#OneRoomChallenge Week 2: Vintage Bohemian Dining Space

It’s week two of the One Room Challenge and I’d say we’re making some progress over here! We got the top of the dining table completed and hello, new light fixture!!

I’m loving how this challenge keeps you on track to finish one project instead of jumping around from room to room like I usually do, and it’s so inspiring to see everyone’s transformations along the way. I love watching how the rooms evolve instead of just the usual “Before” and “After.” So before I get into the details of our dining space transformation, let’s do a little side-by-side so you can see the progress!

Week 1: lacking color + cohesiveness, hand me down furniture needing a facelift, and the original light fixture that came with our rental

Week 2: weathered wood now adorns the top of our antique table, and I SCORED this wooden beaded chandelier off of Amazon. When I mean scored… keep reading!

The Chandelier

A few weeks ago, my sister texted me informing me of this beautiful, wooden beaded light fixture she saw here on Amazon. Of course my first thought was, yeah right, like I can afford that thing! But you know those times in life when something seems to have been made especially for you? Retail fate as I like to think of it… Because not only did Stone & Beam have the ‘new’ ones listed for $230, they also had only a few ‘used’ ones listed for $50. FIFTY DOLLARS people! I know, my head almost exploded too- especially when I nabbed the LAST ONE for that price! With the help of Prime, I also received free shipping and it was here in two days.

The moral of the story? Look for the ‘Buy Used’ option on Amazon! It came in all its original packaging, just a big brown box instead of the factory one. We looked up YouTube videos on how to change a light fixture, which also saved us on paying for an electrician. Plus, it was a nice bonding experience- no one died from electric shock, and it was actually really fun and way easier than we imagined! My favorite part (aside from the statement it makes) is how much light moves through it- and the light it reflects onto the ceiling.

The Table

As I mentioned in my Week 1 post, this table was passed down by a family friend to my parents when they got married in 1975- my mom guesses it’s from the 1940’s. Originally pine, I had painted it a million years ago in college and it had been screaming for a face lift ever since.

Before I knew I was going to participate in the One Room Challenge for the first time, I had scored a light gray paint sample from work and had previously painted the legs and edge of the table top.

Originally I had wanted to refurbish the top using reclaimed cedar (can’t you smell it now?!) but unfortunately, reclaimed wood is extremely expensive in Asheville due to the high demand. In a town such as this, many (like us) prefer to DIY and tackle their home renovations from scratch with reclaimed pieces- a small downside to living in such an awesome, artsy city.

So instead, I opted for this weathered wood kit from Home Depot. I decided to use the darker pieces from the two kits I purchased as I wanted to tie in the existing dark pieces in the room. I was even able to find a home for the leftover blonde pieces I decided not to use! After laying the boards out in their prospective places, it only took me a few cuts with our handheld wood saw and about an hour to get them where I wanted.

With a little help from Liquid Nails and a caulk gun (that was fun!) and a lot of help from my partner Sal, we were able to get the boards in place and secure. Many were slightly bowed and therefore needed a bit more securing- pin nails strategically placed at the meeting of each board as well as at both ends of the table did the trick.

After using a palm sander to round the edges and take off any stray splinters, we carried her outside for one nice coat of polyurethane (and one more good sanding of course.) Additionally, I added an extra two inches to each side to give it a slightly larger feel, and though we’ll never be able to fold down the leaves again (I never did anyway,) I love the way it turned out! I may even leave the spots that are lighter due to the sanding as I think it gives a nice aged touch.