3/13

Living & Dining Room Transformation (After)

Before/After, Dining Room, Home Decor, Living Room, Room Tour, Sponsored
By Emma Chapman

I am SO thrilled to show you all the final photos from Doren and Ruby’s living room and dining room transformation! If you missed the first post from this mini-series, check here for what the space looked like when we started and the mood boards and room layout we planned together. We worked with The Home Depot and used tons of times from their The Home Decorator’s Line to update and furnish their space. There were so many options to choose from in a variety of styles, so the only hard part was narrowing down what we wanted. 🙂

I told Doren and Ruby that I loved working on this project with them because not only was it super fun to transform a space, but when working with them I saw how much they considered each other, made decisions together, and thought about their future in this home. Call me sentimental, but this was really special to work on with them. I also tend to crash at their house every other Tuesday evening to spend time with my niece, so we’ve already made use of the sectional to watch Space Jam and The Masked Singer as well the dining room table to play Clue. 🙂

Here is a before and after look of the living room. We painted the walls Whisper White, which is the same color Elsie and I painted Penny’s room when we gave her a room makeover last year. The walls were a tan beige before, so this wasn’t necessarily a dramatic difference, but it did make the space feel a little more airy and bright. We also replaced the back door with a new one that has a smaller window (which works better for their pup situation), as well as a dog door that leads to their backyard. We painted the new door and the front door Totally Black for an accent against the white walls. We also painted the fireplace brick and updated the mantel with something a little more plain/modern to go with the style Ruby and Doren had picked for this space (again, see our original post if you want to learn more).

We had a floor plan in mind before we started ordering items for the room (so we could measure), but even still, there was a night when Doren helped me move furniture around just to try the couch and TV stand placement a couple different ways. In the end, the floor plan we had already made was the one that worked best. So I made him move all the furniture with me for no reason. Ha! I think I just have to really see and feel things in a space before I can feel totally committed to it. Does that make sense? Does anyone else find the need to move furniture around a few times before you feel confident in a floor plan?

You can read more about all the organization and storage that we added to their home here. I seriously can’t get over how much more functional and comfortable their living room became during this project. We all LOVE this sectional. It’s the kind you can rearrange pretty easy too, which I love just in case they move one day (not that they are planning on that anytime soon, but still). It’s super comfortable and gives everyone plenty of space to spread out when they watch movies together.

They also added some movie and art posters to their home, which I loved. As I mentioned, they both have a background in graphic design and illustration, so these feel right at home in their space. The Hunt for the Wilder People was the movie Doren and Ruby saw on their first date together, so that also holds some special meaning. 🙂

Here’s their updated entryway that greets you as you walk through the front door. I love how welcoming this little space feels. Probably my favorite piece though has to be that super modern and interesting table lamp—so cool!

And here is a before and after of their dining room. I was SO excited when we all fell for this table and bench combination. I love a dining room table paired with some chairs and then a bench (built in or freestanding like this one). It just feels more casual and makes family gatherings and activities around the table very low maintenance. We had a family dinner at this table the other night with six adults and my niece and it was perfect.

The artwork in this space is from our mother. It was hanging in the entryway before, but it just felt right in this space as we worked to rearrange things.

We also updated the stools at their kitchen counter, the light fixture, painted the walls to match the living room, and added a little succulent garden. I think those black planters might just be one of my favorite things in this space. I’m sure this varies across the country and at different times of the year, but I also got all the plants for their home from The Home Depot and they had a really great succulent selection, as you can see. We are hoping that this spot by the dining room window suits them, but Ruby has a greener thumb than me so I’m not too worried. 🙂

The coffee cart also holds their pup’s food and toys underneath. Love items that do double duty and not only look great, but make real-life living easier by adding more functionality.

“Real-life living” hmm … that’s kind of funny phrase, I guess. But you get what I mean, right? I think I’ve just gotten super obsessed with the KonMari Netflix show and I love finding ways to add more ease and, well, peace, to spaces. It sparks joy, people!

Thanks to Doren and Ruby for letting me invade their home for a couple months. Ha! And also thanks to The Home Depot for sponsoring this project. It was so fun to work on my brother and his gal! We’re gonna link all the items from their home below, but let us know if you see something we missed in the comments. xo. Emma

Room Details: Sectional, Coffee Table, Rug, Arm Chair, Floor Lamp, TV Stand, Book Shelf, Gold Geometric Photo Frame/Home Goods, Ceiling Fan, Entry Table, Table Lamp, Large Glass Vase/Home Goods, Small Glass Vase/Goodwill, Faux Plant Stems/Michaels, Entry Sconce, Black Wire Basket, Dining Table and Bench, Dining Chairs, Bar Stools, Dining Light Fixture, Plant Stands, Coffee Cart, Coffee Grinder, French Press, Chemex, Trash Can.

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman. Photography: Janae Hardy. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

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