Winter Whites In Our New Dining Room

As I mentioned many moons ago, I have been steadily working on making our once family/ computer room/den into a formal dining room. I had a vision, however I didn't want to go out on a whim and buy just anything. Each piece had to speak to me - you know how it is, don't you?

So come on in. It is a rainy day here and the light is soft and on the dark side, but I love days like this.

The once green antique hutch got a new coat of a creamy white paint.

All of the walls were painted with Sherwin Williams' Latte color.
An antique Italian toleware chandelier hangs over my new/old table. The table is actually a vintage desk that I bought from my friend Sandi, who has a fabulous antique store that I blogged about HERE. I honestly intended on painting the apple green base a creamy white, but the green just grew on me and the rest is history. The top of the table is a wonderful brown that really blends well with the chandelier.

My lucky day was finding those four chairs! They got a coat of paint, new upholstery and
drop-cloth slipcovers.

Little touches of green are in the old birdcage, around the edges of vintage restaurant dishes and inside this old ironstone bowl.

I love mirrors to reflect light and to make the room seem larger. This tall and narrow one simply leans in a corner of the room.

Baskets and dried hydrangea for texture...

...and a vintage tea cart in the corner to hold old plates and serving pieces.

Victorian napkin rings are nestled amongst old linens and a bowl of old worn wood finials.

On the wall are two antique English pictures that Wave found while shopping in San Francisco. They have the softest colors and are the perfect addition for that side of the hutch.

Some fun old stuff to collect - trophies, a child's shoe form, rulers and antique Victorian picture frames.

A favorite old cabinet with great chippy paint.

Touches of brown here and there coordinate with the brown table top. Sweet Cherry made these NEST letters - I just love them!!!

The curtain panels are from Ikea and are the Matilda pattern - a sweet swiss dot. They allow just the right amount of light through the windows. Sometimes, when it is really sunny outside, I pull them all together so that it looks like a wall of curtains.

Sometimes my inspiration comes from the smallest of things. This bowl of sea shells were my nudge from Mother Nature to create a room that evoked a peaceful and calm feeling. Thank you, Mother Nature - thank you Lord for blessing me with inspiration.

added November 21: Thank you, Cindy, for your "crush" picture on your blog! You put a smile on my face this morning! xoxo

I would still love to add you to my list of homemade and handmade Christmas gift ideas. Just click HERE to link you to the post where you can leave your link or suggestions in the form of a comment.

Have a good weekend!!