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our dining room : the reveal

(UPDATE: our dining room has had a fewww makeovers since this post — see what it looks like now!)

excited to finally be sharing how our dining room turned out! it was quite a while ago that we posted the before, but things take a little longer when you have a baby, it turns out.

anyway, in case you need a refresher of what the original space looked like…

i worked with y living on this room redo, and the space turned out even better than i pictured. it went from a blasé corner to a really special “room”. ok it’s still not a room, but it has a big impact on our great room in general. and we have so much more space now that it’s against the corner. and more storage, obviously — so basically it was win, win, win!

built-in seating

we stuck to the original plan for the built ins, we used nordli dressers from ikea (one 6-drawer and one 8-drawer) and mounted them to the walls, then i had my carpenter build a small hollow box to go in the corner, and it worked perfectly so that the drawers all still open. it’s soooo nice to have all this extra space. the drawers aren’t really organized, but they hold cake stands, serving bowls, tablecloths, candles… it feels amazing to feel a little less cramped. when arlo gets older, i’ll designate a few drawers to his art supplies etc.

furniture + lighting

we replaced the rattan pendant with this concrete beauty — it definitely gives the room a whole new feel. it looks so much more grownup and we LOVE it.

i have always wanted breuer chairs and i am so obsessed. they work so much better for the space than the shell chairs did.

we got a new table as well, which is so pretty, but i didn’t measure very well, so the chair doesn’t slide in between the legs lol — this is why you should always triple check your measurements before shopping online!

accessories

you may notice from the before photos we have a new tree. unfortunately our fiddle was already being a jerk and didn’t take too much to being moved further away from the window, so it started looking very sad. we moved it to another room to see how it does there and got this big pretty ficus instead.

we planned to get two cushions made for the benches, but after spending an hour at the upholsterer debating our options, we decided it wasn’t right for our life right now. the prices were so high and the only way we could avoid having the cushions not staying in place would be to permanently attach to a piece of wood, making them no longer washable, which scared me with a future toddler or two. so for now, we have no cushion. instead i tossed a sheepskin down and it is working perfectly for us!

i collected a few neutral pillows, and that made the bench seating surprisingly comfortable. no one ever prefers sitting in the chairs, everyone that comes for dinner asks to sit in the nook so i’m v happy about that! honestly expected it to be the opposite.

when i said my plans on instagram stories, a lot of people wrote me and suggested i not move the art. so then i did a poll and everyone said not to move it… and i never understood why but i listened. until i actually looked and the art looked really weird and off center so i moved it to where it should be. it’s a print from my society 6 shop btw! i’ve also got a plan that i might want to make some art, a pair of canvases for this wall instead to bridge the gap from the sofa, but i’ll decide that later. the wall hanging on the other wall was an easy DIY project i did.

also our high chair blends in perfectly with the space! we ended up getting a new high chair with a similar look, and this one is a lot less expensive and more practical for us. luckily it’s still really pretty.

sources

table / chairs / built-in seating / pendant light / sheepskin
wall art / wood wall hanging / high chair / table runner (similar) / fruit basket

pillows are no longer available but here are a few similar options:

one / two / three / four

(thank you to y living for providing product for this post that i love so much!)

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35 Comments

  1. would you mind sharing what roller shades you have in that corner as well? 🙂

    1. Molly Madfis says:

      we got them at home depot!

    2. just looking at it the seat height of the chairs seems likely lower than the seat height of the banquet,

  2. Ooo I love the before, but I can see why the after may be useful for a family of three.

  3. Hi! I hope this isn’t a silly question, but I always wonder this when I see these amazing seating IKEA hacks… I am curious how much weight it can hold (not looking for a specific number, just thinking 😉 And do you feel supported comfortably while you’re sitting? Thank you!

    1. Molly Madfis says:

      yeah, since it’s mounted to the wall it feels really secure!

    2. The dimensions in terms of optimal seat height and depth rarely coincide with dresser/hack dimensions. I’m skeptical that this isn’t too tall, just looking at it the seat height of the chairs seems likely lower than the seat height of the banquet, but I can’t tell for sure. A cushion would likely worsen the situation. Without the dimensions it’s tough to say for sure but I would measure for a yourself first.

      On the plus side all of this storage is going to be great for toys etc with Arlo gets a bit bigger.

      1. Molly Madfis says:

        i believe the dressers were about 20”, so a little higher than a normal chair but not much (they’re also designed to be benches). this new table is shorter than the one we had so it does feel a little more awkward but we still switch off every night who gets to sit in the nook lol

  4. Beautiful!! I would never think to have so many different pillows- it looks amazing! Love the storage too and what a great idea to Use Ikea units!
    Is your flooring hardwood or engineered hardwood? I am looking to replace our flooring and keep seeing these gorgeous floors and wondering what they are.

    1. Molly Madfis says:

      its hardwood! it had been refinished before we bought our house but honestly it’s pretty creaky and there are sharp pieces sporadically ugh

  5. You’ve inspired me – I’ve been looking for seating for my new table for months. I might try pushing it up against a wall, adding a bench seat with loads of cushions.

    Looks great! Really cozy and perfect for a little family and intimate dinners with friends.

  6. Weird question. What’s in the corner? Like the drawers in the front and side are awesome! But I’ve always wondered what you do in the corner!

    1. Yes, I’d love to see too what you had your carpenter construct to fill that corner, and if there’s an awkward seam at all? I’m so interested in doing this myself, thank you for the inspiration!

      1. I’d like to know about the corner too!

      2. If you look closely at the dresser itself you’ll see it’s a 4 drawer. On the long side she has all 4 drawers exposed. But on the “short side” she pushed one set of drawers into the corner, leaving 3 drawers exposed. There’s nothing built in, I believe. It’s just one dresser pushed against the other dresser.

        1. Molly Madfis says:

          yes! well there’s a hollow piece in the corner but thats it!

  7. Hi Molly!

    Where is the beautiful and simple terra cotta pot from?

    Thanks!

  8. It looks great, I must admit;) I love the style you present here, I will definitely come back for some inspiration.

  9. Beautiful space! We are looking into bench seating and cushions for our airstream remodel, and are planning to add little hooks or pegs to the backs of the benches with a little loop sewn into the cushions that can clip onto the hook so it stays in place. We aren’t to that stage yet, but have seen it work well for others so that is our plan for now. Thought I would mention it in case you opt for the cushions in the future!

  10. A nice collection of concept for a dining room. One thing is certain for me, which I have met with confirmation thousands of times. Bright colors, properly selected, add a lot of charm to any room. These cream shades are fantastic. I really like it. Waiting for more posts of this type maybe this time something about the hallway? 😉 Regards

  11. Where did you purchase the table and chairs?

  12. Just wondering what was added in the corner to filly make the corner bench. It doesn’t seem like you’re blocking in any of the dressers or drawers. What did you use?

    Thanks!

  13. Two questions! How large is the palm print, and where is the frame from that you have it in?

  14. Love this idea! Do you have the dimensions of the corner box?

  15. hi, I tried to use the link for your table but it sends me to the lighting company; could you tell me where it’s from?

    Thanks!

    1. I second this comment trying to find the table please!

      1. Isn’t it the Lisabo Ikea table?

    2. Molly Madfis says:

      sorry! i just updated the link for the table!

  16. What did you use to fill the corner?

  17. Would love the link to the table!

  18. Hi! Could you please tell me where the table was purchased from or provide a link? Thanks so much.

  19. Hi! Do you have a link for the table? I really love it!

  20. Michelle Sarante says:

    Please! I’m about want to do this! I almost went to IKEA. This is what stopped me. Here the bench you made out of dressers look shorter than the dresser online at IKEA site. So I am scared it will be too high for a bench and I won’t find a table for it…????
    Lastly, when you sit on it, do you fret hang?
    Last last : ) does it hold up? I’m scared about the weight. I mean… sitting on a dresser?!!!!!!