Defined Dining {aka dining room drama}

     One of my favorite sources of inspiration are catalogs, specifically Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs. As soon as they come in the mail I find a quiet corner and curl up with the catalog and savor each page. There are so many ideas you can glean {especially if you don't have the money to buy!}. I dog ear each copy and save them for future project ideas.
   
     I have been looking for ideas of what to do in my dining room to add some drama or definition behind my dining room table. I love the mirror and sconces but they just get lost in the sea of oatmeal behind them. All along my idea was to add some molding to create a box shape and then maybe paint inside the box. However, this cheapy builder grade house has no molding anywhere {ok except maybe the base boards if you count them} and I was worried that adding the molding might look out of place. That's where my thought process was when the most recent Ballard Design catalog came.

     As I was going through it, I came across this little nugget of inspiration:

     So purple's not my thing but the idea of painting a box with little cut out corners definitely is! Here's the before: (Sorry for the dark pic!)

My other issue with this wall is that it frames the staircases going up and down and on the other side of this is the hutch. We are in major need of some balance!

     I started by using a level and a pencil to create my box shape. Of course I filled in all the nasty nail holes and wiped down the wall.

     I started out by using a dinner plate to create my circle but they didn't look quite even, even though I marked on my plate where to line it up with my tape. I decided instead to measure 4 1/2" up and 6" over on each corner so that they were even but I still used my dinner plate to achieve the circular shape.

     It took two coats of paint and only about 45 minutes worth of work to accomplish this. I did have to free hand paint the circular cut out but it was easier than I expected it to be {meaning I made no major mistakes}.
Here's the final outcome! You will note the suns reflection and shadows {I'm not the most patient photographer~and I had to make the most of the 30 minute episode of Doc McStuffins to divert my kiddos! ;)}

     We have very high ceilings so adding shape helps to define the dining space {much like an area rug would~but not at my house cuz I have 4 kids!}. It also helps make the space feel a big cozier and provides the much needed balance to the hutch on the other side of the stairwells.

     {If you're really observant you will notice that my chandelier does not line up with the table. It used too and then we had the benches made so that we could push the table closer to the wall and create more space. We just haven't gotten to moving it yet~its on the list, I promise!}
     
     This would also be a great idea to create a headboard for a bed or fill in with chalkboard paint for a kids area or in the kitchen. So pour over those design catalogs and pay attention to all of the details, you never know what might inspire you!







I'm sharing this project here:

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