dining room: before + after (phase 1)

I've always had grand plans to convert our formal dining room into an art room. A place to work on projects, do homework, play games, do art, etc. We already use it for all these things, but all of the art and craft supplies are very haphazardly stored in the closet under the stairs and not easily accessible. I ultimately want to create storage for all the crafting supplies in the dining room.

But for starters, I painted. Every single wall in our house was freshly painted an ugly beige color right before we moved in. And definitely not done by a professional. Or anyone that cared what it looked like. And not only that, they used FLAT paint. Flat paint on the walls! Not good. I struggled to find the right gray for the room but finally went with Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore. I really like it but part of me kind of wishes I had done something darker for a more dramatic look, especially with all the white wainscoting. But I wanted to keep it light since it's a project room. But who knows. Maybe it will be dark in the next set of photos.

Ben hung a new light fixture. I LOVE the new light and how much it has changed the look of the room.

We scored the gigantic table from the Crate and Barrel Outlet in Alexandria just a few days before we moved, knowing that we needed a big table for this room. (Can you believe that giant thing fit in the back of our minivan?) It's so nice to have a big work space. And the luxury to not have to put away in-progress projects and games to make room for dinner.

Before. Paint color decisions...

 And the after shots...