It’s been a while since I last shared updates on our home renovation so I thought today is a good day to share with you the evolution of our cottage style dining room. We’re not quite finished yet, but I wanted to give you a glimpse into the process and where we are right now. As you all know, decorating is not always a linear process. It’s a function of budget, the availability of all the many trades involved (contractors, seamstresses, carpenters, painters and electricians), product lead times, etcetera. Even with great plans, things don’t always work out as quickly or as smoothly as we’d hope.
Some of you may remember that we bought our Cape Cod style cottage back in July 2019 and almost immediately we started updating the interiors, room by room, project by project. The Covid-19 pandemic started soon after that and brought our progress almost to a halt, in part because our contractor got busier then ever, in part because prices soared and our budget suffered. We used the downtime to research the appropriate architectural changes we could do to honor our little house, and I dug deep and tried to strengthen my vision. The dining room was low on our priority list at first, but over time we started seeing a clear picture of what we wanted it to be, and we’re really close to making it happen.
Here is a picture of our dining room (above), the day we moved in. The room was very nice and cozy, with a lovely (almost square) shape and good proportions, but it needed some serious work to better fit our lifestyle. The first thing we did was to hire a local contractor (who’s worked with us ever since) to remove the dusty popcorn ceiling and fix the damaged plaster on some of the walls. Smoothing out the ceiling and painting it a luminous, warm white made all the difference in how bright and fresh the room now feels.
Next we replaced the chandelier, and used simple 1x4s and 1x6s for the trim and the baseboards. The cottage is modest and down-to-earth, and I felt it needed equally simple details. In hindsight, I could have had a 1/4 “ bead run along the baseboards, for that authentic colonial style cottage look, but what’s done is done.
After those initial updates, which happened around Easter 2020, the room sat untouched for the better part of the last two years while we focused our attention, budget and efforts elsewhere in the house, namely on the living room & family room /library. You can read all about those projects here and here.
My vision for the dining room crystallized slowly over time, although I had no idea if and when we’ll be able to turn that vision into reality. Our contractor, bless his heart, has done so much work for us during the last three years, but because he does great work at affordable prices, he’s always booked solid for months at a time and we can’t always count on him to show up when we want him to. (For those of you wondering, we could have chosen a higher-end contracting firm (there are many great ones in our area) but that would have considerably diminished our budget for renovations.)
Anyway, back to the dining room: the popcorn ceiling was gone, the walls were all smooth & primed, we had new trim and a new chandelier, but the room was far from being done. For instance, the layout and the flow were all wrong. As it was, the dining room connected with the kitchen through a small door which was off-center (pictured below). Previous owners had removed the door but the frame still bore the marks where the hinges were. As you entered the house and looked into the dining room (which is on the right side of the front door) the first thing you saw was the side of a big refrigerator, which came with the house. (We’re supper grateful that we have it and hope it will survive a few more years until we’re ready to redo the kitchen, but it isn’t the first thing we want our guests to see upon entering. )
Also, we wanted to have a semi-open plan connecting the kitchen with the dining room. Not so open that guests get a glimpse of stove and sink messes, but open enough that the flow of the house feels more modern, more cohesive. Enter a pair of 48 inch wide French doors, which we purchased from Home Depot – the same kind we used for our library. (Home Depot carries both 48″ and 60″ wide French doors but I have found that the 48” pair works better with the small scale of our rooms than the 60” ones).
Luckily for us, at the end of 2021 our contractor’s schedule cleared up again and he helped us finalize the rest of our vision for the room. He and his associate closed off the existing door way and created a centered wall opening for our new French doors.
Since then, Ivan and I have completed a fun project on our own: over the course of a few weeks, we installed beaded paneling on the lower part of the dining room walls and it has made such a difference!
Earlier this month I managed to caulk, sand, prime and paint all of the molding and had a pair of window treatments made specially for the room. Here’s another look at our dining room as it was before:
…and here it is right now, with the newly-installed French doors, which make a word of difference!
I know we still have a lot to do to get our house in tip-top shape, and at times it feels overwhelming to have our to-dos lists multiplying the way they do, but the truth is we’re also enjoying every step of the way, and are learning a ton in the process. We wouldn’t want it any other way… In fact, right now we’re in the process of installing wallpaper above the chair rail and that’s been a game-changer for me. I found 4 double rolls of a vintage wallpaper on eBay and I loved the pattern so much! It’s a reproduction after an antique design and it gives such a warm glow to the entire space.
Hope you enjoyed this (rather lengthy) post about our cottage style dining room. I’ll share more when we’re done wallpapering and I have had a chance to style the room and hang some pictures on the walls. Thanks for following along!
I LOVE posts like this. As much as I love seeing really elegant, picture-perfect, high-end design projects, the reality for most people is as you described — slower, more constrained by budget and resources – not a once-and-done frenzy leading to a big “reveal.”
And as you said, this slower process has allowed you to live in the rooms and really consider how you want them to look and feel. I love every decision you made so far — and the paper is perfect!
I agree 100% with everything Linda said. Thank you so much for sharing! The room looks lovely so far.
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Thank you, Lauren! I appreciate it!
xo, Eva
I’m with Linda. Loved this post!
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Thank you so much, Sandy! Happy to hear it!
xo, Eva
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Thank you so much, Linda! I love what you’ve done with your bedroom renovation!
Have a great weekend!
xo, Eva
Love what y’all have done!
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Thank you, Miranda!
xo, Eva
It looks fabulous!
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Thank you, Cindy!
xo, Eva
It is so pretty! I love old houses and their charm. Well done!
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Thank you so much, Gail!
xo, Eva
Very well done. You can be really proud of all you have undertaken. It looks like a cosy home that is a pleasure to live in. And the fact that you and your husband do a lot yourself, make it all the more valuable. All good wishes for future projects.
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Thank you so much, Beatrix!
xo, Eva
Your dining room looks absolutely charming. I am sure it is exactly as you envisioned it. I look forward to seeing the photos of the finished room.
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Thank you, Diane!
xo, Eva
I too really like the changes you’ve made to your dining room. They are classic, with a nod to the 19th century, and still very modern. It is fun to see your home evolve and change.
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Thank you so much, Yarrow, for your kind message.
Wishing you a great weekend!
xo, Eva
Gorgeous! So inviting!
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Thank you, Janet!
xo, Eva
It’s all looking so beautiful and charming, Eva, and what gorgeous wallpaper! Wallpaper really is so transformative. I also totally agree with Linda and Lauren above – it’s so refreshing to see the reality of most makeovers/renovations and that in most cases it doesn’t happen super fast! I think we often miss opportunities when it’s done too quickly, but also most don’t have the budget for these big, fast “room reveals”. I’m quite happy that our own current renovation is going slower, although I’m sure some of my followers think the opposite! haha.x
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Thank you so much, Nicki! I have no doubt your new home will look amazing!
Take care!!
xo, Eva
You’ve added so much charm, and I’ve enjoyed seeing your process. What a lovely room!
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Thank you so much, Sheena! I am glad to hear you enjoy seeing the process!
xo, Eva
What a great post. I love your dining room. The bead board wainscote really makes the room.
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Thank you so much, Donna! We love it too! 🙂
xo, Eva
It’s turning out so pretty, Eva! I love wallpaper and think you are so lucky to have found this vintage paper on Ebay! The wainscoting and the French doors make such a big difference in the “charm” department. I love cozy, charming rooms, and yours hits all the marks!
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Thank you so much, Diana! Glad to hear you share my love of wallpaper and cottage charm!
xo, Eva
You have made very thoughtful, beautiful choices. I love what you have done, the soft colors, moldings, paneling, those beautiful panes French doors and that wallpaper! Thank you for posting🤗💕
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Thank you so much, Cathleen! I am so happy to hear you love our choices so far!
Wishing you a great weekend!
xo, Eva
This looks great! I have a question…..your door hardware looks almost vintage. Who supplies the knobs? Thanks!
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Thank you so much, Sara! Regarding the hardware, I’ve had it for a couple of years – I’ll have to check my records to see where I got them from. Will include the sources in the post as soon as possible.
xo, Eva
Excellent! Thanks
Have a nice weekend!
Hi Eva, I love following your posts. I live in MA also and have just downsized to a charming Cape, very similar to yours. We are just about to stat our total kitchen and dining room remodel. I love what you have done with your dining room…So warm and inviting. You’ve done all this in a way most can relate to. Love your style so in keeping with the home. The drapes are just lovely…cant wait to see more
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Thank you so much for your kind comment, Liz! Best of luck with your remodel!
xo, Eva
Eva,
What a beautiful transformation! Your dining room is lovely and truly reflects your style so well! I always enjoy your blog posts and helpful book recommendations (I’m sure you’ve made a bit of commission from my purchases based on your suggestions!)
What is the paneling you used in the dining room? Could you share a source? I love the wider spacing.
I look forward to seeing your next project! Happy Spring!
Christy
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Thank you very much, Christy! I am so happy you enjoy our posts and book reviews!!!
For the dining room paneling we used 1 in x 8 in pine shiplap from Home Depot (I’ll share the short link below), which we had cut to size and beaded with a router on one edge, for that colonial beaded shiplap look.
Link to the shiplap:
https://fave.co/3iDLBIt
One thing to note: we had trouble finding straight and knot-free shiplap pine boards at our local Home Depot so we ordered them online. The delivery was free, and the boards they sent us were perfect – no warps, and very few knots. In general I advise ordering 10% more than you think you’ll need, so you can choose the best parts for the job.
Hope this helps…
xo, Eva
You are truly transforming this house one project at a time, layer by layer, with beautiful and thoughtful design elements!
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Thank you so much, Melissa!
xo, Eva
Eva,
Your dining room is wonderful and worth the wait. We have always worked on our home in phases as budget allowed. I have found it to be a better way for me. I can do the planning and research and figure out what I really want before spending anything. Planning/research is free. 😊
The dining room truly is lovely.
Karen B.
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Thank you so much, Karen! And you’re absolutely right, planning and dreaming about what a room, and home, could be is the best part of the project, and it’s completely free.
xo, Eva
It looks beautiful so far Eva. Great transformation so far. Look forward to the final reveal.
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Thank you so much, Maureen! Wishing you a great weekend!
xo, Eva
Hi Eva! What else can I say that everyone else has not said? Your home is turning into the beautiful cottage you had always envisioned. I can’t wait to see it when you’re done! 🌷
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Thank you so much, Catherine! xoxo
What a treat to see the slow, lovely story of your home! It is a pleasure….and it shows that it is loved. Bravo….Just an idea…… I have (now retired) worked in real estate for 30 years…you should use your skills at some point to introduce young couples on “How to take a basic, good bones house” into a charming home. If you ever have any time I would love to discuss it with you.
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Thank you so much, Kathleen! I’d love that!
xo, eva
First off, your blog is one of my favorites to read; I love love love it when you show your homes progress. You’re doing a fabulous job! Thank you so much for sharing it with us and I can’t wait for your next post.
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Laura! I am very happy to hear you enjoy following our little house’s story!!
xo, Eva