{Before and After} DIY Living Room and Dining Room Decor Makeover Progress

August 29, 2017

French Country shabby chic dining room and European inspired kitchen by Hello Lovely Studio

Just a few more projects in the living and dining rooms,

and the decor will be done on the makeover

at our second home in Arizona.

Serene neutral living and dining room decor DIY makeover on Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Decor Makeover Progress

I recently shared the decorating progress of our

kitchen

master bedroom

and

guestrooms,

and you'll definitely notice I'm showing you

just half of the living room today since the

other half is empty and waiting for us to

give it some love and furnish it!

Why is it taking so long?

We have a low low budget, plus,

we can only get to the project when we can

find vacation time to get away!

Affiliate links follow for decor

items or similar decor items

we incorporated.

I haven't shown you the exterior of the

charming Mediterranean style cottage with

its clay room and grey shutters, so here it is:

Exterior of our Arizona vacation house

And here is one of the marketing pics of

the living/dining/kitchen to give you an idea

of wall colors and decor when we bought it.

B E F O R E

The first thing we did in the dining room

was change the light fixture to

a dark bronze chandelier,

adding a similar one to the music room.

Shabby chic white cane back dining chairs and table by Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

We painted the green walls a creamy white

(Sherwin Williams Salute), and then I searched

Craigslist for a vintage dining set with a French feel.

This cane back dining chair from Shabby Chic

has a similar feel.

Shabby chic white dining room set with cane back chairs by Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio - similar chairs here

It was love at first sight when I found this

set, although it was a yellow color, and the

chair fabric was all wrong.

French Country shabby chic style dining room and breakfast bar by Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

I mixed up my own plaster-paint mixture

with a couple of different whites and light greys

and did a light dry brushing over the yellow.

Shabby Chic Couture linen fabric covered dining chairs on Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

My dad covered the round seats with

three different linens designed by

Rachel Ashwell at Shabby Chic Couture.

Our favorite is this linen damask fabric.

I liked the idea of mixing fabrics for

a more casual, less fussy feel in here.

Shabby Chic Couture blue and white linen fabric on dining chair on Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio - fabric on chair here

(above) I love the details on the legs.

White French Country and Shabby Chic dining room on Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

I'm thrilled with how making over this dining

set helped set a tone in here--very Paris

apartment meets shabby chic.

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

My husband made the industrial style

curtain rod from plumbing supplies,

and I hung simple billowy white

panels on pewter rings.

Beautiful serene shabby chic dining room with cane back chairs by Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio - similar chairs here

I am on the hunt for the right rug in here.

Shabby chic white cane back dining chair with linen fabric seat by Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

And I would love to see the table

set for an actual meal!

French Country shabby chic white dining room by Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio - similar chairs here

Some plaster roses I'm having fun making.

White plaster roses on linen cloth by Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

The empty inspiration board on the wall here?

A dumpster find...I kid you not.

DIY Dining Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio - similar chairs here

Since I'm far away from our Chicagoland home,

I have very little "stuff" to play with,

so what you're seeing are some botanical

prints and watercolors I had lying around.

Linen inspiration board with botanical prints and handmade art by Hello Lovely Studio

My Inspiration Board - Hello Lovely Studio

I filled in some gaps on board by making some

flowers and letters from vintage bookpages.

Inspiration board by Hello Lovely Studio

My Framed Inspiration Board - Hello Lovely Studio

B E F O R E

We obviously painted the living room

in the same Sherwin Williams Salute color

since it's an open concept.

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

We bought two Ikea Ektorp sofas right away,
and Bemz invited me to choose fabric for
custom slipcovers for the sofas.

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio - similar velvet pillows

I chose a Belgian linen, and the Bemz covers are
just perfect for the calm, European-inspired,
casual, beachy feel we wanted.
No fuss, nothing precious, and so
luxuriously sumptuous!

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

I commissioned my aunt to sew custom accent pillows,
repeating those Shabby Chic Couture linen fabrics
from the dining room chairs in here.

I also added a natural and soft jute area rug
to warm up the tile floor.

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

Not sure these will stay forever, but since
our budget is tiiiiiiiight, I found two Midcentury
vintage chairs from a thrift store, painted them
with Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter, and
recovered them in a Shabby Chic Couture
linen with a beautiful floral pattern with
a subdued chambray blue color.
Similar fabric here.

The little side table is a $3 Goodwill vintage find
I painted white, and I like it's cane detail on top.

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio - similar chair fabric

B E F O R E

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

It doesn't feel done or very personal yet,
but it's really coming along!

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

For now, I placed silver adjustable pharmacy lamps
for reading since I didn't want cluttery tables
(and couldn't afford any cluttery tables!).

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

Before we moved in, the living room
was very Southwest style and masculine...

B E F O R E

And now it is quiet, comfy, and simple.

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

I will be hanging these Loretta Lux
"imaginary portraits" in the entry area soon.
They will probably go on white wood shelves
in the niche rather than being directly nailed
to the wall...I have discovered the look of
art leaning on shelves is one I prefer,
maybe since I'm always changing it up!

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

Books: Shabby Chic
Betsy Eby

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

Similar velvet pillows here.

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

Check out these pillows designed
by Rachel Ashwell as well.

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

Pretty velvet pillows you may like here.

Beautiful shabby chic style dining set with linen covered chairs by Hello Lovely Studio

DIY Shabby Chic Living Room Makeover by Hello Lovely Studio

Thanks for reading our renovation adventures,
and stay tuned for updates on our Chicagoland house soon!

Peace to you right where you are.

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