A Dining Room Update That’s Been a Long Time Coming

Welcome to 579th Metamorphosis Monday!

Many years ago, long before I began blogging, I had the walls in my dining room papered in a pretty, yellow and blue (with touches of raspberry red) wallpaper. These pictures, taken just before a little dinner party with friends, do not do the wallpaper justice. The paper was a beautiful, elegant pattern and I loved it for many years.

 

Back then, I was always reading everything I could find about decorating. Somewhere along the way, I read an article that recommended always using silver and crystal accents in the dining room. It’s been way too many years, but I think the article recommended this saying it would compliment the other silver items one would supposedly use in a dining room, like silver flatware, silver candlesticks and silver serving pieces. Times have really changed, haven’t they?

Anyway, I had long ago replaced the not-so-pretty, builder-grade chandelier with the crystal one you see in the photo below, so I kept my eye out for a mirror to replace a brass mirror I had hanging over the sideboard. Eventually, I stumbled across the Venetian glass style mirror (seen above) during the Speer Lamp Warehouse sale that was held twice each year. When I saw the mirror, it was love at first sight.

I moved the brass mirror to another room in my home. It’s been moved a few times. In the photo below it was hanging in my bedroom. It’s hanging in the living room now. lol The roving mirror!

 

The silverplate lamps were added to the sideboard around the same time I purchased the mirror. They were another purchase from the same lamp manufacturer during another one of their warehouse sales. During this revamp, I even went as far as changing the light-switch plates to silver-toned plates.

 

Once the brass-to-silver/crystal transformation was complete, I was a little disappointed with how the mirror looked against the wallpaper. I still loved the wallpaper but it was doing nothing for the mirror.

 

Here’s a picture of an entry (source unknown) that has similar wallpaper to what I had in my dining room so many years ago. Doesn’t it look beautiful in this gorgeous historic home?! I still love this look for an entry!

 

Not loving the way my existing wallpaper kinda swallowed up my new Venetian-glass mirror, I decided to paint the walls a solid color so the mirror would really pop. With a somewhat heavy heart, I had the wallpaper removed and painted the walls with a color I had seen and fallen in love with during a historic home tour in Marietta, Georgia: Benjamin Moore’s Raspberry Truffle.

 

The mirror definitely popped once the walls were painted and I loved how it looked against the red. It was a lot of trouble and hard work priming/painting the walls. I remember it took three coats of Raspberry Truffle and that was after using a tinted primer Benjamin Moore created to go with the paint! I really wanted the red to be a saturated, deep red, so it was worth all the work in the end.

After all that work, I was afraid to hang anything on the walls on either side of the mirror. If you’ve ever freshly painted a room and it was a labor-intensive process, you know what I mean. You hate to risk messing up all that hard work! So the walls in the dining room have remained empty all these years, sans the mirror and that one painting on the far wall.

Christmas Table Setting, Red Dining Room

 

The other reason I’ve been reluctant to hang anything on the walls was I didn’t want to do anything that would detract from the beauty of the mirror against the red paint. I was worried that hanging a picture, a wall shelf or something similar on the sections of wall on either side of the mirror would clash or detract from the mirror.

 

As you know, I’ve been on a cleaning, purging, donating and organizing tear around here lately. If something has been sitting idle for a few years, I’ve given it away, shipped it off to family, donated it or found a purpose for it here in the house.

Woodland Themed Valentine's Day Table Setting 03

 

One group of items I came across during all the cleaning was a collection of six watercolor paintings by Sterling Everett, purchased around 35+ years ago while I was still living in my hometown of Macon, Georgia. These watercolors were produced in limited quantity and each one is signed and numbered.

When I moved to this house 30 years ago, I never found a great place to hang them, but they were too sentimental for me to get rid of them. They are framed in brown (mahogany?) wood frames and matted with a pretty deep, blue-gray matting that’s prettier in person than it’s appearing in the photo below. This past weekend I held one up to the Raspberry Truffle walls, liked what I saw and decided to go for it.

 

Here’s the end result. What do you think? (By the way, this photo below is a good depiction of Raspberry Truffle and how it looks here in the dining room in person throughout the day.)

Red Dining Room

 

I really like how they look here, especially with the lighting turned down a bit.

Benjamin Moore Raspberry Truffle Paint

 

To me, they look as if they’ve always been here, or at least, should have always been here. lol

Arranging Art, Red Dining

 

Only took me 30 years to hang them here. It took me at least half that long to forget the tedious process of having the wallpaper stripped and priming-painting the walls three times! Ha!

Tip: If you ever paint walls with a rich, saturated color like this, when masking off the molding, run a credit card along the edge to seal the painter’s tape really, really well. You’ll get a crisp, clean professional look and will have very little touch up to do (if any) in the end. That’s a tip a Benjamin Moore associate shared with me back when I took on this painting job.

Dining Room Update, Adding Watercolor Paintings

 

The painting at the top depicts Overlook, a beautiful, historic home that was once Stratford High School. I’m not sure of its history prior to that, but Stratford has long since moved to a pretty campus north of Macon.

Can you imagine going to high school in this stately, columned mansion? I didn’t go there but I know someone who did and he said it was a wonderful time in his life. I think the school was started by a group of parents who were not happy with the curriculum in the high schools at that time and wanted a better education for their children. The gazebo below is part of the Overlook property. You can see Overlook in the background.

The gazebo on the left stands in Central City Park which is located just below the busy streets of the City of Macon. It’s where the State Fair takes place each year and I remember seeing the gazebo on trips to the fair each year as a child. Bands would sometimes play there. I hope it’s still standing. I’m sure the historical society would not allow anything terrible to happen to it. So many memories!

Sterling Everett Watercolor Paintings

 

The view on the right side of the mirror…

Red Dining Room Makeover, Adding Art

 

The home at the top of this grouping is the Sidney Lanier Cottage, the birthplace of the soldier, poet, author and musician, Sidney Lanier.  He was most famous for his poem, The Marshes of Glynn, a poem about the wetlands and salt marshes in Glynn County along the Georgia coast. I used to pass this house every Sunday on the way to church. Later, as an adult, I had the opportunity to tour the home in person. (Read more about the Sidney Lanier Cottage here: Sidney Lanier Cottage.)

The home on the right is the Cannonball House. During a tour many years ago, we were told the home gets its name because a cannonball went right through one of the front porch columns, landing inside the home during the War Between the States. (Read more about the Cannonball House here: The Cannonball House.)

Sterling Everett Watercolor Paintings of Macon, Georgia

 

The bottom painting depicts the Hay House, probably the most famous home in Macon. It has an incredibly rich history. Though built in 1855, it had hot and cold running water, central heat, gas-lighting, a speaker-tube system, an in-house kitchen and an elaborate ventilation system. (Read more about the Hay House here: Historic Hay House.)

If you ever have an opportunity to take a historic home tour in Macon, Georgia, do it! Macon has so many beautiful old homes! As a child growing up there, I trick-or-treated and played with friends in a lot of Macon’s old homes and I walked by them each day on the way to school never realizing the treasures I was passing.

I remember hearing the Allman Brothers jamming away in one of the old homes on Vineville Avenue as I walked or rode my bike by on the way to buy milk at the A & P, a grocery store that’s long gone now. I don’t think I ever realized how amazing these old homes were until I was grown and had moved away. They must have had a tremendous influence on me, though, since I’ve always had such a deep love and respect for beautiful old homes.

Sterling Everett Watercolor Paintings of Macon, Georgia

 

So glad I finally did something with these paintings. What do you think, should they have been hanging here all along?

Red Dining Room

 

Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!

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Comments

  1. Those architectural prints really look wonderful on your red walls Susan! Great addition! Thanks for the party

    • Thanks so much, Jenna! Have a wonderful week, my friend!

      • Your water colors look like they belong on your beautiful walls. A wonderful addition to a fabulous dining room! And having a connection to them being from your hometown is so cool! I love that part!

  2. Anne Shaheen says

    Perfect!

  3. Lynda Schneider says

    Those prints are beautiful and look great on the wall in your gorgeous dining room. They do not take away from the beauty of the mirror at all. They definitely look like they have always been there. A great refresh!

    • Thanks so much, Lynda! I’m so glad they don’t, maybe it’s because the colors in the watercolor painting are pretty muted. I should have tried them there a long time ago. lol

      • Your water colors look like they belong on your beautiful walls. A wonderful addition to a fabulous dining room! And having a connection to them being from your hometown is so cool! I love that part!

  4. warren giering says

    I am generally not a fan of wallpaper so I just love your “new dining room.” The red and white are stunning.

    • Thanks, Warren! I keep finding myself drawn to it, then I remind myself that I usually tire of the pattern after a few years and getting it off is a major pain! I still love it in bathrooms, just don’t love removing it. lol

  5. Sara Hathaway says

    Your dining room looks amazing!!

  6. Beautiful….I think hanging them really warmed up the space. Love the red walls!

    • Thanks, Toni! I think it def feels more cozy and less formal, which I really like. Amazing that just hanging some pictures/paintings can do that.

  7. Outstanding, Susan. The choice of mat and frame color is also excellent. They indeed look like they belong, do not compete with anything, and it’s all soothing on the eye. This would not have been easy to decide on. I’m really impressed with the results.

    • I think they were already matted when I purchased them but it’s hard to remember now. They may have even been framed…that may have been an option back then when they were purchased. In any case, I didn’t have to worry with that now since that part was done. The matting is a nice neutral that works with almost any room, thankful for that!
      Thanks, Julie!

  8. I love the paintings on either side of the mirror and your red walls really are a great background for both them and that amazing mirror. However, please do not be offended, but all of the pieces on the sideboard, especially the crystal pieces in the middle, so detract from the mirror and gives that wall a somewhat cluttered look. The silver lamps are necessary and pretty, but – and you asked – other items on that buffet need to go.
    I’m glad that you decided to bring those prints out of hiding. They are too special to go unused.

    • Thanks, Pat! I really love displaying those pieces on the sideboard. I can move the candle which is leftover from Christmas, but the others need to stay. I don’t have another place to display them and I really do like how they look there on the sideboard. The silver tray is a Christmas gift a few years back from my son and daughter-in-law.
      Glad you like the paintings, though! 🙂

  9. vicki Long says

    Looks great, Susan! I think it makes the room look larger!

    • It does, doesn’t it. You would think it would look smaller with stuff on the walls. lol Funny how that works! Thanks, Vicki!

  10. Barbara Edwards Armacost says

    Everything is just lovely!! Those pictures go beautifully with the mirror and red walls. That mirror is so gorgeous too.

  11. Looks beautiful, Susan! I think the pics make the room appear larger!

  12. I think your beautiful dining room is now even more elegant. The drawings add so much to the beauty of the room, and it’s especially nice that they have a connection to your childhood hometown. I think the layout of the drawings on the wall is really lovely. You have an artistic eye.

    • Thanks so much, Maureen! I laid them out on the floor and tried a couple of arrangments before I settled on that layout. I have come to realize over the last few years that I really, really like symmetry. I don’t mind if there are a few elements that are asymmetrical as long as the overall appearance, or at least most of the elements, are symmetrical.

  13. Gayle Kesinger says

    I agree with all the comments. I love red and think the dining room looks fabulous. Your tablescape postings show off so well against the red. Pictures look as though they have always been there.

  14. Susan, the paintings are lovely and look like they were made for that space! Too bad they have been in hiding for so many years! Good thing it’s never too late to start over. Enjoy them every day!!

    • So true! I’m so glad I’ve been cleaning and going through all my closets, finding lots of little goodies that need to be used around here. Thanks, Cheryl!

  15. Yes, definitely they should’ve been there a lot sooner. Having said, that, I know EXACTLY the trepidation you experienced! They’re really nice works and look great.

    • Thanks, Rita! Definitely sentimental pieces. Macon has so many beautiful homes! I found myself feeling very nostalgic today as I wrote that post.

  16. Beautiful! They definitely should have been there all along.

    • Thanks, Debbie! I’m shocked that they fit in so well. Each time I pass through that room, I have to look at them again in disbelief. lol

  17. I suspect you will eventually rearrange the items on the sideboard to enhance the mirror as well as the new picture placement. You always find clever solutions for your beautiful possessions. I’m looking forward to your continued tweaks. It’s so much fun! Thank you for sharing.

    • Thanks, Marty! I don’t want to ever move any of those pieces. The crystal cake stand and beverage server have been displayed there for about 10-15 years and I love how they look there on the sideboard. Maybe they look better in person than they do in a photo. 🙂
      The French “balloon” clock has been there for about 25 years. I wanted a clock in every room downstairs because I love hearing them chime all throughout the day. That’s the only place to display the clock in that room and I love seeing it there. The back of the clock is really pretty and it’s beautiful to see it reflected in the mirror when you’re standing nearby. Maybe I should do a post about those pieces sometime and show how they are displayed.

      • Yes. Would love to hear about the clocks. I have three grandfather clocks, three wall mounted chiming clocks, a mantle clock that chimes and battery operated clocks. Love clocks!

  18. Maureen O says

    You made a wise choice to keep these! They look wonderful on the mirror wall and don’t distract from the mirror. I think the wall is better now! Enjoy!

  19. BonnieBee says

    Susan.. what treasures you have in these paintings.. I too am from Macon & every time I return home now to visit, I marvel at the beautiful architecture in my home town…. too bad I didn’t appreciate it growing up.. The Allman Brothers band lived in an old home next to my high school and they would always be sitting on the front porch jamming.. fun times… thanks for sharing the memories..

    • I think they were just renting the house on Vineville. It may have been turned into a museum now because I noticed the Allman Brothers Band Museum in on Vineville Avenue. I remember passing the house on the way to the A & P grocery store, but I remember it looking a bit different. I went to Joseph Clisby for Grades 1-7 and it’s almost across the street from Clisby, just a little ways passed it after you pass Rogers Avenue. You can see it here: https://thebighousemuseum.com/
      What high school did you go to? I went to Miller for one year before we moved to the other side of town. I had to walk allll the way from my home to Miller that year which took about an hour. Once we moved, I was able to ride the bus to school which was a relief. lol

      • BonnieBee says

        I went to St Joseph’s School grades 1-8 (on High St next to Sydney Lanier’s cottage) then on to Mount de Sales High School grades 9-12.. BTW..the Allman Brother’s home before the Vineville home was on Orange Terrace next to Mt de Sales… bet our paths may have crossed “once upon a time” in middle Georgia!!!

        • Oh, yes…definitely. I went to church at First Baptist from ages 8 to 23, so I was right next door. That’s the church where I was married, too. I loved riding, and later driving, over the bumpy, brick-paved roads all in that area. Did you ever participate in the book reading club at the library? Wasn’t it right down the street on the corner? You got a certificate with a fancy gold star if you read at least 25 books during the summer. 🙂

  20. What pretty wallpaper that was, Susan! But I agree. The coolness of the silver in the mirror clashed with the warmth of the yellow paper. Isn’t it AMAZING how much you can change the look of a room with wallpaper vs paint, and with color choices? And yes! I like your pictures hanging there. You did a wonderful job of hanging them evenly.

    I often think of that picture of the beautiful entry way, Susan. I consider it my ‘ideal’ entry. Love the architecture, the Dutch door, fanlight, beautiful arch, wallpaper, the thick painted moldings, well .. everything! 😀

    • You’re so right…that mirror was not working with that wallpaper at all. Paint really is amazing! It does completely transform a room. I bet the next person who lives in this house will paint over the red, but I do love the warmth it brings to the room. The only two things that make a dining room even better for me is if the walls are lined with bookshelves filled with lots of great books and there’s a nice, roaring fireplace with a comfy chair nearby. Then it do double duty as a library or reading space. That would be my dream dining room.
      I love that entry, too! I think I prefer a Dutch door on my back door or a door to a screened porch, but I still think it’s a beautiful entry. I love all that gorgeous molding!

      • I agree about the bookshelves and fireplace! In my opinion, you can never have too many bookshelves or fireplaces, french doors or cozy window seats. 🙂 And I also agree about the Dutch door at the back, as it seems ‘friendlier’ and more appropriate. But never having ever had one, and always having loved them, I would take whatever I could get! 😀

  21. Everything looks beautiful. I LOVE the red walls in your dining room. The room is beautifully balanced and everything that should “pop” does.

  22. It looks fabulous!

  23. Looks great Susan!

  24. Eileen Keatts says

    Beautiful! It’s like adding the PERFECT jewelry to your LBD. I love the way it looks!

  25. The pictures are just right. The finish off that wall beautifully and balance the mirror.

    • Thanks, Julia! You’re right, I hadn’t thought about balance but they do add so much balance to that big mirror. Great point!
      XXX

  26. Selma Kessler says

    Your dining room is so lovely, and those prints really add interest and richness. I happen to love the look of your pieces on the sideboard–they are beautiful, they sparkle, and it is the room of someone welcoming and can host a party at the drop of a hat! 🙂

  27. Sandy K Park says

    Oh Susan, just beautiful. Yes, they should have been hanging up there all this time.

  28. The prints are fabulous and you’ve found d the perfect place to hang them. What a lovely room!

  29. I too, like pictures of architecture, I have Churches, Charleston ‘s Painted Ladies, Bob Timberlake mountain homes or scenes . Anything that shows homes of many years ago. No wonder I love decorating, as I follow you every week. I do enjoy your Southern decorating style!

  30. Julie Huff says

    They look just as you said, ‘like they should have been there all along’. They don’t detract from the mirror at all.

  31. Judy West says

    I think they look great you did well.

  32. Beautiful dining room! Everything is perfect about it.

  33. Brenda Lawrence says

    What a difference with those beautiful pictures hanging Susan! They definitely look like they should have been hanging there all along. What a nice place to grow up too. I would love the opportunity to see Macon, Georgia some day. Hugs, Brenda

  34. They look great, and I love the history of the buildings! So nice to finally have a perfect place for them! ❤️ Happy Monday Susan!

  35. Yes! They are lovely and should be there forever!!!

  36. I love the pictures there, it looks great!!! You have reminded me: the house we grew up in was my Grandmothers. She and my Grandfather buikt it in the early 1900’s and I have the deed!!!! I need to dig that out of my papers and maybe frame it! Thanks for the inspiration!

  37. They are perfect!!! As a true history buff, especially of our State of Georgia, it is great you have a little of Macon’s history reflected in your prints that, yes, . . . should have been there all along. ; ) It was also nice to hear a bit of your history (and mine) taking me back to memories of the A&P and memorizing The Marshes of Glynn . . . great post, Susan! Don’t change a thing.

    • Thanks, Shelia! Did your teacher have you memorize the poem, “If” by Rudyard Kiling for your elementary school graduation ceremony, too? It seemed impossibly long back then, but doesn’t look that long today. 🙂 lol

    • Yes! and I still quote that line
      “If you can keep your head when all about you
      Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,”
      as it is most appropriate for any time period.

  38. Those prints look wonderful on your dining room wall, and even more so because you have a connection to the places depicted. I’m glad you have found a place to enjoy them.

    • Thanks so much, Joy! Those are always the best treasure with which to decorate, aren’t they…the ones that have meaning in your own life? ♥

  39. Sandra D in Joliet says

    I love it!!!! I love old mansions and farm houses. We have many fantastic ones in Joliet, the city of Stone and Steel. Many limestone boulders were quarried here. I went to Joliet Central High School and remember running from the first floor to the fourth-we were fit kids. It had marble staircases where the original junior college was. It looks like a castle. Another wonderful aspect was “The Steelman” statue donated by the artist after it spent time at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and kids would rub his knee before a test. Here is a beautiful photo of the school https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joliet_Central_High_School#/media/File:Joliet_Township_High_School_1.jpg

    • That is a beautiful school! I know what you mean about the staircases. My elementary school had at least three floors and I remember climbing those steps. The funny thing is even though we didn’t have air conditioning in the school, I never remember being really hot. I guess we were just used to it. I remember the teacher opening up the giant windows to let in the air, but never remember being bit by mosquitoes at school.

      • Sandra D in Joliet says

        I don’t remember mosquitoes being so bad but they used to spray our neighborhood. Same with this school. I think the thick limestone walls helped cool the rooms. They have since added to the school and added central air. Spoiled kids today! LOL

  40. Sandra D in Joliet says

    Here is a nice photo of the Steelman https://sites.google.com/site/jtcentralhigh/services You don’t have to publish these comments with the links. I just thought you might enjoy seeing them.

  41. Jill from Southern NH says

    I love it when beautiful, sentimental things finally find a wonderful place where they will bring joy and beauty to a room after many years! It’s like discovering something all over again and being rewarded for your good taste and smart choice all those years ago of items that continue to have enduring beauty and a personal connection for you. Your lovely set of local historic art looks timeless, charming and beautiful, Susan… and I’m sure you we were there with your laser level and ruler thoughtfully plotting the distances between each frame and getting them perfectly aligned before hanging them to look so perfect and uniform in your dining room!

    • Thanks, Jill! Well, that’s not exactly how I hung them. It was more of an “eyeballing it” it method. lol I always use straight pins at first since they only leave teeny tiny holes if you have to adjust. 🙂

  42. Mary Anne says

    I think they look perfect! And I’m certain they are so happy to finally be seen and admired after all those years! Just beautiful. Perfect spot!

    • Thanks so much, Mary Anne! I feel kinda bad that they weren’t packed all these years. Glad they are out seeing the light of day once again.

  43. Ok, I love this room! The additions really complement the mirror and lighting.

  44. Catalynn says

    It’s perfect Susan and I especially like the way you’ve hung the paintings, they look like they were made for that space.

  45. Tina Reynolds says

    We recently finished (at long last) a complete color change in our dining room. I can’t tell you how much better it looks! But,I also need some time to forget how scary and labor intensive it was to be up on scaffolding changing the crown molding back to white from a rather dark and odd color that the previous owner had chosen! Your dining room is lovely, and the watercolors look perfect! How wonderful to see them now, after many years, with new eyes. And, how truly great it will be for you to enjoy them every day. They really do belong right where they are. Kudos to you for doing such an expert job of arranging them, too!

    • Thanks so much, Tina! I would be afraid of being up on scaffolding so I can just imagine how scary that was. I know you must love it now that it’s finished! The molding in this house was a dark gold/mustard color when I moved here and it def had to be painted over. I guess that was a trend at some point.

  46. Bravo, Susan! I love the new paintings you have added, but am especially taken with the way you have displayed them! I wouldn’t have thought of that arrangement, but it works soooo well! Your dining room is warm, welcoming and ready for guests. You really hit the “decorating ball” right out of the park.
    Thanks for sharing.

    • Thanks so much, Rosie! Appreciate those sweet words so much! I wasn’t sure at first how I’d arrange them but that arrangement came to me right away once I got started, so I decided to go with it. 🙂

  47. I was reading along sure up until the point where you shared the first photo with the new/old art that you had covered up that stunning red with more wallpaper. It looks gorgeous and how fortunate that your collection of paintings has two vertical and four horizontal ones. I really like how each trio is arranged. Very nice.

    • lol No, I’m done with wallpaper in dining rooms. Thanks so much, Lorri! I know, amazing that it worked out that way. I wasn’t sure how I’d arrange them until I got started. I played with them on the floor, seeing what worked and that was pretty much the first arrangement I came up with…so glad it worked out okay for that space.

  48. Your paintings are the perfect touch to your beautiful dining room. Thanks for sharing the details and history behind the art and homes.

  49. Margaret Diehl says

    Your dining room looks absolutely fabulous. I love the historic homes watercolors. They look perfect there. You need a dinner party to celebrate them.

  50. Wow Susan you nailed it! They are perfect and height and layout. I love that their is known history to each picture. They really add a nice balance. How fun that you grew up in such a historical town!

    • Thanks so much, Liz! I felt so nostalgic and little misty-eyed hanging those…brought back sooo many memories from growing up there.

  51. LOVE the new look……looks like they should have always been there. In fact, love the entire dining room. I believe we each should enjoy and display pieces that make our hearts sing when we look at them, and I agree with your keeping the pieces on top of the buffet where you can see them every time you walk into the room.

  52. Yes, they should have been there all along.
    Beautiful!

  53. Linda Page Gurganus says

    Oh Susan, the pictures are perfectly placed on each side of the mirror. Why did it take you 30 years! They are perfect! Not sure how but the dining room even more stunning now! Good job.

    • lol Good question! I think by the time I painted that room, I had forgotten about the pictures. They never would have worked well on the wallpaper.
      Thanks, Linda!

  54. Thanks so much for hosting each week!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

  55. I’ve always loved that color and the mirror, but artwork you love only enhances a room. Glad you hung them after so many years of languishing in storage.

  56. Your dining room is simply stunning! I loved the wallpaper but the red is wonderful with your mirror and chandy. I think the pictures look great too.

    Thanks for hosting!

    • Thanks, Amber! I do still love wallpaper. It can look so elegant or cozy, depending on the paper you choose. Love what it can do for a room, just wish wasn’t so hard to remove when you’re ready for change.
      XXX

  57. Cyndi Raines says

    Yes, they look great and should have been there all along. I think it is awesome that they are of beautiful buildings from your home town. They are timeless and something that can be handed down as a special family heirloom. Well done, Susan.

  58. cleo headley says

    Excellent choice for the dining room. Perfect compliment to the red walls. Interesting to look at and not loud or competing, I think they are timeless and meaningful……..good job !!!

    • Thanks, Cleo! I’m so glad they aren’t in really bright colors or bright matting. They kind of calm the red walls down a bit and as you said, they don’t compete. Amazing that they worked out in this space after all these years.
      XXX

  59. This is a fabulous display of wonderful pieces Susan. I’m so proud of you for stepping out of the cautious zone we’re all prone to fall into and going with your excellent instincts. I understand. I did a complicated glaze on the walls of a large room and could not bear putting holes in the walls for ages. The day I stepped forward and hung the artwork the room took on another life. It seems to be a process we have to work through in our minds. Your
    dining room is elegant and most inviting. I’m so grateful you have shared.

    • Thanks, Rebecca! You know, I think we forget how paintings/art can completely change the look and feel of a room. I wish I had thought to hang these here much sooner. I totally get your feelings about being reluctant to put holes in your pretty walls! It’s scary because you don’t want the holes to end up in the wrong place and be visible when you’re done. Good for you for going for it in your room, too! Sending you a high-five right now through cyberspace!
      XXX

  60. I removed wallpaper from my “parlor” that had been on the wall since 1983! Loved it so much, but it was time. I see the raspberry in the wall color in your one photo. I like the watercolors and how you placed them on the wall. Looks like they have been there all along and don’t detract from the beautiful mirror. Love that mirror and chandelier!

    • Thanks so much, Kathleen! I may still have a roll of that paper around here some place. lol It was so pretty, I think I saved the left over bits.
      So glad you don’t think they detract, so good to get other opinions!]
      XXX

  61. I live in a circa 1895 Victorian cottage and it has plaster walls. Previous owners removed the picture rail, for that mid-century modern décor. I so want to replace my picture rails so I can display my artwork! Nails in plaster is such a pain to do!

    I have many unframed prints, and have been slowly getting them framed, but it stinks that I have no place to display them! 🙁 You’ve done a fantastic job!

    • Oh, I love a picture rail! I wonder why they did that…had it removed? Arggg. Can you have one reinstalled? I hope you are able to have it reinstalled so you can hang your prints! I love seeing paintings hanging from a picture rail, such a romantic look!

  62. I love the pictures – GREAT JOB! You are amazing!

  63. So, so beautiful!! The pictures look wonderful and you have a great eye — e.g. the watercolor of Cannonball House is facing in from the outside. You really balanced them perfectly.
    I think it makes the wall look larger, too, for some reason, and your mirror looks more “anchored” with the watercolors around it. Just the right look/weight. The softness of the watercolors really complement the mirror.
    Funny thing — we’re purging here, too, and just this afternoon I was up in the attic going through old framed paintings. It’s so hard to let go of the ones you love, isn’t it?
    Beautiful job, as always!!!
    P.S. I could never pick a favorite room in your house because I love them all, but the dining room is right up there!

  64. Thank you so much for hosting! This week I am excited to share my DIY vintage varsity pillow project and a she shed indoor plan! Hope you have a wonderful week!

  65. Your dining room is stunning!!! The color just makes the room! Although I thought it was beautiful before you added the prints, they certainly did not detract from the gorgeous mirror! This room now looks elegant, timeless and I think you are going to LOVE entertaining in this room! Great job!

  66. Kimberly says

    Love…the walls…the prints…the stories…thank you…

  67. MaryEllen says

    A “new” dining room! How easy it was to change the look with something you have held on to for many years. Beautiful addition. Have always loved your mirror.

  68. Bobbi Duncan says

    I didn’t think anything could improve on the perfection of your dining room. I was wrong. The lovely prints, and the way you positioned them, make the room look warmer and even larger. So glad you will be able to enjoy memories of your old hometown every time you enter your lovely room. I have Williamsburg artwork that makes me feel happy recalling memories of all the times I walked by those buildings doing my little errands or strolling through CW with my honey. They also coordinate very well with our Dept. 56 CW Christmas village. Hugs!

    • Thanks so much, Bobbi! Oh, I know those must be wonderful pieces, I loved visiting Colonial Williamsburg! I’ve always wanted to visit around Christmastime, I need to do that! I can see how they would look beautiful with your Dept. 56 Village!

  69. Considering the precious nature of the watercolors May I humbly suggest that you take them to a high end art framing store for examination. Acid free mounting can preserve for 100 years. Wood frames give off gases that can harm the paper or cloth a painting is on. An expert museum quality framer can advise you on all these points and more. Then they will be safely preserved heirlooms for your sons and grands as well. Framing materials, techniques and science have evolved gtratly over time. Even tapes and glues are different. Boggles the mind but preserving something of such value is a sound investment.

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