Is there such thing as too much green?

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? When designing a room there's always a jumping off point, a.k.a. an inspiration source. More often than not, it's a rug or something colorful that dictates the overall plan. In the case of my dining room, it was a paint color. 

I found Benjamin Moore's Narrangansett Green (HC-15) and was immediately sold. I painted a very large, leftover canvas in this beautiful color and propped it against the wall so I could get a good feel for the color. I also wanted to make sure I wouldn't tire of it easily. It literally leaned against the wall for months while I waited patiently for the rest of the room to evolve.  Instead of tiring of it, I became even more convinced that things were heading in the right direction.

Remember this chandelier? I almost sold it on Craigslist for $250 then quickly realized, as people were chomping at the bit to gobble it up, that it currently retails for $1900 on Amazon. Wow, someone should do a little more research before they spontaneous list a piece they don't think they like!

I have to admit, seeing these crystals sparkle against the blue-green walls is one of my favorite elements in the room. Who would've guessed?! 

I was dead set that I wasn't going to have a DIY piece of art hanging in our dining room but the frugal side of me crept in and won that battle. It's a giant piece and only cost me $37. I'll share the details in a future post.

My father-in-law generously gifted me these lucite chairs from Wisteria. I love, love the way they look but I can't say that I'd tell someone to run out and buy them. They're not the most comfortable and they squeak every time you shift your weight. Ugh!

But the good thing about these chairs is they allow the live edge table to shine in its' glory. I purposefully searched for something low-profile and clear. I wanted your attention to go directly to the character of the table instead of being bossed around by a busy chair.



Now seems like the perfect time to show you where we started with this room. The previous owner adorned the walls with palm tree wallpaper and the windows with heavy drapery (I removed the panels before this shot).

BEFORE:

After ripping down the wallpaper I had the walls retextured to a level 5 (super smooth) finish then used a high gloss paint. This helped give a super slick and shiny background that's not really obvious in the pictures but super cool in person.

AFTER:

The banquette was a total score from World Market. I literally bought the last one in Texas. We had to drive to Austin over spring break to pick it up. The store manager down there just shook her head when she looked at my raincheck and saw how much, or should I say how little, I paid for it!

I added a folded piece of fabric to spice things up a bit. I originally planned to attach it, but then I realized it looked fine draped and this way I'm not committed. Love the blue/green walls, not so sure I'll stay in love with the persimmon stripe! Commitment issues, anyone?

Last, but not least, let's talk about the rug! I searched, and searched, and searched some more for the perfect rug. I felt like I was banging my head against wall as nothing seemed right. Then, I was contacted by Rugs Direct and they generously offered to send me a rug. I was super excited and this opened up the door for me go a little outside of my comfort zone and pick something I may not normally choose if I were forking over my own pennies. And, I absolutely love it!

Want to know the best part? I'm partnering with Rugs Direct next week to offer a $300 giveaway to one of you lucky souls!! So, don't forget to check back and put your name in the hat. This was the first time I'd ordered a rug online. I wasn't necessarily a believer before this experience. More on that next week too!

{Legal mumbo jumbo...Rugs Direct provided the rug of my choice but the verbiage and opinions are mine all mine.}