly mine when I saw it hahaha and it wound up being the perfect little addition for this space.

Now let’s get to the main focal point of the room and the anchor that was used as the basis for a lot of the design (that painting I know you’ve been peeping)!

You guys..sometimes I just walk into my own dining room to stand there and admire it. I’m constantly telling Adam that it’s my favorite room in the house. I wish these pictures did it justice. When we eventually move and I have a real professional come in with a camera to take photos…I can’t wait to see how those turn out. This buffet area is the crowning glory of the room and I’m in love with every detail.

The painting was basically the anchor for the entire room. Before we ever had anything put together and just kind of had Adam’s dining room table and chairs from his bachelor pad hanging out in an empty room, we had this painting propped against the wall as basically the only thing we knew we had to have in there to build the rest of the room around. Adam bought it for me for my birthday a few years back. Whimsical somehow isn’t the right word to use. It’s dainty, feminine, full of a royal, champagne-flowing party vibe from a Marie Antoinette world gone by and I’m obsessed with it. I thought the macaron art featured above was such a cool piece to have in the room with it! I love when details can be added around a room to pull the magic of the anchor through everything else.

Ok, ok enough about the painting. Let’s discuss what we chose to display on the buffet!

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All over our dining room are little silver pieces that Adam and I have collected from various estate sales. We’re always finding new unique pieces to incorporate and it adds such a stately touch to the room (and hosted dinners)! This little butler is actually a door stop that I really wanted to display here on this buffet next to the Champagne book. He’s not very Victorian, but he is incredibly adorable and I wouldn’t have him anywhere else in the house.

Shop the champagne book and faux boxwood orbs here:

The silver martini serving set was an Adam pick from a local antique shop and it has always been one of our favorite things!

The Marie Antoinette bust is actually a magnetic salt and pepper set…her head comes off! HA…very Marie Antoinette, no? Surprisingly, we bought it at the Pioneer Woman mercantile in Pawhuska, OK! The figure behind her is a Royal Doulton figurine that we bought just a few days ago. I thought she matched the painting perfectly and just finished off that little space so well.

When we got the painting, I always knew I wanted to put arcs of Spode plates on either side. Sometimes I just immediately have a vision for a space and I love when I see it become a reality! This turned out exactly like I wanted it to! The Spode plates are a mixture of estate sale finds and new ones bought at Tuesday Morning.

That little blue and white boat in the middle was a Delft purchase on our recent trip to Amsterdam. I obviously could not leave the Netherlands without picking out a gorgeous Delft piece. This was such a good one and it is a beautiful centerpiece for the buffet to tie everything together.

Now that we’ve done a walking tour of our dining room, the only important question left to ask is, “When are you coming over for dinner?”

XOXO, Thessali

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