No fantasy tour. Nothing to take your breath away (the nerve!). Just a peek into the snowbird home we’re customizing in Arizona with its open floorplan. The dining area here is neither formal nor fussy. Bored by beige? You’ll despise it. Find a couple DIY ideas along with before/after progress. No structural changes or demo today, and no diversion from my predictable plan: use what you have, make it serene, lighten it up, and keep it timeless with European country sensibilities.
Snowbird House: Timeless Serene Dining Room
Timeless European Country Dining Room Inspiration
I wasn’t looking for a singularly traditional look, and in fact I love a range of European country inspired timeless dining rooms.
Here’s our dining room in the Georgian (our primary home in Illinois).
I knew I wanted to add some curves in here since there is a strong linear pattern happening with windows, vertical blinds, and flooring planks.
We initially placed a vintage 48″ MCM round table in the space and lived with it for a little while, but it wasn’t quite right:
I love mixing whites, but this house seems to want softer, warmer tones rather than crisp cool white.
I can’t resist a beautiful French country chandelier, so I was happy the vintage one I found and plastered worked in the space.
I decided to keep my eyes peeled for an oval shaped table on FB marketplace which is how I found this one hailing from the 60s or 70s.
I love the distress because it keeps things from feeling fussy!
Dining Area BEFORE
We actually transferred this existing builder-grade chandelier in the dining area into our bedroom’s walk-in closet.
This room gets great light. The existing LVP flooring is newer and actually looks better in person.
The banquette project was a super easy no cost DIY.
We added salvaged wood to a midcentury shelf (snagged for free) as a base for the linen RH cushion which is the same one we used in a former home’s window seat.
The walls, trim, and doors are painted Sherwin-Williams Natural Choice.
Mixing Old & New + Layering Whites
The table is midcentury, my slipcovered linen chairs are 20 years old, the platter and ice bucket on the table are antiques, and there are also some brand new pieces in the mix. Since the look is monochromatic with beige and shades of putty and sand, it’s easy to layer the pale tones.
The chairs are new modern quirky additions that are super comfy and just the right scale since I didn’t want anything clunky or noisy.
In fact, I move these chairs around the house as needed. I’m using one as a desk chair and because they’re petite, they work everywhere.
Same goes for these upholstered counterstools (above) which I move to our bedroom. I can always pull them into service if we’re entertaining.
The olive tree softened the corner.
DIY Chandelier Facelift
Believe it or not, this vintage chandelier was green when I found it for $15. Green! And not a pretty sage or charming patina-ed hue. Think awful algae.
I mixed plaster with paint pigment and painstakingly hand-applied it with an artist’s brush to each metal leaf and scroll.
The trick is to not apply it heavy handedly for an aged but not dirty look. I’m never a fan of a contrived, made-to-appear-shabby-chic look and prefer time weathered. A refined eye helps to know the difference!
Shop the Look of Our Dining Area
Love These Marble Candle Holders!
I was so pleasantly surprised by these natural marble candle holders for the table! They are heavy, beautiful, and inexpensive!
We left the existing LVP (discontinued, therefore no link) since the tones worked well with our furnishings. If you need something similar and are open to a low-cost waterproof flooring material that resembles white oak, here’s what we used in other rooms because it is so similar:
Thanks for taking a peek at our recent DIYs! I’ll share more reveals soon, and you can find my plans for the two bedrooms HERE.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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