Home Makeover: Dining Area

Because A was quickly moving into toddlerhood, I decided to re-do the house. But I still wanted it to look like a grownups' home, not a nursery school. I guess the key was to provide as much space as possible (no mean feat in our small home), and have fewer breakables (bye-bye, vases) and sharp edges to run into (bye-bye, coffee table).

Since the first time I did the house, my style has evolved. I'm still into a mix of stuff, but I've started to let go of the beach-y elements (probably because everyone's just doing tropical modern now, the way everyone did Mediterranean in the 90s). I still like the idea of elegance mixed with comfort, but now I'm more attracted to classic shapes and subdued colors with a vibrant pop here and there. I like things more soft and feminine, but not over-the-top girly. 

I started with a peg, but it turned out to be more my old style, and eventually I moved away from it, retaining only the color scheme and the airiness. I finally decided on a look (because it just makes furniture and decor decisions easier): modern romantic.

I'm nearly done with the first floor (yeah, all two major areas of it), and I think the part that best showcases this look is the dining area.

This was taken in December (obviously), but haven't taken a new photo as it just looks much cozier and dreamier with the tree in the background! I've always thought that the house looks best at Christmas. 

I absolutely adore our new dining area! Sigh. (I wish I could put a before photo, but I just realized I don't have any old photos on hand--was never able to get the ones shot by Real Living when they featured our house.) The changes:

• The accent wall was repainted from green to gray, custom-mixed by our house painter (leave a comment if you need his number!) because my budget didn't allow for store-customized paint. This worked out though, because it took us about four tries to get the shade just right. The rest of the white walls were retouched, and I had those horrid brown fake baseboards painted over.
• The wood dining table was custom-made by one of the stalls in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. I like it, but a couple of weeks after delivery, it started splitting down the middle. Still waiting for the furniture maker to send someone over to fix it.
• As much as I would like to say that those babies are real, they're actually repro Louis Ghost chairs. Got 'em on sale, 50% off at Victoria Mondiale! I went over my budget for dining chairs, but how could I possibly resist?
• I kept going through online stores (Pottery Barn, West Elm, Urban Outfitters) for lighting options, then came across a gorgeous capiz chandelier in the World Market website. Guess where it was made? I figured I could find the same thing for a fraction of the price at Ils de Tuls (ilalim ng tulay, Quiapo). So under the bridge I went and found that beaut. I'm sure they overcharged me, as I'm normally too embarrassed to haggle, but it was still a good price. I'm planning to get smaller ones for the first-floor bathroom and the master bedroom--or I could just make them.

Still so much to do (and spend on)! But I'm loving where this is going. I can't help but smile every time I go downstairs in the morning and see the first floor all airy and bathed in sunshine. And after a long day at work, I am just excited to walk through our front door. Sure, redecorating seems like a completely unnecessary expense, but I can't put a price on the happiness and relaxation I get from feeling like I've really come home.