So. The dining room. I’ve done a lot of work in here, you guys. It’s ongoing. And it gets closer and closer to something I love until I try to take a picture. And then I hate it. The thing is, when I’m walking around, I can ignore the things I don’t like and focus on the good, but when I take a picture …
… that giant, dark, wooden built-in MOCKS ME. It needs to be painted! It needs it so bad. I throw an internal tantrum every time I look at it. There are actually some really lovely details in the built-in, but you’d never know, because it’s so dark that the light just gets sucked up inside like a black hole, ruining my bright and colorful dining room. Ruining everything. Along with all of the other trim in the apartment.
And there’s really nothing I can do about it. It’s just going to be wood. I think maybe I should repaint this room entirely, but that won’t change the fact that it’s flanked on both ends by darkness (there are more built-ins leading to the living room). I also really want to get rid of the stenciling on that wall there, but Keith has grown very attached to it. Ugggh.
It’s got to be the walls, right? ‘Cause the wood doesn’t bother me nearly as much in the any of the other rooms.
No, it’s the built-in. I hate it and it should be painted. End of story. And I’m stuck with it.
At least I have something to talk about in therapy tomorrow.
UPDATE: Dudes, I have found the solution and it’s AMAZING. I’ll show you the Photoshop mock-up tomorrow. I’mma so excited!
Think you neeed chardonay in one hand paint brush in other snd follow this routine slurp brush slurp
The room is lovely. If you’re not happy with the wooden cabinet..paint it and change the knobs. You could paint it the color of your rug or the base of your lamps. Great color choices!
Oh darlin, if I could paint it there’d be no issue. But we rent and our landlord loves the original woodwork. *sad face*
I totally understand..however the room looks great!
It’s a wonderful room! It’s hard to chic-up dark wood, but it’s worth appreciating! To me it looks like the dark table and dark rug bring too much somberness to the rest of this cheerful and energetic room. What about painting the table a hue to pull in some of the detail color – maybe from the curtains in the built-in??
Can the glass doors on the top be removed and stored somewhere else? I can’t tell what kind of drapes are under the glass but it may lighten the whole thing. Just a thought…
Beautiful cozy room regardless.
What if you put some white shelving on either side of it. To kind of make it pop and had some color other than wood to that wall? Plus extra storage for dishes. I’m thinking Ikea like shelving from floor to top of built in.
My house is so boring compared to this.
You’re such a decor superstar, really, but I do understand what it’s like to be unhappy with a room’s detail! If you can’t paint the wood white, how about if you remove the curtains and put large, white ceramic or porcelain serving pieces on the shelving behind the windowed doors and on the open shelving, below. Remove the dark rug from beneath the dining table and replace it with a sea grass or sisal carpet for added lightness. Good luck!
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Don’t paint the wood. Or if you must paint it white. Paint the walls.