Thursday, June 9, 2011

Our New Banquette Seating!

Our dining room transformation is finally complete!  Since it has become apparent that moving is not really in our near future, I am working on ways to make this house work better for us.  I decided that I wanted to sell our square dining table, get a round one and build banquette seating in the corner.  Our dining area is small and I thought this configuration would work much better in the space (and look cute, too!)  I was tired of the dark, heavy color scheme I had as well so I planned to really brighten it up with the new decor!  I sold our table for $200 and planned for that to cover most of the cost of the banquette project (wishful thinking...)  Anyway, my awesome hubby beautifully built the banquette himself.  His experience working in a cabinet shop definitely came in handy for this DIY project!  I hope to eventually post a how-to about building it, although I may have to let Jeff write it since he was the builder ;)  Anyway, here is a before and after of what our dining room looks like.  It now has more of a 'breakfast room' feel to it but I wanted something more casual so it works perfect.  We don't really have a need for a 'formal' dining space right now, maybe in the next house.   So anyway, here goes!

Before: (I keep asking myself what was I thinking? with all the dark colors!)


AFTER!


The table is a craigslist find that is exactly what I wanted!  (The chair is from our former kitchen table that we had when we rented.)
Be watching for a little tutorial on the quick & easy way I hung these plates!

These Ralph Lauren pillows were a bit of a splurge but I used hard earned cash I made from 2nd shooting a wedding! ;)  To me, it was worth it.  I looooooove them and if I would have gotten cheap pillows, it would have looked chincy.  I wanted good, feather pillows and these are nice and durable which is important for this space since people will be sitting against/on them!

My hubby did such a great job on building the banquette!!  I will show more details later but they open up and have storage inside (which I desperately need!)  I made the cushions.  They aren't perfect but they will do!

Just for fun, a few more after pics (of the. same. thing.) 

I'm not really thrilled with how our chandelier looks in the space now, but I will leave it for now.  Maybe I will find a great deal on one sometime in the future.


I LOVE it!  The space is so much brighter and more casual. 


p.s. I am linking up!


Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After party!


HookingupwithHoH

Somewhat Simple





Inspiration Friday at At The Picket Fence





Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special
























All photos taken by Kristen (blog author) unless otherwise stated. Do not copy/save or print without permission. Thank you!
Posted by at

35 comments:

  1. KylaJune 9, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    Beautiful!!!! You guys did a great job!! I love it...and it makes me want to get rid of all the dark colors in my house. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AndreaJune 9, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    LOVE! I think my walls are the same dark olive green as in your "before" picture. Love your light blue walls and the white. So pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Libby's LifeJune 9, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    It looks awesome! I want to do that in my house but we are moving in the next year or so... so maybe in my next house!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lee AnneJune 9, 2011 at 3:45 PM

    Wow.. its so like a DIY show!! You guys are amazing!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love Of QuiltsJune 9, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    Your redo is pretty...however for my taste I liked your before best....what you got rid of I would love to have...strange how differant we all think isn't it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. KristenJune 9, 2011 at 9:14 PM

    Wow, this looks amazing! I love it!! Love your pillows too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The mum of all tradesJune 10, 2011 at 3:11 AM

    This is gorgeous, so elegant. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Courtney ~ French Country CottageJune 10, 2011 at 7:11 AM

    Love this- your banquette area came out so charming and pretty! I host a party on the weekends if you would like to come share sometime- love this!

    ReplyDelete
  9. At The Picket FenceJune 10, 2011 at 11:35 AM

    This is an absolutely GORGEOUS transformation!!! You guys did an incredible job and should be so proud of it. It is light and bright and oh, so cheerful. :-) I need to send my sister over here because they just built banquette seating in their breakfast nook too. Thank you so much for sharing this with us at Inspiration Friday this week and we hope to see lots more of you in the future!
    Vanessa

    ReplyDelete
  10. Angie@Echoes of LaughterJune 10, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    It looks terrific! You did an amazing job! Angie xo

    ReplyDelete
  11. Funky Junk InteriorsJune 11, 2011 at 12:11 AM

    What a lovely space! It looks so fresh and inviting! Perfect touch for this room. :)

    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownJune 11, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    Such a lovely spot! The round table (which is gorgeous btw) with the banquette seating looks great, as do the cushy pillows.

    ReplyDelete
  13. SandyJune 11, 2011 at 11:28 AM

    Beautiful, I just "pinned" you!

    ReplyDelete
  14. foreverdecoratingJune 11, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    This is so pretty and cottagy looking. If you want to add a bit of fun soft color, consider getting another chair since you have room and make sure it doesn't match the one you already have. Paint the chairs a soft color, but not the same color. It would look so whimsical. I really actually like your before look as well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Kristi @ Addicted 2 DecoratingJune 13, 2011 at 6:02 AM

    Beautiful! I love banquette seating. Have it in my breakfast "room" in my tiny little condo. It's a great way to maximize space. Love how light and bright yours is!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Polka Dot BungalowJune 13, 2011 at 7:50 AM

    This is absolutely Fabulous and soooo lovely! Thank you for sharing! I want this little nook in my kitchen :) Wanted to let you know that I am sharing this tutorial with my lovelies today! Feel free to check it out!

    Thank you again~ Have a {Marvelous} Monday!

    Stephanie

    Shop: www.polkadotbungalow.etsy.com
    Blog: www.polkadotbungalow.blogspot.com
    Facebook: Polka Dot Bungalow

    ReplyDelete
  17. Comeca JonesJune 13, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    Darling!

    ReplyDelete
  18. MichaelaJune 13, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    This is soooo darling! I love it (:

    ReplyDelete
  19. TaushaJune 14, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    this is so genius! I love the blue, and I am not a blue girl. So wishing that my husband had cabinetry experience so he could build me one just like yours! Thanks so much for the inspiration and the eye candy. Oh, and ps-totally agree with you on the pillows-some things must be splurged on!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Courtney ~ French Country CottageJune 16, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    Love this- just stopping back by to say thank you for sharing at Feathered Nest Friday this week! Hope you will come share again soon! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jena @ Involving Color and HomeJune 16, 2011 at 6:49 PM

    Your new seating looks amazing! I hope to do something like this one day in our kitchen. I'd love to add this to the inspiration galleries on my site and include you in a feature post. Let me know if you're interested!

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousJune 16, 2011 at 7:14 PM

    Oh my goodness!! So wonderful!!! I am always wondering if I could make banquette seating work since we have windows all around our eat in area! I really want it! And those pillows! UGH! Dying for them.. off to hunt for them!!

    Great job to you and your hubz!

    ReplyDelete
  23. MelissaJune 16, 2011 at 8:08 PM

    WOW, gorgeous, I want one! I will admit, I liked your before though too :) I must pin this for my future! :)

    http://itssewforyou.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Amelia MarieJune 16, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    What a change, it's absolutely gorgeous! I just painted my living room this blue, on wednesday! I'm your newest follower!~ Amy
    http://amy-showalter.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  25. Katie OlthoffJune 17, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    Beautiful! We have a stained table like that, too, and I love seeing other ones, since everyone seems to paint theirs nowadays!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Jeremy and ShellyJune 23, 2011 at 11:20 AM

    Ok, first I have to say you make me sick you're so crafty and adorable! I LOVE the transformation and am very interested in knowing how Knox did those!

    Shelly

    ReplyDelete
  27. Cayenne PaperJune 23, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    So pretty and calming with that gorgeous blue. Love, love it! Can't wait to see the tutorial on the banquette, although I'm sure it will be out of my league! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  28. AnonymousJuly 10, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    Beautiful! I love everything about it, the wall color, the seating and the art!

    ReplyDelete
  29. blessedbeyondmeasureJuly 18, 2011 at 10:19 PM

    Thank you SO much to everyone for all the kind comments, pins and love on our little project! We love how it turned out and I need to get crackin' on that how-to post!!! I will enlist the help of "the builder" and try to get it up soon :) You guys are awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Once Upon a TulipAugust 9, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    I love this table, I really want to do something similar, not sure my bf is as handy though. Please post how your hubby made the benches, and maybe we can try it! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  31. To The Moon and BackAugust 13, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    Oh I love this! So cozy, comfy, light and airy. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  32. AnonymousAugust 14, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    I am IN LOVE you just confirmed my decision on what color to paint my bathroom. Could you tell me what color blue that is? Also, the before was really nice too! Don't know how I ended up here but glad I did!

    ReplyDelete
  33. AnonymousAugust 14, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    LOVE it! I have a similar nook and I've been toying with this SAME idea! Perfect. :-) Thanks for the visual. Now it's definitely on my to-do list.

    ReplyDelete
  34. blessedbeyondmeasureAugust 15, 2011 at 5:32 PM

    Thank you so much everyone! I promise I am working on posting a how-to on building it but I have to have a lot of help from my hubby on that post since he is the one who built it!
    The paint color is called Valspar Ebb Tide. Funny that you say you are painting your bathroom that color, I am using the leftover paint to paint our bathroom!! (We only needed one coat, this paint covers great) so I have a lot of paint leftover! It's a great color :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    Do you know the rough height and depth measurements of your banquette? I'm hoping to start tackling this project in my house in the very near future. Would be a huge help to know the bench height and cushion thickness you used... and if you like it! PLUS the depth. THANK YOU!!!

    Dana
    craftedniche.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete

I looooooove getting feedback and hearing from my readers! :)

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)