When I was younger, I always made fun of the kind of women who have towels you can’t touch, couches you can’t sit on, and rooms you’re not allowed to walk in. Then I got a husband and a kid and I TOTALLY GET IT. You just want one thing to look like you’ve got it together. One area of the house that won’t look like an insane asylum when guests come over unannounced. With that being said, the formal dining room of our new house has become that singular place for me. And I’m happy with that, because I genuinely don’t want my family or guests walking on eggshells for fear of a mommy meltdown. But at least in the tiny oasis that is my dining room, I feel like grownups live here, not just a screaming toddler.

A lot of my interior decorating style comes from my mom. Scratch that, nearly ALL of it. My childhood home is full of bright colors, fun details, and a focus on entertaining ease. My mom loves having people over, and I’ve got that bug now as well. The previous owners of this house may have liked to entertain, but they definitely did not like bold colors. Everything was beige, brown, or a shade in between. Yawn.

Orlando and I made one of our first priorities after moving in to paint the dining room below the chair rail. Then picking out the perfect dining room table took FOREVER. And to our delight it then took forever and a day to be delivered. The mirror used to hang in our old living room and the vases were found on a Homegoods binge. I knew I wanted varying shades of blue and greens, almost a sea glass theme.

Orlando was a little annoyed that I wanted six individual pieces, but I love that it gives it a little bit of an eclectic feel. One of the vases is a modern face design, which is always a good conversation starter. And the fact that I got to pick so many gave me the opportunity to mix in different textures, heights, etc. Although the even number goes against one of my mother’s design tips that collections should always be in odd combinations.

The canvases were the final piece, and I had to call several Target stores before I found one that had the color I wanted.

I’d still like to find a modern looking china cabinet to house our wedding china, but I think by definition most china cabinets are bulky traditional monsters that do not match our style. Check out the photos in chronological order and let me know what you think!

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