11.12.2012

Dining Nook Revisited

It's been about a week since I posted a Dining Nook Reveal. Well, since I can't leave well enough alone I already have a pretty big update!


The first thing you might notice is I've added a wood border to the shark print. Thanks to great advice from a helpful commenter, hopelesshade, I realized binder clips on rice paper might not be the best long-term solution in terms of preserving the print. After a little brainstorming, Tim and I headed to Home Depot and bought thin strips of wood (from the moulding section) for $.69 a foot - $15 total. We cut four strips down to size, sandwiched the rice paper between them, then clipped back on the binder clips.


vs.

The result is a more evenly distributed tension on the print that still maintains the schoolhouse look of the binder clips!

Change number two was the addition of a fiddle leaf fig tree (from craig's list for $40) and a rug (from craig's list a few months ago for $20).


The tree adds a ton of height and a little life to the space while the rug grounds the dining table. I have to admit, the rug might not provide enough contrast for me... It makes for a lot of warm tones against the warm wood tone of the chairs, so more changes might be afoot. I'm sure I'll never stop tweaking the space :)


The last change? Curtains! Due to several sad twists of fate (including this one), these are the first curtains I've ever hung in one of my apartments. What!?!? True. Obviously I took a huge risk with these white sheers from Ikea - nope. But I really do love them - they add the perfect amount of height and softness to the room.

Fun facts: This was Tim and my first trip to Ikea as a married couple! How did I get him there? Nerd alert. I choose Ikea as an outing for my birthday this weekend. Don't worry, I'll never change.


Yes, I'm aware they don't quite reach the floor and yes, it's a little bit of a bummer. For now, they're going to remain high water curtains, because truth be told, you don't really notice the gap when you're in the room. BUT I might add a little lace trim so they reach the floor some day :)

Shall we indulge in some before and afters? I think so.

Just after moving in...

One week ago...

And now!

The room feels hugely different and I'm getting pretty jazzed about parts of the apartment really looking like "us." Finally having some curtain success is encouraging me to try them out in another room.

Anyone else out there obsessively changing the decorations in one of your rooms?