Before & After: This Outdated Dining Room Got a Plant-Infused Refresh for Less than $900

During Meredith Svoboda’s final walk-through of her Nashville home, she photographed the dining room, “dreaming of the life I could bring to this room,” she writes.

She, her husband, and their three children moved into their new house this past April, and Meredith decided from the get-go that she’d have to make some changes. “The room was so dark and always had a yellow hue to it,” she writes. “The light fixture and paint were very outdated and didn’t fit with the style that we wanted to incorporate into our new home.”

Meredith painted the dining room a slate gray — Peppercorn by Sherwin-Williams — and swapped out the old chandelier for a more modern, globed one from Cost Plus World Market. The family already owned a handmade table (built by a friend!), Target chairs, and a Rugs USA rug. By hanging West Elm curtains with a ripple pattern, Meredith added some playfulness to the design. Even including the prices of the previously purchased chairs and rug, the total cost of the reno was $825.

“I love how simple and bright it is,” Meredith writes of the new look. “I love that, even with a dark paint color, the room feels so much bigger and more spacious.”

Meredith says she doesn’t usually do too much planning before redecorating. She recommends just going for it, and kicking things off with paint. “It’s easy and cheap and can make such a huge impact on a room,” she writes.

Another one of her tips? Add plants! In the case of her dining room, she writes that “the small amounts of greenery really balance out the blues and grays and give the room life.”

Thank you for sharing, Meredith!

This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: See an Outdated Dining Room with a ‘Yellow Hue’ Get a Plant-Infused Refresh