So it’s our second reveal of the week but today, it’s the turn of the dining room! If you haven’t yet seen the kitchen reveal, then I’d encourage you to look at that one first. We spent the last 6 months tearing out the back of the house, building a small extension and removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room so the reason for this makeover is directly related to that one!

While I’d given this room a fresh coat of paint to make it more liveable, the truth was that it needed a lot more love than just that so we figured with all the work going on for the adjoining kitchen and the sheer amount of abuse it received while the building work was going on (this was the primary area used for storage during the build), it really needed to be stripped back to the basics and completely redone.

Dining Room Renovation

We started by ripping out the old, threadbare and stained carpeting before the work even started, updated all the electrics in the room, installed a new radiator, stripped the lining paper and skimmed the walls. 

One of the casualties of the building work was the loss of the original cornice along one full wall when the RSJ went in. I was gutted about that but my builder put us in touch with someone locally who was able to make a cast from the remaining cornice and replace it in plaster – essentially using exactly the same process that would have been used when the house was first built in 1889. 

Anyway, I’ll continue talking through what we did but I won’t keep you any longer (if you haven’t already scrolled down, not that I would blame you) but I also had Nick create a video for me for the dining room reveal and here it is in all it’s lovely refreshed glory:

 

And here are a few pictures as well and then I’ll talk through everything else! (This post may contain a few affiliate links)

dining room with parquet flooring in taupe and pink with marble table

dining room fireplace with pink tiles and vintage style mirror with parquet flooring

dining room sideboard with gallery wall and Frame TV in pink and taupe

vintage bar cart with taupe walls and parquet flooring

As you may be able to see, the one thing I really wanted to retain was this room’s sense of history. This is a Victorian space and while the kitchen was certainly a modern addition, I wanted to be true to the contrast between the old and new. For instance, it was pricey to restore the cornice but entirely worthwhile and while the anaglypta-papered ceilings are in every likelihood not original, it still gives the room depth and interest and history which I love.

dining room with fringe ceiling light and gold vintage shelving unit

I painted the entire space – including the ceilings which thankfully survived the building work – in Earthborn’s Donkey Ride clay paint and used White Clay Eggshell No 17 for the woodwork. I’m one of Earthborn’s ambassadors this year and I’m utterly in love with the paint finish – it just goes on like a dream. I actually used the same colour for our quickie paint job and I loved it so much that I knew I’d be using it again when it came time for the proper makeover. And that really does count for something because I never ever paint a room the same colour twice! But I made an exception because it’s just my perfect beige-grey. It’s a beautiful shade. 

dining room with grey velvet chairs and gold and marble table with vintage brass shelving unit

The parquet flooring from Luxury Flooring was another nod to the history of this space. The hallway retains the original parquet and I wanted to carry over that beautiful look into this space as well (more about that here). 

vintage bar cart detail with pink and peach artwork and flowers

I also included a few of my vintage pieces in here which I adore. The bar cart I’ve had for many years now and the Pierre Vandal shelving unit is another favourite of mine, both found after endless hours of searching on eBay.

marble dining table with gold base and velvet chairs with pink light fixture

Of course, there are plenty of new items in the room. I sold my vintage Chippendale chairs in anticipation of the redesign and with their sale, was able to replace them with these Calligaris chairs from John Lewis which I love and marry so well with the table. The table I’ve had for a few years now but still love it. It was created bespoke for me which wasn’t as expensive or crazy as it sounds – you can read more about that here.

pink tile fireplace in dining room with ornate brass mirror

We also created the fireplace which I discussed more in this post. I think the pink tiles (purchased from Walls & Floors) were the perfect addition to this room with its accents of pink and peachy shades which marry well with the kitchen along with a fairly cheap and cheerful fire surround from B&Q.

Anthropologie mirror and light fixture - mantle styling

While I tried to find a vintage mirror for above the fireplace, I eventually settled on purchasing this one from Anthropologie. I just fell in love with the shape and I love that the swans on the bottom of the design married so nicely with the swans on my bar cart! I also like that it doesn’t make the room feel too ‘new’ and it definitely has a ‘I just found it at a little brocante in Paris’ kind of vibe! ;)

Aloha Fringe Light Fixture from Anthropologie in dining room

Speaking of Anthropologie, I splurged with the Aloha fringe light fitting, knowing it would be perfect for this space. It’s massive but I think the proportions were perfect for the room with it’s high ceilings. It just provides that bit of ‘boho glam’ that I love!

view of sideboard and bar cart

The sideboard was gifted from Nine Schools and as I mentioned in this post, I couldn’t believe what a perfect match it was for the wall colour. Only slightly darker than the walls, it feels as though it recedes into the space without taking up too much room. The Chinese-style handles create a lovely contrast with the other features in the room but the more contemporary shape balances that sense of old and new perfectly.

Above the sideboard, I decided to create a gallery wall with all the warm pink and peach tones to tie into the rest of the room.

dining room sideboard with gallery wall and Frame TV in pink and taupe

I was very lucky to be gifted the Samsung Frame TV from AO for this space because while Wayne really wanted a TV in here for practical reasons, I was deadset against a big black box stuck up on the wall. The Frame TV is meant to blend much better in the space having Art Mode as one of the features (alongside an excellent QLED viewing quality). This means you can choose from a huge gallery of art pieces to display when the TV is off. 

Samsung The Frame TV in gallery wall

I do think that in the video I shared above, it really picked up the ‘digital’ quality of the image – moreso than it does in real life – especially when you are viewing the piece straight on. I think from certain angles, you can see the television has a sort of unnatural ‘glow from within’ that a normal framed piece of artwork wouldn’t but overall, it looks 100 times better than a big black box would look and I’m rather in love with the fact I can change up the art whenever I like!

The pink fringed wall hanging is one I made for this room but I’ve shared the tutorial here – it’s so easy and I’ve enjoyed seeing so many of you try it as well!

Honey & Lily faux flower arrangement in pink and green

I was also gifted this incredible faux flower arrangement (which many people so far have thought was real!) from Honey & Lily. I am absolutely IN LOVE with this bespoke arrangement she created for me but she has plenty of options on the website or you can speak to her directly to create your own. She included so many of my favourite flowers and all in the colours I knew I would be using in this room. I couldn’t be happier with it!

dining room with shutters in bay window and vintage style radiator

In the bay window, the gorgeous DIY shutters from The Shutter Store frame the window perfectly. It’s hard taking good pictures of it as it does tend to get a bit blown out but they really do provide a completely adjustable amount of privacy and light for this space. We installed the same ones in our living room and I knew I’d want the same again for this side of the house. You can read more about our DIY Shutters here.

Below that, we replaced the rather boring old radiator with this gorgeous column style radiator from Soak.com. Going back to what I was saying about creating that contrast between old and new, I purposely chose this vintage-style to marry along with the much more contemporary flat-panel radiator on the kitchen side of the space. I may at some point put a bench or a small sofa in that spot, I just haven’t found the perfect piece yet and I need to let our savings account replenish after all this work! Ha!

Dowsing and Reynolds smoked gold dimmer switch

One last detail – and really, it’s the details that make the difference! I was also provided sockets and switches in this space as well as in the kitchen from Dowsing & Reynold’s smoked gold range. They are all such beautiful quality and really give the room its final finishing touch.

looking into the kitchen from the dining room

I wanted to share this angle as well so you can see how the two rooms open on to one another. I love how the colours flow from one space into the next and really make the two rooms connect to each other visually as well as physically. 

dining room with parquet flooring in taupe and pink with marble table

Both the kitchen and dining rooms have been a real labour of love and the house works so much better for us having this space. I now make excuses to spend time in these rooms because they feel so lovely and warm and bright to be in. It was an incredible amount of work (and, let’s be real, money!) to get them to this point but as the cliche goes, it was definitely worth it in the end. Massive thanks to my wonderful sponsors and to you too for following along with this journey and for all your words of encouragement along the way! :)

I hope you’ve enjoyed the reveals of both spaces this week! We are going to be taking some time off now for a much-needed break in Tuscany (while our lucky house sitter gets to enjoy these spaces!) so I’ll be a bit quiet on the blog next week but happily, we have another little ‘midi-refresh’ of the living room coming up in October so stay tuned for that! And I’m sure I’ll be unable to resist posting on Instagram Stories whilst we are away so you can always follow me on there!

Disclaimer: I worked with a number of sponsors on this project but of course, I wouldn’t work with any brand that I didn’t love. Special thanks to AO.com, Nine Schools, Dowsing & Reynolds, Earthborn paints, Soak.com, Luxury Flooring, The Shutter Store and Honey & Lily for gifted and discounted products. All words, images and opinions my own as always.


Pin It on Pinterest

Swoon Worthy
Dining Room Renovation
dining room with parquet flooring in taupe and pink with marble table
dining room fireplace with pink tiles and vintage style mirror with parquet flooring
dining room sideboard with gallery wall and Frame TV in pink and taupe
vintage bar cart with taupe walls and parquet flooring
dining room with fringe ceiling light and gold vintage shelving unit
dining room with grey velvet chairs and gold and marble table with vintage brass shelving unit
vintage bar cart detail with pink and peach artwork and flowers
marble dining table with gold base and velvet chairs with pink light fixture
pink tile fireplace in dining room with ornate brass mirror
Anthropologie mirror and light fixture - mantle styling
Aloha Fringe Light Fixture from Anthropologie in dining room
view of sideboard and bar cart
dining room sideboard with gallery wall and Frame TV in pink and taupe
Samsung The Frame TV in gallery wall
Honey & Lily faux flower arrangement in pink and green
dining room with shutters in bay window and vintage style radiator
Dowsing and Reynolds smoked gold dimmer switch
looking into the kitchen from the dining room
dining room with parquet flooring in taupe and pink with marble table
Meet Kimberly
undefined
undefined
undefined
Amara IBA19 Winner Home Styling
Vuelio Top 10 2020
undefined
Ad (Press Sample) There are few kitchen products that are considered absolute classics but there is one that I have lusted after for YEARS and that is the utterly iconic @lecreusetuk large casserole pot. 🤩

For nearly a century, Le Creuset has been trusted for its superior performance, lasting quality and iconic design and the enamelled cast iron allows incredible versatility - not only can you use it with just about any heat source (from induction, glass, electric etc), you can also do everything from stir-fry to slow cooking to baking a cake in it and more. 

So, imagine my delight when Le Creuset got in touch to ask if I'd like to shoot their brand new colourway 🍑 Pêche 🍑 in my kitchen. I mean, there couldn't be a more perfect colour match with that juicy coral shade which if you've followed my account for any length of time, you'll know is one of my all-time favourites (not to mention that beautiful soft gold knob! 😍). The matching petite casserole dish and mugs are the perfect companions but you could easily mix and match this colourway with Le Creuset's other designs (Might I suggest the Sea Salt, a soft blue-green which would be gorgeous with Pêche). This new juicy summer shade is currently available exclusively at Le Creuset Official. I'd love to know which colourway is your favourite in the range?

#lecreuset #kitchendesign #kitchenstyling #kitchinspo #victorianhome #englishhome
My little neglected makeup/dressing room has had a glow up 🥰

#swoonworthy #beforeandafter #dressingroom #makeupvanity #closetgoals
My new rug can't compete with that belly.

Rug is from @laredoute_uk (not an ad) not that anyone cares 😅

#kitchendesign
I've really loved making these pretty reusable Christmas crackers! I'm still in the process of finding cute bits for filling them but they'll definitely be a centrepiece for my table this year!🎄💕

Suggestions for what to fill them with coming soon!

(By the way, I'm not a skilled seamstress so I'm sure my techniques can be improved but just sharing what worked for me 🤗😅)

Let me know if this is something you'd try? ❤️

#swoonworthy #christmasdecor #christmascraft #diychristmas #diycrafts #easysewingproject
On 22 October 2022, I married my best friend! I can't believe it's been a whole year (and one day) I've been calling @2nilup my husband 🥰 We've been together for 15 years now and I simply can't and wouldn't want to imagine my life without him ❤️ 

#youandmeagainsttheworld #2222 

Photography: @violajayphotography 
Flowers: @primroseavenuefloral 
Dress: @camillawithlove
DIY REFILLABLE CHRISTMAS CRACKERS 🎄🎉

I've been thinking about making refillable crackers for so many years now - I just hate the waste the disposal ones create! So I'm so excited I've finally gotten around to starting this project!

I will be sharing more details on how to make them as well as ideas for what to fill them with too so stay tuned for more but in the meantime, what do you think? 

#swoonworthy #diychristmas #christmasdecor #christmascraft #easysewingproject #sustainableliving #ecofriendlyliving
Just wanted to introduce my latest plant baby in my dining room 🪴

It's from @botanique_shrewsbury and it's a Peparomia (I am probably pronouncing it wrong, I keep wanting to say
GUEST BEDROOM REVEAL 🌟

I decided on a whim, 2 weeks before we were expecting visiting family, that our guest bedroom was in desperate need of a refresh.

Well there's nothing like an impending deadline to light a 🔥 under my 🍑 and I managed to clear out the clutter, repaint the woodwork, ceilings and walls and hang wallpaper as well as restyle the room in one week 😅 (Meisha was zero help 😼)

I'm calling it Boho Vintage Victorian Grandma 😆

This wasn't sponsored in any way but the wallpaper and bedding is from @lauraashleyuk and the paint is @earthbornpaints Peach Baby - everything else I already had!

What do you think of the new look? ❤️

#bedroombeforeandafter #guestroom
#bedroommakeover
#beforeandafter
#bedroomdecor #cottagecore #vintagestyle #victorianhouse #ihavethisthingwithpink #bengalsofinstagram
🔥JOIN US ROUND THE FIRE PIT! 🔥

ad | One of my favorite things to do in summer is sit around the fire pit in the evenings with a cold beer 🍻 There's just something incredibly relaxing watching those flames and embers crackle, warming yourself up and taking the edge off falling temperatures as the sun sets!

Thanks to @homefireuk they've made the whole process incredibly easy and enjoyable with their Handy Firepit Bundle which include 2 bags of kindling, 2 bags of natural firestarters and 3 large bags of kiln-dried logs 🪵 for a really great price! 

No more standing around waiting for things to light properly or billowing smoke from wet wood, everything burns beautifully! ☺️ We literally sat around this for hours as the logs last so long, long after the sun set, just chatting and enjoying ourselves! 🥰🍻🔥

Do you love a good firepit in the summer?

#homefire #readytoburn #smokelessbyhomefire #heartofyourhome #logsbyhomefire #summerideas #firepit #gardenideas
San Sebastian photo dump - just a tiny selection 😄

We have had such a fabulous holiday to Basque Country - our first 4 days spent in the beautiful city of San Sebastian, land of pintxos, stunning architecture and some damn good wine.

#sansebastian #travelgram #photodump
A little kitchen reshuffle today so I thought I'd share 🥰

It's been 4 years since we created this space and it's still one of my favourites ♥️

#kitchendesign #kitchendecor #kitcheninspiration #kitchenideas #openshelvingkitchen #kitchenstyling
Ad 🩷 Before and after Deck makeover! 🩷

This little decked patio was looking worse for wear after a wet winter but @frenchicpaint came to the rescue with their beautiful Dusty Blush Alfresco Paint, perfect for all your outdoor projects!

The deck has been a few colours over the past few years but this is definitely the most fun and gives the whole space such a tropical vibe - even in Shrewsbury! 🏝️ 🦩🍹😄

The paint has incredible coverage and was so nice to use - I loved the tools they provided too, especially the oval brush which got into all the nooks and crannies easily!

Let me know what you think of the new colour! 

#frenchicpaint #beforeandafter #deckmakeover #gardeninspiration #gardeninspo #outdoorproject
So on a whim I decided to paint the bedroom pink yesterday 😅🩷

This room has been neglected for so long as I've wanted to fully redecorate for about 3 years now but there are always other bigger priorities or a lack of time/energy/money so I keep putting it off 🙃🙃🙃 (tell me I'm not the only one) but happily this didn't cost a penny as I used what I already had although it did take me the best part of a day!

I went through my paint stash and found that I had extra @coatpaints Percy from when I did the living room early last year -- well I'm not one to let something this good go to waste (honestly this paint is absolutely wonderful to work with and has amazing coverage) and my goodness it's just so pretty in here 🥰 I also moved my pink curtains from my office into here and the whole room just glows!

I might actually be able to live with the mural a little longer until the room gets the attention it deserves! Let me know if you like the change ♥️

*For those who are wondering, it used to be white walls and I had grey curtains! 😅

#swoonworthy #bedroomdecor #bedroommakeover #bedroomdesign #pinkpinkpink #pinkinteriors
A little photo dump from my recent living room shoot because I still love to dig into the details of a still photo 😄💕

#swoonworthy #swoonworthyscents #livingroominspo #livingroomdesign #photodump
ad How to De-stress at Home in 6 Simple Steps 😊

April has been #stressawarenessmonth and so I've teamed up with the wonderful @frenchbedroom to share a few simple tips in creating a cosy sanctuary at home!

One of my favourite ways to add a feeling of comfort and relaxation is with glorious touchable textures and the stunning Mulberry Silk ruffled cushion from French Bedroom not only looks spectacular but feels incredible too! Pairing this with other feel-good fabrics will add depth to your design and will beg you to sink in and unwind 😍

French Bedroom are also now stocking my own home fragrance brand @swoonworthyscents candles, adding another element of calm with scent to your home. I chose No 02 Sunday Morning for my living room with rejuvenating Jasmine and refreshing pine and lemon notes 🥰

Check out my latest blog post for more tips on creating a relaxing sanctuary in your home via the link in my bio!

#swoonworthy #swoonworthyscents #frenchbedroom #livingroominspo #livingroomdesign #calming #aesthetic #cottagecoreaesthetic
Who needs pancakes when you can have Lemon Drizzle Cake with Lemoncello glaze?! 😉🍋

I've had such a craving for this cake for a while so figured I'd make it today! This is a recipe from @bbcgoodfood and it's rather gorgeous 🥰

#baking #lemondrizzle #lemoncake #bakewithlove #shrovetuesday
Are you lucky enough to be owned by a cat? 🐈🐾

#bengallove #bengalsofinstagram #bengalcat #bengal #catsofinstagram #catlife
Finally managed to get the gallery wall completed in our hallway!

I couldn't have been happier with @violajayphotography capturing our little intimate wedding in October and knew as soon as I saw the photos I had to print them for our home! I admit, I've never been one to hang photos but it's probably because all we ever had after 14 years together was selfies 😂🤷🏽‍♀️ I'm so pleased we finally have some lovely shots of us together 🥰

Do you have photos of you/your partner/your family up around your home?? 🤔

#gallerywall #autumnwedding #hallwaydesign #hallwayinspo
✨These little vintage copper pans needed some TLC! ✨

After searching for a while for vintage copper pans, I found these on eBay - they looked quite grim on the ad but I knew they could be shined up nicely! A little @barkeepersfriend later (not an ad!) and I'm loving how they look in my kitchen 🥰

Let me know if you like the new addition ❤️

#kitcheninspo #kitchendesign #vintagestyle #kitchenstyling
Oh hey living room, nice to have you back ☺️

I always feel very ready to remove the excess of Christmas decor pretty much as soon as the 26th arrives but I've been later than usual this Twixmas as we've both been unwell the last couple weeks 🤦🏽‍♀️ Nevertheless, I've managed to get things packed away and I styled this little faux arrangement today for my coffee table so ya know, small victories 😄🙌🏽

#livingroom #livingroominspo #fauxflowers #coffeetabledecor