Hands down, my favorite room in my house is my dining room. I liked it even better before we moved, when I had it painted yellow with pretty blue and white curtains. One of these days, maybe I will get around to painting the dining room in this house, but for now it's beige. I still love it. Part of the reason I love my dining room and how it came together are both the same: I have a love of all things old and traditional. My dining room has a story to tell and today I get to share it with you.
About 12 or 13 years ago, my husband and I went to look at a very old home in downtown Lamar, SC, that was for sale by owner. It was a fixer-upper and, after getting some estimates, we decided it needed more fixing-upping than we could manage. The home had some of the furniture still inside and I absolutely fell in love with the dining room furniture. There was no table but the sideboard and china cabinet were beautiful veneer from the Depression Era. The owner of the home agreed to sell them to us for $50!!! And he delivered! I didn't have a dining room at the time, but I put them in my kitchen for "one day."
Fast forward about 4 years and I bought a home that was the same age as the dining room cabinets.Built as part of the New Deal program in the 1930s, it had a gorgeous formal dining room with big windows and french doors and hardwood floors. The cabinets had not had a matching table until now. I bought a brand new table and chairs that looked old to make my dining room "set" complete. The table is more weathered and worn looking now thanks to lots of use! I love it that way because I can picture it being a family heirloom one day.
Shortly after that I went on a trip to Williamsburg, VA, and found a pair of 19th century embroidered chairs. Guess where they went when I got home? You guessed it! When we have family over and need more chairs, we pull them up and use them. The rest of the year the cats sleep in them!
While I was in the old house I also bought a signed and numbered limited edition print of the South Carolina state flag, bird, and flower all together. It looked great over the fireplace. Then we moved again and I didn't have a fireplace. Turns out it looks amazing over the china cabinet in the dining room!And that is the story of my dining room. It is the most "put together" and beautiful and "me" room in the house. If I ever get that old southern mansion I've been dreaming of since I was a little girl, the things in this room will go with me.
It looks absolutely gorgeous, sort of like the dining room my grandmother had. She was from SC, but she married my GF, and they ended up living in Savanah. Later, they moved to Corpus Christi, where I grew up. She had brought all her furniture with her. I saw the flag in the first photo, and I thought I was seeing a reflection in a mirror. LOL
ReplyDeleteYes, I guess there is a love affair between Southerners and tradition :)
DeleteThat is an awesome story! I love how you put it all together. It looks great.
ReplyDeleteThose chairs are gorgeous! I love anything antique, so your dining room would be my fav too ;-)
ReplyDeletethanks!
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