Dining Room Update: Free Drapes from the Living Room



Remember these linen drapes (and oil-rubbed bronze rods) I bought at Target awhile ago and hung in my living room? (They kinda look just like those drop cloth drapes that everyone has been DIYing, except I'm too lazy to do that!)


Well, they turned out to be the exact same color as the walls (Benjamin Moore Smokey Taupe) and I've never really loved them here, just thought they looked ok. (I'm into neutrals and everything, but lately I've been wishing I had gone a little more bold with the curtains and added some color or some pattern, kinda like I did in Maura's room.)

So this past weekend, we took the drapes down from the living room...and moved them into the dining room!


Now I love them! The warm oatmeal color (and linen texture) adds just the right amount of warmth (and contrast) to the cool grey walls and plays nicely with the beige in the rug and artwork (on the walls you can't see here). The dark hardware ties in with the oil rubbed bronze chandelier and espresso table and chairs.


{sorry, that's a jigsaw puzzle in progress on the table and I wasn't going to move it for the pic, even for you guys!}

Of course, this leaves the living room walls a little bare, but whatevs. We can worry about that later.

Here's a real before to show you how the dining room looked when we moved in:



And here it is after we painted, got some furniture, changed out the light fixture, redid the wood floors and finally found an area rug...but before we had any window treatments.



And again now with the new, no-extra-cost-cause-I-stole-them-from-another-room drapes!



{if you look carefully, you might notice I didn't hang anything on the window on the right wall...in the living room I had 3 windows, but only 5 panels, as one window was right next to the fireplace and so I only put 1 panel on it on one side. I needed 6 panels to do all 3 windows in the dining room, but I couldn't find these anymore at Target to purchase one extra one. So I decided to just use 4 and only dress the 2 windows next to each other on this wall and make it more like a feature. I saw it in a Ballard Design catalog - that all the windows in a room don't have to match - so I feel justified:) }

Next up is to replace the plastic roller shades (on all 3 windows, so they will be coordinated in that aspect) with bamboo blinds. So far I've checked at Lowes and Bed Bath and Beyond and haven't found the color or size that I want. I plan to hit up Home Depot and Target next. Where have you guys had good luck finding bamboo shades?


Comments

  1. It's funny you just posted this because I had my walls painted gray today, and I've been wondering how my own oatmeal colored drapes would look against the new color! I haven't put them up because I wasn't sure it would work.

    Now, I do believe I'll be hanging them tomorrow, because yours look wonderful!

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  2. I like them so much more against the gray walls! And I'm all for neutral rooms (seriously, I swear!), but I do think that layering different neutrals on top of each other makes for a much more interesting space.

    And I think this just shows that if you like something, there's inevitably the perfect place for it in your house (it just may not be where you originally intended!).

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  3. Love it!

    We got our bamboo Roman shades from Overstock.com.

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  4. Great switch. I think this would look good with a simple trim added to the panels. I think you can just iron that on. I am thinking of doing that in my bedroom..plain white panels.

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  5. Good idea!

    I noticed you have a Dash & Albert (or a lookalike) rug in Maura's room on carpeting. I've thought of doing this, but wasn't sure if the cotton rug would get tripped up and folded over all the time on carpet. What's your verdict?

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  6. Those look great! I hung drapes in my master bedroom this week, and they make such a difference!

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  7. I bought woven roller shades for my office here. http://www.stevesblindsandwallpaper.com

    My "decorator" had the same exact brand and colors but hers were $400 more for 6 shades. They will send you free samples.

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  8. Your "new" drapes look SO good against the gray walls!
    Btw, this is my go to source for inexpensive lined natural fiber shades:
    http://www.countrycurtains.com/category/400+roman+shades+and+roller+shades/404+natural+fiber+shades.do
    however, sizes and colors are limited.

    I've also gotten a bunch from Overstock, they have a huge selection and prices are very reasonable.

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  9. Thanks so much, everyone! I'm so glad I did this, and it was such an easy change:)

    Thanks for the bamboo blind recommendations. I had forgotten about places like Overstock, I will definitely be checking them out..thanks!

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  10. Anne - yes, that rug is from Pottery Barn Kids, but it does remind me of Dash and Albert (one of the reasons I got it) - I only paid $4 for it because it was on major sale and I had a coupon:) It is lying directly on the wall to wall carpet (no rug pad)...we use it every day for playing - I wouldn't say it gets tripped up, more like it moves - it does shift over slightly, like maybe a foot or something, after a while...I just drag it back to the center of the room where I originally had it. To us, its worth it, because I love the color it adds and the softness it brings in, as well as covering up the ugly carpet underneath. I bet if you used a rug pad though it might help it stay in place better. I think I heard on HGTV sometime (maybe it was Candice Olsen) say that they make rug pads specifically for carpet on carpet. Hope that helps and good luck!

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  11. Beautiful transformation. I agree the oatmeal color against the gray adds just the right amount of warmth. We got all of our bamboo blinds at Lowe's. I think there were some decent looking companies online when I typed bamboo blinds in google. Have a lovely weekend.

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  12. I love the new location of the drapes. They're beautiful.

    I love puzzles! Too bad no one in my family shares the patience. :)

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  13. I got mine at JC Penney's! They actually have really great window treatments, including shades. Plus they are always having sales. I think I got mine for less than $20 a window; with shipping. Use retailmenot.com to search for coupon codes, JCP always has a ton.

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  14. I've been getting my bamboo shades at Overstock and have been really happy with them. The room looks uh-mazing. Nice work!

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  15. what color gray wall in the dining room?

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  16. Get modern drapes in style & colors to boost your room. The drapes look great!!

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