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There once was a girl who wanted to switch her living room and dining room. She worked hard and made herself a swanky new dining room, but the living room needed a pick me up. So, she asked her friend for some help. Luckily this girl can DIY with the best of them, and also luckily her friend is me.

My very great friend and her family wanted a cozy space where they could read, do homework, practice the violen and spend hours on Pinterest. And although she knew she wanted to invest in grasscloth, the goal was to work with what she already had, just adding a few things here and there to spruce up the room.
Here is the space before. (cute children not included)


And here is the after.

My girl is hardcore. She put up the grasscloth all on her own. Right after she painted that mirror orange and before she put together those IKEA shelves. Unstoppable I tell you.


I love that we talk about the gallery wall and play with some pictures one day, and the next time I talk to her she says, "oh yeah I hung the gallery wall". All I do is plant the seed and she runs with it and makes it look great.


All of the artwork was created by her, in addition to a few pieces by her dad and her kids. They are basically the Partridge family of art.


I love a new tray on an old coffee table. It's almost totally better than a pair of new shoes. That's right, I will always pick a tray over a pair of shoes.


That grasscloth makes all the difference. It makes all of the moldings pop (which she put in during a previous project) and it makes the room so warm. It's like a big huge hug.


The lamp was originally orange but she gave it the gold touch with a can of spray paint.


A collection of gold animals has begun and the gold K looks great against the wallpaper.


The milk glass acquired by the two of us at the single most uncomfortable and slightly bigoted garage sale ever. I'll have to share that story one day.


Yes, this book is upside down. I'm quirky.




And because I hate it when magazines talk about a space and don't show a picture of it, here is her wonderful dining room. Good, right?

So that is the story of the girl who switched her living room and dining room and ended up with a great family space.

How about you? Have you switched rooms in your house before? Made some changes to a room that wasn't working for you?

Are you there reader? It's me, Margaret Elizabeth.

So of course I have to begin with an apology. I tease y'all on Friday and then leave you hanging. Uncool. I'm sorry. Life got in the way. But if it makes you feel any better, my tar and feathering is scheduled for 4 pm today. You can come watch if you like.

Luckily I've got some good eye candy to make it up to you. Let's have a little before and after, shall we? Everyone loves a good makeover story.

It starts like any good story does - a cute little family buys the perfect house. But the house has a dark side. Or, a dark kitchen. Oh the horror.


Metal cabinets. Bad roll on floor. Three different doorways into a small galley and one single ceiling fan. What's not to love?


And who is the genius that forgot to line the sink up with the window? Pitiful.



The layout was just wrong. The counter space was just wrong. Everything was just wrong.

The family wanted to open the space into the dining room, not only to create better flow but to make this kitchen feel larger. They also wanted the kitchen to have a farmhouse feel.

Ask, and you shall receive.


With the plans in place the kitchen was gutted. Soffits were removed, an extra doorway was closed off, appliances switched positions and the wall between the kitchen and dining room was knocked out to open up the space. I love a good puzzle and this space was really fun for me to rethink and reconfigure.  Like a giant game of tetris.


After several long months of work, my very patient clients now have one saucy kitchen.




The space between the dining room and kitchen is much more open now, but still gives both areas their own defined space.


Buffalo check on the dining room chairs is picked up again with the roman shade in the kitchen. You can read more about the dining room chairs I recovered here.


The cork board was a simple DIY project I previewed on Instagram (follow me here). I'll share the tutorial as soon as I can write it up.


I love the side by sides. Let's have some fun shall we.




I love it when a story has a happy ending.

Like what you see here? I can do the same for you. Let's talk.