#29- Putting the Dining Room Back Together Again

After my downer of a post on Friday, (can you blame a girl though, really?) I'm back with a much brighter outlook this week.  Mostly, because our ceiling has returned to it's original, popcorn covered glory.

Alright, it's still a popcorn ceiling, but at least there isn't a hole in it anymore.  Bath Crashers sent us a new drywall guy this time, and let me tell you, he was awesome.  He was fast, taped off and protected everything really well and the best part, the ceiling patch he sprayed dried nearly the same color as the rest of the ceiling.  The last time we had to patch the ceiling (in this very same spot), that patch was a dark gray in color, and it took me hours to repaint the full Dining Room ceiling so that everything would match.  This one I won't have to paint for a long time... or never.  I'm just saying.

So here's that update on a few of the things we have done in the Dining Room.  Let me warn you in advance, this is definitely not a Dining Room reveal, and some of the stuff I don't even like.  It's a start though, and we'll progress from here.

You may remember that I found that painting before we even moved into the Lodge, and I bought it to give me inspiration for how this house could be colorful and embrace modern elements.  The thing is though, we hate it.  Not the picture exactly, but at least the placement.  It feels too small on this big, boring white wall.  We tried to expand it with the sconces on either side, but they feel too symmetrical.  We'll be playing around with something a little more random and textural in the near future.  The hubs actually pulled this photo out of the West Elm catalog for inspiration.  Back off ladies, he's mine.

 P.S.- I love those chairs too.  For now I found a sale on chair covers at Target and got 4 of these guys for $12 a pop.  They'll do the trick until I have time interest in building a bench or some unique chairs to layer in for a more lived in Dining Room look.

The rug is a fun addition that we picked up from Ikea.  I love how the natural weave takes down some of the formal-ness of the table.  I still totally love the table from my Grandmother, but I'm working on mixing traditional and more casual elements into this room so that it feels like more of a collection of beautiful things, rather than a traditional, formal dining set up. 

From the other side of the room you can see the floating shelves that I put up, as well as the buffet that is also from my Grandmother.  They both definitely still need some work, and I'm hoping to round up a collection of antique and modern items to place on them.  Here's a close up on the shelves.

I'm not loving how boring this wall feels all white.  I'm considering one accent color just on this wall, or perhaps a modern stencil on all the walls of the Dinning Room to give it more interest.  I was recently inspired to stencil from this recent post on Chris Loves Julia.

Isn't it crazy how a little stencil took their hallway from blah to va-va-voom?  This may be the solution am looking for, since I have that whole "house is one big room" problem.  I could find an easier way to stop the stencil then wall paper, which would be a little too abrupt. 

What do you guys think?  Paint just one focal wall?  If so, should we paint the floating shelves wall, or the one that currently has the painting on it?  Or do you vote for the stencil instead, to give the space more texture and interest?  I'm open to color suggestions, or even a different option that I haven't thought of yet.  Truth is, I'm a little lost on this one.  Or maybe just exhausted.  Yep, it's definitely that one.