Small changes Part 1: The dining room

This is part one in a three part series.  I am currently working on doing some small but hopefully impactful changes in three of the rooms in our house.  I know, I know!  THREE ROOMS?  But like I said, they are relatively small changes, so I'm working on more then one room at a time.

Room One:  The Dining Room

I have always loved the look of an age old farm house table.  I love the warmth and history they bring to the home.  Recently, a friend of ours began building farm house tables.  As soon as he shared his interest in this new hobby, I raised my hand to say I wanted one.  It isn't "age old" but Terry does a beautiful job in aging and distressing his pieces and making them look like they have been used for hundreds of years.  His craftsmanship is beautiful and I am thrilled to be one of the first to have a table built by him!

I love the way Terry distressed the piece to make it look like it was well used and well worn.  He even added "hash marks" like old Uncle Joe had years ago been sitting at the table while playing with his pocket knife or whittling.

Knowing my table was being built, I decided I wanted a fresh look for my chairs.  I changed out the old slip covers and made new covers out of drop clothes purchased from the hardware store.  I love the natural look the canvas brings to the room.  They are inexpensive (only costing $5 a chair), durable, easy to work with, and are washable to boot!  What more can you ask for?  And I think they compliment the table nicely.  I plan on painting the chairs black in the near future. I think the black exposed legs will look great with the dark stain of the table. I haven't made it to that project yet.

Lastly, to one end of the dining room I added a small buffet that I found at an antique shop.  It gives additional storage and an extra serving space for entertaining.  I painted it using black chalk paint to compliment the hutch on the opposite side of the room.

By simply switching out a few pieces of furniture to the space, the room has taken on a completely different feel. I can't wait to have the whole family in for a meal around this beautifully handcrafted table!!