This dining room reveal is one of my favorites ever, and not just because it was for one of my best friends in the world (but that probably helps). It turned out so gosh darn elegant and yet livable. If you missed their living room reveal (which you’ll see a peak of below) head there first for the background and the befores) because today is focused on this jewel box of a room that I’m so proud of (and jealous of, TBH).
Remember, the move-in before was colorless, pretty charmless, and cozy-less. So we had a clear directive – but that doesn’t mean it was fast, cheap, or easy (nothing ever is). It took a year, a fantastic partner (yes, perks to being my friend), and a lot of meetings squeezed in to make it happen.
Green Pillow | Small Blue Lumbar Pillow | Square Blue Pillow | Rosewood Velvet Pillow | Throw Blanket | Vase | Red Marble Tray
But you can see the potential, right? The big window that frames Mount Hood, the pretty original floors, the built-ins – all just needed some color and point of view. The dining chairs were 10 years old (and falling apart), the chandelier was honestly fine (but sold on FBMP now), and the rug felt too boho for this elegant room but the table? Oh, that heirloom table that’s been in her family for generations was so pretty so we knew that we’d keep that.
You can see here the connection between the living and dining room here, with a shared color palette of such warm tones, mixed with so many blues and greens. The dining room properly draws you in, while being totally balanced with the living room – not one room feeling heavier than the other. Almost like magic! (but not magic at all, LOL, it’s a hefty combination of effort, intuition, risk-taking, mistake-making, time, money, and experience…so easy!).
Wallpaper | Cabinet Color | Mirror | Table Lamp | Chandelier (no longer available) | Table (vintage) | Chairs | Rug
Kaitlin Green blew me away with these photos – the vibe is captured so perfectly! I think my favorite thing here is the rug with the wallpaper – neither “matching” necessarily and both rather busy, but because they are both classic and even historic, it now looks so vintage and original in here. I feared that it would be too much (especially with the other Persian rug in the living room) but now I see that when you are using such classic motifs and are wanting an old-world vibe, this is the way to go (and let’s be clear the tones and colors work really well together – a lot of complementary tones, not just random). See the full video tour here (just wait for the ad to play…thank you!)
We almost kept their chandelier because it was “fine” but boy am I glad we didn’t. This one is so incredibly beautiful and the slate blue shades make it feel so updated, while the finish and the shape are classic. You can customize the drop, the finish, and the color of the shades (we almost did the burgundy but Robyn got scared and I complied). We kept it high enough to see the view from the living room, but low enough to still feel connected to the table. It’s perfect. And I apologize to those of you who hate it when we photoshop out recessed lights – While I didn’t ask Kaitlin to I am so grateful she did as they can be distracting if they are wrong, stylistically. One thing we could have done is replace them with brass spotlights but they were done spending money and making decisions, and since they didn’t mind the recessed lights we left them and just photoshopped them out for cleaner shots).
White Vase | Placemats | Gold Flatware | Plates | Bowls | Napkins | Wine Glasses | Salt and Pepper Grinders
The wallpaper is a classic William Morris pattern (that Rejuvenation sells!) and it was Robyn and Ryan’s first choice so YAY!!!! I loved it too so it was a real win. The chairs are a nice modern pairing to the more detailed/decorative table legs and the black finish added a nice depth and edge to the room. The wishbone shape is not only super ergonomic but the roundedness always adds a nice contrast to a rectangle table.
We knew that we couldn’t do a bold piece of art in here, and no gallery wall (too busy + there is one in the living room) so we hung this gorgeous huge mirror which obviously reflects a lot of light and adds so much elegance. The brass frame works so well with the hardware and the chandelier (obviously) and that rounded cut-out detail in the corner keeps it from looking too simple and modern (by giving it a vintage vibe).
I know I’ve been harping on the dark blue paint color, but it sure is so perfect, especially with the unlacquered brass handles popping off.
We chose a hardware (The Ladd Collection) that has a little bit of detail, leans more elegant than utilitarian but still feels fresh and modern. My goodness, did this elevate this built-in a lot.
Fluted White Stone Box | Pitcher Vase (no longer available) | Gold Frames | White Handled Bowl | Burgundy Glassware (Vintage) | Table Lamp
I styled the credenza with winter branches, a big bowl of mixed pears, family photos in frames (From World Market), and a vintage set of the perfect-toned glassware and carafe (from Stars Market in Portland – although I saw very similar ones from World market the next day that were much more affordable lol). We put a nice classic candlestick lamp in the corner to balance out the branches, draw your eye, and provide a nice ambient glow.
Burgundy Glassware (Vintage) | Table Lamp | Leather Ottoman (Vintage)
We brought over my beautiful inventory of tablescape pieces (that are from Anthropologie for the most part) to style it all out and boy did it look so pretty. Again, all the tones just work so well together.
I think this tour isn’t complete without some before and afters:
What a difference a year makes. They are sooooo happy and grateful (me, too). Here’s one more of Robs and I for those of you who like to see best friends being unabashedly affectionate :)
*Design by Emily Henderson
**Photos by Kaitlin Green
I adore both of these rooms, this is by far one of the most resonant designs for me personally. The colors, patterns, scale, mix of vintage, it’s all perfect!
I so agree, this is my favorite make-over ever. It really looks like a home now — love the wallpaper, the color, the furniture mix of vintage and new. Fabulous!
These rooms are just gorgeous! I LOVE the color palette! Just beautiful, and the pictures – way to go Kaitlin!!!
I would pretty much kill for this dining room. (Not really of course.) The wallpaper, the blue built-ins, that gorgeous rug! Oh my. I also like that the window is free of curtains or shades, which would have been too much and made it look cluttered. In fact, the only thing I don’t really like about the living room are those curtains, which I know many people love but to me they just make the room seem a bit crowded/claustrophobic. But this dining room? SWOON!
A gorgeous room! One of my favorite reveals recently because of how warm the space is!
NOT to take away from the point of the post AT ALL, but can y’all share the source for Emily’s fitted jeans? It feels terrible to focus there in the midst of so many beautiful objects and incredible effort AND I am on a years-long hunt for great grey/black fitted jeans.
Wow wow wow – I love it! My question is about the size of the rug. My dining table is similarly sized, but I don’t know what makes the most sense for a rug underneath: 8×10 or 9×12. I love the way this new rug gives the chairs more space when you pull them out, but don’t know if I need to spring for the giant 9×12 in order to do that.
And to piggyback on this question about size – other than buying the rugs from the same store – how do you pick two rugs that are next to each other and have them be a cohesive pairing? I have a gorgeous but bossy rug in my living room and have left the floor bare in my dining room because I don’t know how to pick a rug that complements instead of argues with the beautiful but bossy living room rug. An idea for a series might be rug pairs (similar to pillow combos but for rugs).
I love every bit of this room so much… the wallpaper, built in cabinets and their new paint color, the mirror, the rug, the table and chairs, the chandelier. I’m always a fan of mirrors and the views seen from this one in their location are dreamy. Loved the views seen seen opposite with the French doors, too!
These rooms are so beautiful!
The wallpaper link goes to the Charcoal/Spice color but is it the Indigo/Cumin color?
These two rooms top my list of your designs, and I’ve adored so many. And these photos — so glorious! The color palette, the styling, the warmth, the coziness — I can hardly stop looking. So happy for Robyn and her family and for your years of friendship. I LOVE the gift of your collaboration and tenderness in sisterhood that shines through. It makes what is already exquisite even better! :)
Gorgeous! Love everything about this room. And totally agree that recessed lights in photos can be distracting, even if they really aren’t in real life. The goal of photos should be to capture the way that the room looks and feels in real life, and I bet that in real life you hardly notice those spotlights. For that reason, it doesn’t feel wrong to erase them for a photo. Just my two cents.
Just curious, Emily and anyone else who would like to respond – if you had a smaller budget and wanted to do these same rooms but with rugs from your RugsUSA line instead of Rejuvenation – which rugs in your collection do you think would be good substitutes?
these rooms are spectacular! I was wondering if the dining room walls are plaster or drywall? We would like to wallpaper our dining room but have plaster. Thanks!!
I’m on the hunt for chairs of a similar shape for our next dining space. We went to a restaurant a few times in a row on a vacation a few years ago, and sitting in chairs like that was SUCH a pleasure to rest your elbows/arms on the U-shape. I was sold.
Wow – what an incredible space! I love the warm rug with this wallpaper, and then the layers of different wood tones – antique, painted, and black. Cohesive and unexpected at the same time.
I think you should decorative-paint the ceiling. Just go all out. :)
I noticed the white ceiling too and loved that it wasn’t painted a different color; which would look amazing of course. As someone who has enough walls to add wallpaper to a semi-enclosed space, but an expansive shared ceiling it was nice to see wallpaper butt up against a white ceiling since that’s what my space would be like.
I think this is very much a style for a cold climate house and I can imagine it being very cosy with a blanket of snow outside. Cannot imagine it through a sweltering Western Australian summer but I do like the colour palette.
I’m curious as to why the light fitting was changed to put in an almost identical one. Wouldn’t it have made more sense just to change the shades?
These are my favourite rooms you have ever done I love them so much!
So layered and the colours are beautiful.
STUNNING. What a striking example of the power of good design. Well done Emily and team. You knocked this one out of the park.
Beautiful space! I have a very similar layout and I noticed the interior of the archway is white. My living room is painted oval room blue and my dining room is wallpapered too. I left the interior of the archway white as well but it feels much more stark in my space. My dining room has a double archway and the other side leads to the kitchen with white walls. Any thoughts or advice on the interior archway color?
The space is beautiful. I love the treatment- free windows showing off the wallpaper, molding/casings and the view. I have a couple ‘design rules’ questions. 1. What size is the rug? Table? When the chairs are all pulled out when people are dining are the some of the legs off the rug? 2. What is the distance between the table and bottom of the chandelier? It looks really spaced out. I recently installed a chandelier that feels too high and am debating on buying the extra items needed to bring it down. Thanks!
Amazing view of Mount Hood out the dining room window. The chandelier is likely hung higher to maximize this.
This is so beautiful! I mean this in the best way – the room sort of looks like it’s always looked like this. Like a beautiful, elegant, historic home. You lucked out with those built-ins (the color you chose is perfect). My fave is the friend pic at the end. :)
This might be my favorite reveal ever?! I’ve never really had designer envy, but holy moly…I want that dining room.
Love it!!!!
This room looks amazing, and is givng me some serious inspiration for my dining room! I have an old table (that I love) and chairs (that I hate), and have been wanting new chairs for a while. I love the combination you came up with — the modern chairs and mixed wood looks great! I would love to see more content about mixing new with old furniture and mixed wood tones, especially staged in an older home. I feel like I lean towards modern/industrial, but have some pieces of furniture that have been in the family that I want to keep.
Makeovers are so much fun, but it would be twice as useful if you posted the budget, cost breakdown and total spent as they do on those makeover tv shows. It gives people a sense of what they can expect to spend, even as that varies around the country. I find that single feature SO SATISFYING and useful for brainstorming when I watch a reno show on tv.
I LOVE the transformation of the builtin and how it ties in with the gorgeous table. Great job with the chairs too, that might have been tricky to modernize but these look great!