And for my next trick, watch me follow up with ANOTHER house update! I don’t know why I’m posting my dining room second, as it’s actually the second to last room to come tother. The kitchen is still very much a WIP, but that’s my Spring 2021 goal.

When I viewed and moved into my house, the entire place was painted what I suspect to be “Garcia Grey,” which is the signature grey color Garcia Properties uses on many of their listings. It’s lovely. Garcia Properties is lovely if you’re ever in the St. Louis market for a home or rental! I digress.

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My home was built in 1926, and the wood is all original from what I can tell, and I love that, but I was not vibing this grey one bit! I’m not opposed to grey, but the stark contrast between the warm wood and the cool-toned grey was just not giving me the cohesive look that I need in my life. Plus, I need more personality in my space, and I feel that grey is so common. I wanted to do something different. Further, these photos are a real life Instagram VS reality. Of course online photos (including mine) are always well-lit and filtered, but the reality is always much less grid-worthy.

I originally had this idea in my head that each room in my house would be nude/white/off-white with accents on a wall or two or accents in the decor. By the time I finished painting the living room, my bedroom and my guest room/office, I was mentally/creatively drained and my wrists basically spasmed every time I thought about picking up a paint brush. At one point I think I had like 30 white swatch variations and just couldn’t make up my mind. Classic Libra, amirite?

I made what I thought at the time was a mistake and started purchasing furniture and decor for the room. I still had no clue what to do for the walls, but figured I could let the things I liked guide me to the right color. I ended up with wood furniture with black metal industrial accents, beige chairs, and a grey, beige and yellow rug. Perfect! I decided to make the room a true beige nude with one black accent wall to mood it up a little. Now back to my conundrum: WHICH NUDE?!

Well, I had recently gotten my nails done in this odd greyish/nudish/pinkish tone, and it was so unique and I loved it, so I decided it was the perfect color to paint my walls! I took my boujee-ass fingernails to Home Depot where they scanned my index finger (seriously, you can scan anything for a paint match) and filled me up two buckets of paint.

I was so stoked until the worst thing ever happened. I was painting along and this freaking paint was drying SO PINK instead of a hint of pink! Like almost Pepto Bismol pink! I was panicking but trying to play it cool. When the light hit it just right, it looked how I expected it to look, but 99% of the day, it looked pink. I decided to roll with it and see if it would grow on me or if I’d be inspired, or if I’d have to take the L and repaint the entire room. I went ahead and painted my accent wall, and to my greater horror, the pink wall brought out every purple undertone in my black accent wall, and now I had a pink and purple flamingo circus dining room. Holy shit, bummer!!

Lucky for me, one of my best friends had been pressing me to incorporate “dusty rose” into my house, and she happened to be visiting me that weekend. She loved it and sent me (texted me from the couch) inspo pics of some beige boho curtains I could get that would tone everything down and tie in the beige elements I’d already invested. I was pacified, but not completely sold. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Or rather, where there’s extreme disdain for inconvenience, there’s a way. I REALLY didn’t want to repaint my dining room, and I was becoming attached to the pink! I put it in my mind that the goal was to make it work and make it work well, and I was off.

The “end” (I’m nowhere near done, but I’m satisfied with this room as a livable space) result blew me away! I’ve come to describe my style as “mid-century bohemian goth,” and everything but my bathroom pretty well falls in line with that theme. However, I did see some industrial elements pop out here, and I don’t hate it. That’s the thing I LOVE about home design- you can pick elements of trends or styles and blend them together to make them your style. Danger lies in trying to be too trendy because as we know, it takes just a few months for trends to come and go. It’s so important to take elements of a style or trend that you love and claim them. Unless you’re a Kardashian and you can just remodel your house once a year, it’s best to find ways to be both classic and trendy according to you.

I don’t get paid to do this (is getting paid for blogs still a thing? Lemme know if so!), so you can thank me by sharing my blog, instagram or website with anyone who you think would like it! Here’s where I got the goods:

Table: Wayfair; Rug + Round Shelf: Homegoods; Chairs + Curtains + Standing Lamp: Amazon; Butterfly Girl Painting: Beautox Art; Centerpiece: handmade with material from Hobby Lobby and Home Depot

My next ideas for this room are to add a buffet, bar cart and velvet bench. FUN! Don’t worry, I’ll update you when I do!