Traditional Meets Tropical Dining Room Reveal!

Hello hello hello!

It's me. AGAIN! Can you believe it!? 😄

Who remembers the last time there's been multiple blog posts within a two-week period? Anyone? Because this girl can barely remember herself. My guess is it would've been somewhere between 2013-2015. Simpler times, when spray painting a lamp or writing about some random thing I found on Craigslist was enough content for a sufficient post. (I would STILL buy those pink chairs btw). Nowadays unless you're completely overhauling an entire room, it barely seems worth the time when you could watch about the same thing in a 60 second Instagram Reel.

Well, lucky for you dear reader, this post IS about an entire room overhaul. May I present to you our traditional meets tropical dining room! 

This room was CRANKED OUT. I don't think we've ever completed anything from start to finish so fast. We cleared the decor on a Friday evening, went full speed ahead with the help of our in-laws over the weekend, then that following Saturday I wrapped up putting everything back again. 

For a little perspective, below is what the room looked like when the house was listed. 

Here it is after we were living in it for a year. 

And here we are a few moments before putting up the first strip of wallpaper. 

That's right, wallpaper. But not just any kind of wallpaper, REMOVABLE wallpaper. Which I am convinced is proof that there is a higher power because for the amount of traditional wallpaper I've stripped, ripped, and cursed at over the years I honestly NEVER thought I would be one to put it ON my walls. But you guys, this stuff is amazing. Removable, non-damaging, forgiving, peel-and-stick wallpaper is SUCH an easy way to bring pattern and texture into your home it's going to become your new best friend.

For this project I found the perfect pattern at Tempaper.com. They have tons of beautiful designs to choose from but this one caught my eye immediately. The tropical vibe was exactly what I was looking for and the color palette not too crazy to turn Eric off. Plus the toucans were just "tou" cute (see what I did there?). 

Pure joy. 

But if you notice, we didn't wallpaper all the way to the floor. That's because the bottom third of the wall we decided to install board and batten. Board and batten describes a type of interior paneling that has alternating wide boards and narrow wooden strips, called "battens."

For both the vertical and horizontal boards we used 1''x4'' pine ripped down so each piece was only 3'' wide. The baseboard was a 1''x6'' trimmed down to 5.5'' to match the height of the new baseboards we've installed throughout the rest of the house. We went through a few different options while determining the distance there would be in between each vertical board, but in the end decided it would be easiest if we kept to where the studs were in the wall. That spaced each board approximately 16'' apart, give or take a few inches in the gaps around the corners and flanking the doorways. 

And that was where we ended after a very busy weekend. 

The next few days were focused around priming, caulking the seams, covering nail holes, and ordering more wallpaper because apparently my math was wrong... go figure. 🤷

While we waited for those last few rolls to arrive (and shout out to Tempaper because it only took maybe four days even without expedited shipping) we picked up our brushes once more and continued painting the board and batten. Compared to the bright Alexandrite green of the mudroom, here we went with a deep moody grey with purple undertones; Stunning Shade by Sherwin Williams. 

I LOVE how the color drastically changed the whole mood of the space. It's dark, but dark in a way that is calming. Plus pairing it with a lighter wallpaper really balanced everything out. After a second coat and any final touch-ups, the only thing left to do was install the top most piece of trim. 

That, and break the room in with an impromptu art project. 😉

Ok, I'll stop talking, now pull up a seat at the table and enjoy these DELICOUS "after" photos! 

How a room evolves over the years is one of my favorite part of interior design. Great homes take two things; time and love. Dont rush the process, use those cherished items you hunted down and scored (like our dining room table), DIY'd yourself (like our chairs), or were so excited to purchase because it was the first "new" thing in your home (like our chandelier).

Don't fret over how long (or short in this case) a room comes together. Do what brings you joy, and remember to TAKE PICTURES. Nothing makes the journey more worth while than seeing just how far you've come. 

Check out all of our home improvements, by visiting the OUR NEST page.