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Are you planning a dining room makeover on a budget soon? We finally finished ours and I am thrilled with the result!
Our dining room is really small and was very cluttered before. But now, it feels open, calm, and just the right amount of cozy!
I’ll show you the complete process of our dining room makeover on a budget and how we decorated!
DIY Dining Room Makeover On a Budget
I’m not the best decorator, but I do love to create spaces in our home that feel like us and make our house feel like home.
To me, it’s all about how it feels to you. Don’t stress over trying to create a magazine worthy room, when it might feel too nice to actually use. Create spaces for your family that are just the right mix of practical and pretty!
Ready for the before?
Cringe.
I didn’t hate our dining room before. But I hated the clutter it created.
And why did I pick such a dark color for such a small room?
Well, we changed a lot to make it brighter, more functional, and a lot more calm.
The After:
Hardly looks like the same room!
Dining Room Makeover on a Budget: The Process
Paint:
We started by picking a MUCH lighter paint color to brighten up the room and make it feel larger.
Paint Color: White Metal in Satin by Behr
I really love this light grey color, and how much bigger and brighter the room is now!
Bead board:
After painting, we put up white bead board and chair rail trim.
I was debating between bead board and ship lap, but ultimately chose bead board since we have bead board on some cabinets already in the home.
Adding this bead board really brightened up the area and gave it more design and interest. I love it!
We painted the bead board and trim with semi gloss white paint.
DIY Table:
Next up is the DIY table we made.
This dining room is really small, and a lot of tables we liked were just too big. Or way too expensive.
We decided to make our own custom table to fit our space best. This table is very similar to the farmhouse patio table we made, just scaled down in size.
It’s made of really affordable lumber: 2″ X 4″, 1″ X 4″, and 2″ X 10″. And we had some scrap wood to use that made it even more affordable!
We scraped the sides and used a hammer to distress the table for a worn in look. I used two coats of this MinWax Provincial stain.
And this Helsman satin sealer to give it a really smooth, finished look and feel.
We found these chairs at Hobby Lobby and thought they fit perfect with the room. I love the size of them and the contrast of the black metal and worn wood look.
I love our new table and chairs so much!
Shelf:
The plan was to have two shelves, but the spacing ended up being a little off and we didn’t want it to feel cluttered. So, we just put up one shelf and I think it’s just right.
The shelf is a 2″ X 10″ cut to 55″ length. We distressed it, stained and sealed it to match the table.
I had a hard time finding affordable brackets that we liked, but finally found these from Fleet Farm. We got 4 brackets shipped for less than $20!
Entryway:
Our home is really small, like 900 square feet small. So, our dining room is our entryway and mud room also. Which makes for a fun “challenge”.
To make a dedicated entryway space, I added command hooks to the back of this cabinet to hold hats and coats. I thought this was the best space, since it’s right when you walk in the back door.
This boot tray was a DIY project and keeps our dirty boots tucked away. Gotta love that mini farm life! 🙂
Behind the door, I added this large jute basket to throw tennis shoes in. Now, I just need to remind my husband where to put them… 🙂
Find these items linked here:
Boot Tray (similar)
Decor:
Now on to the best part! The decor for our dining room makeover on a budget!
We tried to use things we had first to keep expenses down.
Things we already had: jute rug, chalkboard menu, antique pitcher, antique scale, wooden W, and the cow salt and pepper shakers.
I found this faux eucalyptus wreath on Amazon and love the color and texture it brings into the room. To hang it, I just stuck a command hook on the door.
I found this fringe rug on sale at T J Maxx and love it! Looks like it’s sold out now, but here is a similar one that’s super affordable, too!
Dogs love it, too.
I added faux greenery on the shelf for texture and color. T J Maxx has a great selection and prices!
I like to add in antiques with new things, and had fun decorating this shelf. I can’t wait to change it up for different holidays!
The two wooden signs are from Hobby Lobby.
I’m so happy with how this room turned out! It’s so much brighter, lighter, more functional, and makes me so happy!
That’s our DIY dining room makeover on a budget! Thanks for checking it out!
