$100 Room Challenge The Dining Room
A brand new year, a brand new challenge! And this is one you are not going to want to miss! The $100 Room Challenge was the brainchild of Erin from Lemons, Lavender and Laundry, who like most of us swoon over images of gorgeous rooms on Pinterest and in magazines, but don’t necessarily have the budget to create those looks.
Erin has been doing a $100 Room Challenge for a bit now, and opened it up to other bloggers this year and I was certainly up for the challenge. Thank you Erin!!
At first I didn’t have a clue what room I was going to do. Being the creative type, I am often wanting to change the look of the rooms in my home. Sometimes in a big way and other times subtle changes that can easily change with the seasons, and that reflect what is going on in our lives at the time.
I had first thought about our back porch. Small enough space that it was doable in four weeks, but in all honesty, it does need some major changes to create more efficient storage which I can’t achieve for $100.
I have really been wanting to paint each and every room in our home a more neutral shade. I hate to admit it, but when I renovated the living room in 2014 I really should have chosen a more neutral shade. I tend to get tired of any one colour pretty fast.
Insert Tim’s eye rolling here.
Since I have been gravitating towards a more simple lifestyle lately I am really drawn to the easy laid back of the farmhouse/cottage style. I love the look of shiplap painted with a soft shade of white as it gives the room a layer of texture and interest.
So, with this in mind and a plan to slowly transform the kitchen to reflect the farmhouse/cottage style, plus a beautiful light fixture I received for Christmas this year, I decided to do our dining room for the $100 Room Challenge!
Lets have a look, shall we.
Overall it really isn’t bad. It is a small room measuring just 8 feet by 10 feet. In fact, it used to be a little bedroom, but since this is going to be our forever home we knocked out the wall between it and the living room to create a more open space.
It really just needs some decor and cosmetic touches to give it that farmhouse feel. I think my $100 budget is enough to make a big difference in the overall look and feel of the dining room.
Goals for our $100 Room Challenge Dining Room
- Add faux shiplap treatment to the back (striped) wall
- Paint the entire room a soft shade of white (which might take me all month to pick!)
- Replace the old drop cloth curtains
- Replace the light fixture
- Introduce more farmhouse style decor
- Create a gallery wall
How I plan to stay on budget
This gorgeous copper and distressed wood light fixture will be a focal point, and I won’t have to use any of my budget for lighting, which is a big bonus!
She doesn’t know it yet, but I will be enlisting the help of my mom to sew new curtain panels. Thanks Mom! Our local fabric store always has buy one get 2 metres free sales in January, which will significantly reduce the cost of the new curtains
Tim works at a home improvement store which gives him a good discount on paint! Yay!
I have loads of picture frames, and I will utilize printables to help create art to fill the gallery wall.
And, when I was visiting my friend Leslie over the holidays she gave me a pretty rustic sign she had made, which is perfect for that easy farmhouse style!
I hope you are as excited to follow along as I am to be sharing it with you. Most of all, I hope you take away some ideas to start creating the home you want even if you don’t have much of a budget to work with!
I will be updating our progress each and every Wednesday throughout January and I invite you to join the Red Cottage Chronicles community by subscribing here so you won’t miss a thing! You will receive an email only when new posts go live.
Let the challenge begin!
Be sure to check out even more budget decor inspiration be sure to visit all the bloggers participating in the $100 room challenge this month!
Very nice. So great to have your mom around to help you! What a blessing. Looking forward to seeing your finished project. It sounds amazing.
Thanks Deborah! It certainly is a blessing having my Mom to count on….and actually knows her way around a sewing machine!
Farmhouse style is my favorite! I am so excited to see what you end up with in your dining room… and that light fixture!!! Amazing!
Thanks Erin, and thank you for opening up this challenge. I really want to hang the light first, but don’t dare given all the painting I have to get done!
Love the plan for the space! Excited to cheer each other on.
Thanks Ashley! It is nice to have this challenge to keep me motivated during the long cold month of January, and so fun to have a great group to follow!
I know that eye rolling feeling! Almost everytime i mention anything about home changes! They just do not get it! We have a gallery wall in our dining area, i love them! Looking forward to your next post!
Thank you! I have to admit I don’t have a single gallery wall in our help yet! I think it is long overdue 🙂
You have a very nice space to work with there! I love the idea of doing a faux shiplap look for it, will definitely give a great farmhouse feel then! Can’t wait to see it all done!
Thanks Kristen! I am pretty excited to get the shiplap up to see how it looks!
Whites are SO hard to pick! I may wait till you pick one and just copy it. I can’t wait to see this makeover, especially your faux shiplap!
You are so right Meredith! I think that is going to be the hardest part of the whole project!
Hi Maureen,
I think your dining room is going to look fabulous with a farmhouse makeover. It looks pretty now but I’m looking forward to seeing it all come together. Especially the shiplap wall.
Patti
Love your new light, Maureen! I can’t wait to see how this space turns out!
That light is beautiful. I look forward to checking out the progress each week!
You’re right, whites are so hard to pick. I agonized over picking a white for our bedroom when we moved in, and I went with Sherwin-Williams Extra White, which isn’t a soft white at all, so don’t pick that one! But I love it…super bright and crisp if you’re ever looking for something like that 😉
Thanks for the tip! White’s are indeed tricky. I don’t want it to creamy, or too “stark”! I will be studying paint chips all weekend!
That copper light!!!!! If that was the only thing in the room, I’d be happy 🙂
Thats going to be a huge challenge and I am sure its going to look beautiful! I am using stuff from my attic and trying to find thrift store finds. Spending my money on accessories.
That copper light fixture is amazing! Can’t wait to see the new wall color and treatment. It’s going to be gorgeous!
Did you say faux shiplap? My heart always goes pitter-patter when I hear of a new faux treatment. It looks like you already have some farmhouse elements to work with like that gorgeous floor and rustic ladder. Good luck picking your paint color and I’m looking forward to watch this room progress.
I cannot wait to see your shiplap wall and the material/fabric you choose for curtains. You have such a cute space, and I am sure the white walls will make it feel airy. Also? Love that light fixture- so pretty!
Thanks Monica! After choosing the paint color, the fabric choice is going to be a tough one. So many to choose from!
Great weather to be stuck inside. Are you going to paint the ceiling the same white or ski blue?
The ceiling will also be white! I think with the colors and textures I will be introducing through fabrics and accessories the room won’t feel sterile or cold!
That’s sky….
What a pretty light fixture and I love the ladder you have leaning on the wall in there. Choosing white can be even harder than a real color, right? Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Thanks Angie! Who would have thought there were so many different shades of white!!??
That light is everything! I cant wait to see it all come together! Good Luck!
I am loving the copper! Your room is going to be amazing when it’s done!