Light Bulb Moment

I've been struggling with the dining room. I refinished the table, threw up some art and threw up my hands. Done? Not done.
Something just never felt right, but then I had a light bulb. I had a bridal shower for a sweet friend and as part of such the dining room got cleared out to allow access to the table. *bing bing bing* Less is more in this room! I kept trying and trying to add more and more furniture, but I think in this space keeping it as open as possible is the ticket.

So now, I will present my inspiration board for the dining room. It worked pretty well for the kitchen and gave me and maybe you guys a clear vision of where we are headed.

1. Light- It normally starts with a light fixture for me. This Urchin light can be found on Etsy and I'm pretty darn well smitten. I am exploring other options, but this one {shockingly} seems to be the most wallet friendly at the moment.

2. Chairs- If ya'll remember I had 4 mixed matched chairs that became 6 with the Christmas addition of the bamboo chairs. I recently had my living room "Donnerized" {My Dad's wife, Donna,  is a wizard of home design and comes through and totally adjusts your room, usually for the better}. Donna moved the bamboo chairs into the living room to flank the TV and it totally worked. But that meant 2 chairs down in the dining room.
Although I love mixed matched chairs and have been a fan for years now, something about these ghost chairs is really really speaking to me. {I'm having a lucite moment. Oh, and a flamingo moment}. They are incredibly inexpensive and nearly indestructible! I also love that they essentially disappear helping to keep the space open.

3. Table- I'm still loving my craigslist table and I love that it is forcing me to mix styles. I've had a style switch recently to more clean and modern lines {Blame my love of Mid Century Modern}. I think mixing and matching styles is the key to a home you will love for years!

4. Rug- I knew I wanted navy to bring out some of the navy  in my dragon pillows and to help define the two spaces a little more. This rug is a new one from West Elm and is crazy inexpensive for a 6x9! Its also cotton so easy to clean for the corgs and I love that it brings a touch of rustic and soft into a more glamorous space.

5. Color - Whythe Blue by Benjamin Moore. I loved it when I put it up and I still love it now.

Ok so this is what the dining room currently looks like. The light fixture still needs to be centered in the room and not the window. The white cabinet has a destiny for the back porch {which is also in the early stages of a wonderful makeover}. And I might end up moving some art around...


With that I will leave you with my last plea: Dear West Elm gods, Please give me a coupon code so your affordable rug is even more affordable. Love, Betsy