The dining room makeover has been at a standstill since I painted the ceiling last weekend because I have been in bed sick for several days.  I am up and about now but still moving slowly and not feeling the greatest.  It’s just normal virus stuff – congestion, sore throat, cough, and aches.  I’ve missed my daily walks and making progress on projects, but I’ve been enjoying some period dramas, interesting documentaries, reading books, and spending hours snuggling with the cats until I feel up to returning to my normal routines. Last week when I finished painting the dining room ceiling, though, I decided to make an additional small change.

When we first looked at this house, I imagined the dining room as a library/dining room with built-in shelves lining most of the walls.  Once we started settling in and using the house a bit more, I wasn’t sure that was the direction I still wanted to go.  While we don’t use our dining room for eating all the time, we do use it when we have family and friends over, for games and puzzles, and I use it pretty regularly for photoshoots and even sewing projects.  A library could work, but I wasn’t sure I wanted my books as a constant backdrop in that room.  They are real books that I read and interact with.  They aren’t “decorative books” and I now have too many to try to arrange them in the most aesthetically pleasing way.  I need them arranged in categories so I can find what I’m looking for.  Anyway, I’ve decided to keep my art books in my studio and my decorating & design books on shelves in the basement for now, and that works.

In addition to changing my mind about the library, after the kitchen renovation, I realized I needed more storage and display space for serving pieces, my ironstone collection, and table linens, and it makes the most sense to keep those in the dining room.  So, I’ve been thinking through the furniture in the room.  The French cabinet I bought shortly after we moved in is a fixture and isn’t going anywhere.  I just bought a buffet for the wall by the window, so that is at least staying in the room although I’m open to its placement.  Everything else is up for debate.

This hutch in the corner is one I bought for the basement makeover in our MN house and I decided to keep it during our move since it provides good storage and makes a small footprint in a room.  It’s a handy piece that could go in a variety of rooms.  It was in the kitchen and then moved into the dining room during the renovation.  It fits well on this wall, but I’m not sure if it’s really the right piece for this room.

Before I buy something else or move it, I decided I would make one simple, free change.  I put the doors back on.  I removed them when we had the hutch in the kitchen so I had more open display space, but it felt a little busy in the dining room.  What would it feel like to close the doors and visually quiet down that corner?

Yep, I think it’s already better and it leaves room for the bolder wall color and mural.  I’m still not sure it’s the right piece for this room, but I don’t have to make that decision right now.  That can wait until it’s evident this piece doesn’t work or until I find a piece that is begging to go in this corner.   Slow decisions for the win…