One Room Challenge Fall 2020: The Dining Room Reclaimed

It is time for the Fall 2020 Edition of The One Room Challenge!

History of the ORC

The One Room Challenge was started by Linda Weinstein in of Calling It Home blog.  Hundreds of bloggers participate in this biannual event as guest participants challenged to design a room makeover.  Twenty blogger are invited as featured designers.  These are really the elite decorators.  You can follow their progress each week. I find that these challenges keep me focused and on track to complete my projects.  Without these deadlines, I tend to flutter between several projects all the while adding more and never finalizing any.  This is only my second ORC.  Click to see how I designed and completed My Tuscan Inspired Kitchen in June.   

My Featured Space

The focus of this current challenge will be my Dining Room!  We have a lovely dining room suite that comfortably seats our large family for dinner on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and any other special occasion where more than six people need to be seated for a meal.  This room has really been on of those catch all rooms where everything lies in wait to be used or stored or donated or discarded.  It’s really been a waiting room for the last 18 years.  Last year, though, it became more of an office area when I moved my computers and paperwork in after closing my store, The Blue Building Antiques.  

Take a peek, and you will see why I need to reclaim this dining room!

Reclaiming the Dining Room

It is time for this room to be beautiful.  I’d like to have a small sitting area in a corner where I can look out the window into our yard and watch the birds and squirrels and bunnies and hawks play.  

I don’t have a large budget for this project like I did for our kitchen makeover.  We purchased new appliances, Corian countertops, and a new floor for the kitchen.  Those were big ticket items.  This room will not be graced with a large budget.  Most of the improvements will be cosmetically inexpensive but aesthetically pleasing.  

The Plan for the Dining Room

While I am still finalizing my plan, here are the items that have made their way to the To Do List:

1. Paint walls and woodwork with a fresh new color.
2. Remove all office desks, chairs, paperwork, Etsy and photographic supplies
3. Revisit the storage and organization of all glassware, china, and serve ware being stored in the buffet.
4. Create a dry bar area.
5. Create a very small sitting area.
6. Find and install a new light fixture.
7. Select fabric and sew new curtains or drapes.
8. Possibly find or upcycle a small china cabinet to display china or treasured family serving pieces.
9. Create a photo wall of cherished family memories.

I think you will agree that my “waiting” room needs to transform back into my formal dining room.  My first task is to clear off the table and find homes for all of those items in waiting.  I will see you here next week with a photo of the decluttered and blank slate of a room!

If you are new here, please follow me on Instagram @shopatblu.and on my Facebook page The Blue Building Antiques.

Meet the Designers!

Here are all of the bloggers who are participating as guests.!

I will see you back here next week with my first week results and you can also see what the other bloggers have accomplished in Week 1.