Finally, I figured out how I will furnish our new dining nook banquette area! I knew basically what would go here all along, obviously we’d need to have a table and chairs along with the banquette. But I wanted to wait until the renovation was (mostly) finished to just see how it felt to be in it before I decided which table and chairs I wanted.
Our built-in banquette is along the wall where our kitchen stove used to be, so now it is in the middle of our little main floor, right between the living room and the kitchen. We LOVE the new layout and all the built-in storage we were able to add to our home in this renovation. The dining room functions as part of kitchen, and the flexibility of the space works well for how we want to use our home. Plus, I love the built-in bookcases! It makes it feel so cozy!
Yesterday I rearranged our living room furniture (again) and I can’t wait to share what I landed on for the layout of that room. It finally feels right! Now we are just getting the dining banquette area set up, so I thought I would share our plans with you.
My general principle on furniture is always to use what I have whenever possible. We used our previous dining room table for over a decade (and it was in our family beach house before that!), I prefer to avoid spending big money on new furniture if I have something that works for us. We just painted our last table many times rather than spending money on something new.
When we moved here, we gave a lot of what we had to our kids. The table and chairs we had went to our oldest daughter, Kylee.
We bought our house with a table and chairs in it, so that helped ease our transition into this home. And now that we’ve remodeled, we could finally be in the new space and think about if what we had would work for us or not.
It was slow going to make any decisions because we had to pile furniture and boxes in our dining room several times now so they could paint various rooms! It is hard to visualize a room when it’s in chaos, so clearing a space out is really is the best first step.
Once the room was cleared of boxes, I was able to start thinking about what would work. I shared that we recently added a new rattan serving cart — that decision was easy to make. It is perfect! But with that first decision out of the way, I was excited to make others.
Here are a few things that helped us make decisions on our furniture:
1. We could see that the table we already have was ideal for our new room. The table is sturdy and has a leaf so it can be round or expanded to oval, which works in our layout. And the center support is preferred to four legs due to the banquette.
2. While it needs a refresh (paint or perhaps also a re-stain of the top), the need to give it a little update (even though I don’t like doing projects like that!) didn’t seem like a reason enough to buy another one. We might be slow at getting it done, but we can do it. :)
3. New tables can be expensive and finding a secondhand one seemed unnecessary since I already had one! While I saw some beautiful new and secondhand tables, finding a “more beautiful” table or a more trendy style (which I don’t care about ha!) wasn’t a real justifiable *need.*
4. I realized once we pulled chairs up to the table, it’s the style of chairs that would be more significant to the look of the room. So while we considered painting the chairs we had (and they would’ve been cute!), this area is such a prominent part of our main floor I got excited about the bigger vision and that involved other chairs.
New Slipcovered Chairs
With my vision for the space finally solidified, I knew the style of chairs I wanted.
I pictured two Parson’s chairs with slipcovers (again!). I had given my other slipcovered dining chairs to Kylee when we moved. While I’m sure she would have willingly given them back, I had a different color and pattern in mind this time so I was happy to let her keep the others and get what I wanted for this home.
I actually found the exact Parsons frames I wanted secondhand on FB marketplace but sadly it was too late as they were already sold. While finding secondhand would’ve been wonderful, I was more than ready to just make a decision so we could move forward.
So, I took the plunge and ordered two new chairs along with two adorable blue striped slipcovers (Downey Blue fabric). AHHHH! So excited!
Unfortunately the striped slipcovers I ordered were not able to be shipped until just before Christmas, but I was willing to wait. However the chair frames were already delivered! Since we have very little room to store anything, rather than set them in the garage to wait or leave them at the table for a couple of months without slips, I had an idea! I discovered I could buy a second set of slipcovers (these) ON SALE that would ship immediately. They are going to be delivered TOMORROW! YIPEEEE!
Fall and Winter, Spring and Summer Slipcovers
I’ve ALWAYS loved having slipcovers, and I’ve dreamed about having more than one set I love so I could change out styles for the season. I don’t sew and slipcovers are expensive so the idea of more than one set seemed like a luxury, but my dream is coming true! Now I can have the black and white ticking as a fall / winter set and the blue striped as a spring / summer set :). Or vice versa, it really doesn’t matter. I could change them on a whim! I think I’ll love them both for any season and different reasons and occasions. Plus, with the sale set it meant I could have my chairs at the table ready to use this week!
Mix and Match Dining Chairs
Besides not having to buy a new table, I justified (to myself) the expense of my two new Parson’s chairs by not purchasing four! :) Instead I found a deal on this set of rattan chairs.
I love the eclectic look of mix and match chairs. I found the rattan chairs online last week and much to my delight, the style and price was right! They were at a store right near Courtney’s new townhouse, so she was able to go look at them first to confirm they were what I wanted and she’s bringing them to me this week!
There are two final big decisions to make for this room:
One, we need new window treatments. Currently in this nook we’re using the woven shades we had in the living room. We love the look but we don’t have enough of these for the windows we want them on. In an open space, I think matching or a close match would be ideal. However for safety of babies and pets we want cordless so we’ll be starting over but with something similar.
The other final decision is on the upholstered bench seat cushion. Right now we just have a mix of a too small cushion and pillows to sit on. Originally I planned to order the cushion for that early on so it would be completed by now, but for many reasons I decided to wait on it. I’m glad I did because now I can coordinate the bench and pillows to our chair slipcovers.
Finding someone to make slipcovers locally has been one challenge (please let me know if you have recommendations for someone good!) plus the wait is usually really long any where I’ve checked. But, I’m trying not to be a big hurry! Pillows work fine for now but I also figured out another solution that I think will work even better in the meantime. I’ll share that soon. :)
* UPDATE! Our dning chairs arrived–you can see them in THIS post! *
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Wall paint colors: Beach Glass Benjamin Moore, and Classic Light Buff Sherwin Williams
Melissa, I love seeing what you’re doing and hearing why. Keep it up! :)
Thank you, Dawn. Can you believe how much the internet and blogging world has changed in the past 16 years? Sometimes I feel like a lone ranger. Thank you for being here!
Please don’t stop! Yours is my very favorite decorating site. Not only do I enjoy your end result (which btw yours is set apart/above the rest — I can see just beautiful rooms all day long on Pinterest, etc) but you give us a chance to vicariously dream/plan/do AND we learn HOW to dream and plan for our own beautiful rooms through you.
What a stunning room – i love it! I love reading your thought process! Keep posting it please. It helps me articulate what I am looking for- even if it’s only to myself and my dog. Slipcovers are my dream but I am struggling to find someone local in CT who handles people like me and not just the uber wealthy in CT. I feel better knowing others have the same issue.
Thank you Mary! That is my hope, I’m so glad you feel that way!
I love your style and your posts. Been following from North Carolina for a while now. Your posts and details of how your spaces come to be are an inspiration. Your home , no matter the season, is always warm and welcoming. Please, don’t change the blog . Stay true to your talents and what you’ve worked so hard to accomplish with your fan base. You always have something great to share. Thank you!
Please don’t change anything! I love it the way it is! I like hearing the whys & the fails. I love your blog!!!!
I love your blog, don’t change anything
Thank you for following along, I appreciate it!
Don’t let the Debbie-Downers change who you are. Think of your blog as a classroom in which you help enlighten us how and why your decisions are made to upgrade, rework or be satisfied with what you have. I’m renovating a house now and scour the blogs for exactly this information. I don’t want to make expensive mistakes, so reading a variety of opinions and strategies is very helpful in my own planning. I’d much rather read the information on a blog that I have come to know and appreciate than just read anonymous reviews on a product line.
I’m glad to hear you still see the wisdom in the more personal connections and gathering information from people you have come to trust! I don’t take that lightly at all! I try to share as much as possible from my genuine experience and hope that is still helpful to my friends here. Thank you!
Thank you Janet! I’ve worked hard to be a trusted source of information and encouragement, I feel the same!
Nice to see you’re using your round dining table. Makes those of us on a budget to see things being repurposed.
Enjoying your progress on your new home. I like getting ideas I can use on my own home.
Thank you! I’m always a fan of using what I can when possible. I too am on a budget and just can’t justify buying new furniture all the time. I’m glad it inspires you to see my furniture used in new places. Some people have told me they love looking through my books and blog posts because the same furniture and accessories appear in different homes and are placed in a variety of rooms around the house through the years! That’s what I love most.
Love the breakfast nook and your style! So pretty. It’s always just right. Personally I enjoy reading about your thought process. Designing an area takes a lot of thought and there is much to be learned from reading about the process. Thank you for your ideas and helping me feel less panicked.
You’re welcome — thank you for being here as I go through the process!! It really does help to share with others who understand and enjoy it!
I agree with everyone saying do not change how you share your ideas and processes and end results. One comment mentioned learning from you…..good or bad outcomes and personal reviews is worth more than any of the ‘reviews’ we see on any of the websites selling us merchandise. Better to swim alone and be stellar than swim in a school and be just a copy of the other lemming next to you. I’ve been unsubscribing like mad in the last few years when bloggers stopped be individual and started copying each other. Stay true to yourself.
Please keep up the progress photos as well as your thought process. I love interior design and I can live vicariously through your renovation. 🤭😉😁
I thoroughly enjoy all of your updates on the progress of your projects! Your home is so serene and cozy. Just how I like a home to be! It reminds me of the homes on Cape Cod, where I have vacationed all of my life and made beautiful memories with my children. I love everything that you do! Thank you for sharing the photos and the links to items you have purchased!
Melissa: Thank you for sharing the progress and designs (as well as the thought process behind them) for your house projects and for your decorating in general. It’s appreciated and it’s the reason I read your blog. Keep up the excellent work, and congratulations on a great renovation! All the best, Marybeth
Keep sharing your thoughts with us! Reading your posts is like chatting with a friend over a cup of coffee. So much more warm and personal. Your thought process is what makes your blog so unique and also so helpful for those of us planning or dreaming about projects of our own. Thank you Melissa for the amount of time and thoughtfulness you put into your work!
Melissa, I for one love to hear your thought process when it comes to renovations or when it comes to why you are using a particular piece, like the table you talk about. Your considerations are so real and genuine and sound much like what goes on in my head. Yes, I am sure some bloggers have changed but it is is not necessarily of her better.
Hi Melissa,
I love seeing how everything comes together. I think when people say you are one of the few bloggers that share such detailed posts they are saying that as a compliment and wouldn’t want you to change anything!
Why be one OF a million when you can be one IN a million? It’s your blog, do it your way.
Hi Melissa, the dining nook is looking so cozy already! Love it so much! Your longer posts with the reasoning and details of your design decisions are my favorite posts. I know it must be a lot of work but I sure appreciate reading them.
Your home is so lovely and gets prettier and prettier! I love reading your thoughts as hearing you process through things is so beneficial. Your style is cozy, heartfelt, and sincere, much like you seem to be. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Pat, and I am so happy to hear these types of posts are your favorites! Makes it worthwhile to do them when I know they are enjoyed, so thank you.
Yes, I love reading what’s going on in your lovely Home! Keep the blogs and newsletters coming!
You wondered if people would want to know the background thoughts on your design options. Personally, I would be interested as I go through similar processes making my design choices.
I am loving your cottage as well as the small cottage. I am also part of the Homebodies group. I am so curious, how many square feet did your cottage end up after the renovations. If you don’t mind me asking. Thank you for all you do for us.
Pamela
It’s been fun to follow your journey
Because of your openness and photos of progress I now have the knowledge and confidence to make the design decisions I need to. Then, two east Texas sayings….If it ain’t broke don’t fix it and It is best to stick with the gal that brung ya. So job well done and keep up the good work.
This looks great! Nothing cozier than a banquette/window seat. I enjoy reading about your process and decision-making. You’ve cleverly disguised that your banquette cushion is too small. I would love to do this at my dining area, but I’d have to bump the wall out for a box bay. How wide and how deep is your bench seat? I have two windows where you have three. Everything in your addition is coming together beautifully.
Melissa, please keep doing what you are doing! I love keeping up with the progress. It is exciting to see the end projects – I can hardly wait!! Hope the dogs are adjusting too, as I’m sure all of you are ready to have your home back! 🙂
I love your posts and how you explain everything. It gives an idea of the process and how you put everything together. And the end product is so exciting!! Please don’t change how you post your projects.
Absolutely love all that you do. Your taste is impeccable
I truly appreciate the progress photos and that you share your thought process. It’s very helpful! I’ve enjoyed your blog for years, and it continues to be a favorite. Please don’t change your style! ❤️
Love exactly how you have been sharing.
I keep reading BECAUSE you’re OG! Everyone else has changed and you’re one of the few blogs out there that I still read. Please don’t change! I love the blog and I’ve read all of your books. Thank you for all these wonderful years of inspiration.
Love it all! Don’t change a thing – love the process! (Now I want to add a nook!)
I enjoy hearing your progress and your thought process. I especially enjoy when people talk about things they would do differently “next time.”
I enjoy detailed blog posts, and appreciate being able to get them via email as I’m trying to minimize my social media use. Thank you!
Please don’t change your blog – I love reading about how you do things. I love your “shop your home” ideas – and it always makes my day when a new post appears.
I love hearing about your design and thought process!
Your blog is perfect as it is. I enjoy reading your ideas very much. Thank you for sharing your beautiful home.
Your blog is my most favorite of all the blogs I read. As you share so much about your whole thought process and how you come to your final decision, readers really feel they get to know you. Always joke with my husband that if I ever come to your neck of the woods, I want to meet up for coffee as I feel we’ve been friends forever. Also love the fact that you reuse most of your furniture, just in a different room or different ways. Can’t wait for the final reveal. Don’t change anything, love your blog the way it is.
I love the way your blog is. Please don’t change. Your new redid spaces are beautiful too. Enjoy!
The room is beautiful. I don’t think you need to change a thing about the way your info is presented. In my opinion it makes you seem more (for lack of a better way to phrase it) like a real person. You share that you go through some of the same issues that I do, when creating a cozy home. When I get stuck and am not sure which way to go with a project, I go to Homebody Gathering Place and I usually find the inspiration I need.
Thank you!! I’m so glad you’re a part of our HGP community and get inspiration there. I so enjoy the atmosphere with like-minded friends — being able to help and focus on a more personal level has been wonderful!
Melissa,
I’m unsure of how you’re thinking about changing your blog, but I have unsubscribed from blogs that have transitioned from a personal design blog to being primarily an “influencer” selling merchandise. When you post those, I don’t usually read them, but I do want to follow the renovations to your house and your parents’ cottage. I’ve followed you for years and have followed others for years and years, i.e. #missmustardseed, #hattiekolb, #thestyledporch, and others. Following from Austin, TX.
On a side note, you may want to re-think your choice for the rattan chairs. A close friend had similar chairs and ended up hating them because they were uncomfortable for your legs. When seated many people put their feet slightly underneath the chair. She ended up replacing the chairs.
I love how you value “using what you already have” instead of pushing a lot of links at us that fall into the category of “fast fashion” or in some cases cheap items that will only last a season. Reading the thoughts you put into decision making gives me confidence when I am making a purchase because you’ve taught me to stay true to what feels comfortable to me. Thank you for all you do!
Love reading blog posts!
I am old school when it comes to blogging. I don’t like watching videos on social. I like to see still pictures and scroll through a post to read what is important for me. I do listen to some home decor podcast but still prefer the traditional website posts.
If you’ve made it down this far in your comments section..which I hope you do…please don’t stop your wonderful explanations to the changes in your home. I am currently deciding to opt out of some blogs due to the fact nothing changes, really or they don’t add a craft idea, a new recipe, or anything inspiring just their same kitchen with some changed table decor. Nobody expects one to go all out and do a total house re-design every 6 months but the blog needs to be inspirational, helpful…no? Honestly, sometimes I’ve just seen the same room too many times. You’ve never been like this and I love your blog. What you add is beneficial. Please don’t stop:0)
Thank you Lori, I do try to always add value however I can, so I’m glad you feel it’s worth your time to visit here. Appreciate that so much!
I so appreciate your explaining your thought process. It is a great teaching tool. Things like why are the cubbies open on the sides instead of in the front in your nook. I’d love to hear the thought process on that. Because I love it the way you did it but probably wouldn’t have thought of it.
Please continue your blog the way you do it. Let the youngins’ do updates-you’re great just as you are.
I forgot to add how much I appreciate the fact that you shop your house and have things updated with DIY, even if you aren’t the one doing them. Not everyone is available to get stuff from suppliers or want to promote other stores. Or have funds to buy new. Keep it up! Love your common sense and also your patience in waiting.
I love your blog! I love seeing your plans and how you come up with your ideas. It is so refreshing to see someone that goes to their own home for an item they want in a new space instead of spending money. I am usually doing all my decorating on a shoe string budget so I love that you are so conscious of that. Keep the progression posts coming!
I’ve followed your blog for years – in that time, so many bloggers have disappeared or transitioned solely to instagram, but I love ‘hearing’ you talk through your decision-making and your decorating process step-by-step instead of just seeing a few quick pictures. Please keep sharing all your wonderful spaces with us!
I too love the content one can only get from a blog and I especially love the way you share your thought process and mood boards. I find the images on IG fly by too quickly and it really seems like just a visual medium with no substantive content. Please keep doing what you’re doing!
I like seeing all of the stages of your projects! Rather than just a “before” and “after,” I like that you take us through the process and decision-making. It’s helpful to me to see how you handle all of the thoughts about proceeding in your renovations. I feel like that gives me a better guide for consideration and decision-making in my own home.
Don’t change! I love everything about your blog.
Melissa, I enjoy hearing your the reasons behind your decisions. Love the blog and the community.
Your pillows on the banquet go together so well. I wouldn’t have thought of that and really enjoy seeing how you style things. I am finding that I have “paralysis by analysis”, so seeing you make decisions is helpful.
I don’t have instagram and rarely look at Facebook because I am too busy and want to be a present mom, so I appreciate your blog so much!
Do not change a thing. Your blog is the best. I look forward to your posts.
I hope you keep doing what you’ve been doing. I really like your message of creating a home that doesn’t have to be magazine perfect. But knowing how you have made your design decisions can be helpful, too.
Thank you!
Melissa, reading your blog is as good as talking with a friend or a relative about their daily lives and the decor issues they are tackling and solving over time. You work is very personal and your approaches are consistent with a design philosophy. I like that. I like that your work is not jarring. You’re the best!
Love your blog and your details as well as your renovations..I have been following you for years now and you do have a gift for style. Things change so quickly nowadays, substance is lost to keeping up with the latest.
Thank you for that! Such a kind compliment!
Melissa, I read all your books and re read them too, but I really love watching your progress on your own home and listening to how you arrive at your decisions. I can always just read how to’s on line (and do) but I really get into the how to’s and did! on your blog. Keep it up.
Patricia
Aw love this comment thank you, Patricia!