DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE

Hello there! Thanks for stopping in for this 3rd day in a row of my series on the progress being made on my latest fixer upper. Today I’ll be giving you a Dining Room reno update on The House On Cottage Grove. And in case you missed it, check out this week’s other reno blog posts by clicking below:

Progress on the Dining Room

Below are photos of the original Dining Room. It’s a room only the original owner could love, isn’t it? But I could see the potential hidden behind all that stuff!

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

First off, I decided to remove the built in cabinet you see on the left in the photo below. It opened up the room, making it feel much more spacious. In doing so we uncovered some beautiful beadboard paneling which I decided to keep, creating a wainscoting effect around the room that you’ll see in some of the following photos.

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

I also ripped out that odd archway you see in the photo below. That really served to open up the room even more.

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

We then ripped out the thin, plywood walls and added insulation and new board & batten. We also ripped out the paneling on the ceiling and once again found beautiful wood. Beams were added and voila, we had a much more open and airy space.

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

The beams were stained and the beadboard wainscotting was painted in the same rich, lovely green as the kitchen & living room. The green paint is called “YOGI” Behr Premium Plus Ultra from Home Depot.

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

Above the wainscoting I painted the board & batten walls in Behr Premium Plus Ultra in “Natural Almond” by Home Depot.  We will be installing 2 antique brass wall sconces on the wall in the photo below.

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

Today I spent 3 full hours polishing decades of tarnish off of them and still didn’t get them entirely clean.

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

Tomorrow we will rewire them and hang them on the Dining Room wall. By the way, I purchased them at my favorite shop on the mountain, Bella’s.

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

I decided to retain the original built in buffet.

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

We prepped and then painted it, breathing new life into what will become valuable storage space.

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.comDINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

The drawer knobs will be installed today. And, I’ve started to play around with the decor but as you can see, it’s still a work in progress.

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

As awful as the decor of the original house was, it turns out that the house was kind of a treasure-trove of good old stuff. Stuff that many would have discarded. But I’ve done enough of this to know a good thing when I see it. So when I found the 3 old chairs you see below stored in the garage of The House On Cottage Grove I knew I had something good. As worn out as they appear, they were still very sturdy, made of good quality hardwood. And I thought the carved wood seatbacks were lovely.

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | Chalk Painting Dining Chairs | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

With the help of my bestie Lisa, we chalk painted the chairs in Annie Sloan Old White. We then finished them with Annie Sloan Dark Brown Wax. Finally, we gave them a sealing topcoat of General Finishes Flat Out Flat. I’m also currently working on reupholstering the seat cushions.

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | Chalk Painting Dining Chairs | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | Chalk Painting Dining Chairs | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

This was the original table that had lived in the dining room previously. It had a matching set of 6 chairs but I decided to use them elsewhere.

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

That’s because with the addition of a new built in bench in the bay window I would only be needing 3 dining chairs. I’m currently having a custom cushion made for the window seat using the same fabric I’m upholstering the chair seat cushions in.

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

A hinged door was added to the window seat for additional storage.

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

So, we also chalk painted the dining table (photo is in progress), giving it a beautiful new life.

RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | The Dining Room | Chalk Painting Dining Table | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

And today we hung a new chandelier over the dining table. Its called the Regal French Chandelier by Wisteria and retails for $239.97. But it’s being closed out right now at a price of $97. 97. Darned if I didn’t pay the higher price!

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

We’re making progress folks!

DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE | www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

Stay tuned for photos of the finished Dining Room coming very soon!

So there you have it: DINING ROOM RENO UPDATE ON THE HOUSE ON COTTAGE GROVE

Thanks so much for dropping in! 

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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This post contains affiliate links which help to make this blog possible. Thank you for your support.

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