Dining Room Refresh: Phase 1
In a world that never stops moving, I love the dining room for making us slow down, sit, and be still with the ones we love the most. The most overlooked, yet most powerful room in your home. Coming together around a table unites and connects the people you love the most. Let’s jump into the Dining Room Refresh: Phase 1.
When I read Bible stories, I notice how much Jesus liked to eat with everyone and how he used time at the table to connect. Jesus was great at gathering, regardless of differences. He used His time at the table as ministry and to share Himself with the ones he loved. What a special gift the table offers, but if we move too fast, we miss out.
I understand that many homes today do not have a room designated for dining. Maybe you have an open floor plan or a space in your kitchen for eating. Wherever your table is, is your dining room. The point of the space is the table, not the room it lives in.
If you missed the HOME RESET GUIDE or the LIVING ROOM REFRESH, those are both great posts to start you on this journey.
Decluttering
The dining room will be one of the fastest rooms you will declutter. Or at least, I hope.
Most of the clutter in this room is likely everyday clutter. The homework, mail, drop zone clothing, and papers, papers, and more papers. This is why the first thing we will do to declutter is CLEAR THE TABLE, but you may also have a buffet or other cabinet to declutter as well.
Homework
- Create a corner of the room for a trash bag, maybe bin, and rehome bin.
- Look around and jot down notes on why this room is and isn’t working.
- What kind of clutter do you see?
- What do you love about this space and what don’t you love?
- Clear surfaces of ALL items, even decor you love. By removing everything until the decor step, you are allowing yourself to see a clean slate and hopefully have new ideas.
- Declutter any cabinets or furniture in the room. For my dresser, I am going to challenge myself to donate 5 games to our local library or school. We have room in the living room bookshelf for games and puzzles, so I may try and move them, so I can hold my serving dishes in the dresser instead.
Organizing
We have removed the things, so now we create systems. As I mentioned, most organizing will be a daily habit of clearing the table each night. Identify the clutter that’s left and make a plan to help contain it. We have homework papers that accumulate on the table, but I’ve made a basket for the kitchen counter to collect those instead. Honestly, I want a room that is clutter-free.
Regarding storing items in the dining room, group like items together and decide on bins or baskets to store them in. This should be minimal, so if it is overwhelming, consider donating or moving items to another space.
Remember, it takes 3 weeks to train the fam, so if they leave items out, allow them to stop and come put them away. This will make your life easier.
Homework
- What clutter needs a solution?
- How will I keep this space clutter-free?
- Do we have a designated drop zone?
- Group items in drawers or cabinets and make a plan.
- Add bins or baskets to hold items
Clean
This step will change and completely make your room new. The dining room is simple to clean, so enjoy that! Ha! Make sure to put cookies in the oven to celebrate your hard work.
Homework
- Dust light fixture and corners of the room
- Wipe table, under table and chairs.
- Wash any slipcovers or shampoo seat cushions
- Wash curtains if able.
- Vacuum and mop the floor really well. Shampoo rug if you have one.
- Clean baseboards.
- Wash windows.
- Wipe any surfaces well and dust pictures.
Undecorate
Decorating is what got you here in the first place, so let’s undecorate. It’s not about adding more but making what you have work on purpose.
The table and chairs are the stars and should match your style and be comfy. We have gone through many styles of chairs and with kids I think we are going back to hard bottom chairs. However, if your family can keep the food on their plates, opt for a chair with a cushion.
Focal
In this space, your dining table is considered a focal point. The size of it and the purpose for the room, make the table very important. Next, consider the first and second walls you see. These are your focal point walls and will be important as we move through decorating the room.
Floorplan
Your dining room table is the boss of the room and should be centered under a light fixture if at all possible. You will want to place it in the direction that allows the most traffic flow in a space. So if you have a rectangle room, your table should sit in the room long ways.
If you have a square room you can opt for either direction if able, or a round table. Your floor plan should allow for traffic to come and go easily to all seats. JoAnna Gaines says in her book 36″ away from all walls or other furniture to allow traffic.
Check out my favorite Home Decor book recommendations here.
Rug
A rug is not a must for me in a dining room like other rooms. We have small kids who drop food a good bit, so I have not purchased one yet. If you get a rug, you want it to cover the area including the chairs being pulled out. All four legs should be on the rug comfortably when chairs a tucked in, however it’s best for the rug to reach the chairs when also pulled out.
A great rug option for the dining room is an indoor/outdoor rug.
Windows
In most cases, a dining room is best with curtains or window treatments. The secret is to hang high and wide. It will feel weird but trust me on this. I just grabbed these velvet curtains and they make the room! The texture and quality are great for the price!
If your dining area is open or connected to your kitchen, I would look more to pull shades like these.
Lighting
The lighting over your table will be one of the most important fixtures in your home. If you know your style, this upgrade will be quick and easy. I love a big-impact upgrade!
You also might opt-in for a table or floor lamp to offer softer lighting in the fall and winter months, but I would only add this if you LOVE the lighting and it works. Otherwise, write that down to purchase in your next phase.
Wall Art
Before we talk about art, I want to acknowledge the wall paint in the dining space. We didn’t cover this much in the living room, but it is worth doing if your dining area is its own room.
You could choose a neutral color like SW Alabaster or if your Pinterest boards inspire you, go bold like we did. My husband fought the green the whole way, but my vision was on point and it was well worth it.
Now, for wall art, one main piece is the most common option. Most likely on your second focal wall. This wall is probably longer, so a horizontal or two vertical side-by-side (2/3 the length of the furniture it’s under or near), will be great options. Make sure you love the colors, and the art matches the room’s style. If you are unsure, this is what Pinterest is for:)
Less is more.
Accessories
Your “decor” should be very minimal in the dining room, making this room my official favorite. Really challenge yourself to declutter and use less. However, if you must, I want to share my accessorizing secret that I learned from a designer.
The triangle method: In the living room post, we covered working in odd numbers. Pair items in 1,3, or 5 in a group. Arrange your groupings into a triangle shape, with the tallest as the base, and layer in the middle and the shortest. This works great to stack items or use books to elevate. As you practice this, you will learn what you like and don’t like.
Homework
- Sketch out your floor plan on a sheet of paper. I go one step further and use graph paper, giving each square a foot measurement.
- Identify your focal point and create a floor plan that will suit the purpose of the room.
- Follow the 7 steps to decorating, in order, as you are able. Less is more.
Finish
Easy peasy lemon squeezy as my kids say. This room makes a big impact and the simplicity of the space makes it a breeze. Bake some cookies and sit down to reflect on how the room feels. Any thoughts on what you may want to add in the future? I know my mind is turning with lots of fresh ideas.
Run your errands to donations, trash, and rehome. Create your new habit of clearing the table each night and plan a dinner with friends and family. I’m proud of you for doing the work to make your home look and feel its best.
This is hard work on the front end but trust me, your life is better and easier because you did the work.
Invite your neighbors, friends, or family over for a Sunday dinner. Play board games and enjoy tech-free conversation. 🙂
Homework
- Throw away trash and drop off errands.
- Put away any rehoming items.
- Reflect and journal on phase 1 and dream for phase 2.
The dining room table is where we connect with the ones, we love the most. It’s a place of ministry and safety to share love and encouragement.
You have created a place for ministry, just like Jesus did his whole life. I often wonder what it would be like at the table with Jesus. The story of Mary and Martha intrigues me to learn more about hosting and my time at the table. Memories, grief, love, joy, life’s celebrations, and heart ache will happen around this table. This is the goal and worth the investment.
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