Hello from Atlanta! Our beautiful weather comes and goes this week, but overall the temps are cooling off slightly, the sun peeks out here and there with a slight breeze as well. It is feeling like Fall! And this morning I enjoyed looking out from one of my favorite spots, my window seat! This post is sharing pictures from our DIY renovation converting our dining room to a keeping room – full reveal!
I knew very quickly after we bought this house that a window seat needed to be built in this room where an existing bay window was. The room was too small for us to use as our dining room because our table wouldn’t fit. I wasn’t sure how we would use the room, but I could see myself enjoying a cup of hot coffee on cool mornings looking into our back yard.
It’s been years since I first had that thought, so I appreciate it that much more that I do have my window seat and I do get to enjoy those cups of coffee =)
If you haven’t read the post describing the major work that went into this room, you can get all the details here: So, what the heck is a Keeping Room?
And in case you are a new reader, TJ and I do all the renovation work ourselves. We’ve renovated the entire main floor while we both had full time careers, children and grand children. I tell you this only to give you encouragement that you can take on those big projects no matter how busy you are!
Okay, I digress. So, as mentioned above, first go back and read details in the prior post which gets you to the right place to read this one. This post isn’t going to have the renovation details and I’ll cover the decor, fabrics, and paint colors in the next post. This post focuses on pictures!
WHERE WE STARTED – Former Dining Room
First, where we started. Originally this room was the dining room. Look at that cabinet door in the lower corner … I guess it was to store table linens and dishes? I’ve never seen one like that – pretty drab especially for a formal dining room. Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen something like this before. Anyway, that wall is gone. As is the kitchen on the other side of the wall for that matter … you can start reading about the kitchen renovation here: A big kitchen renovation, that includes a move.
The next picture is from the other side of that same wall, which is the former kitchen. Yes, its a mess, but we were in the throes of major renovation of the whole main floor and that’s just what renovation looks like.
At least for us =).
I want to point out THAT CLOCK. It is the only piece of furniture on the entire floor that kept its home so its a good reference point on the floor plan when checking out the before and afters.
Below is a picture looking into what becomes the keeping room if you were standing in the family room. To give you perspective, the kitchen wall is on the left and that clock would be placed on the right just past the door opening. That opening between the two rooms is now almost twice as large which really opened up the space.
Side note – we’ve totally transformed this living room also, completely rebuilding that fireplace and adding beautiful built-ins. You can find details about that renovation by visiting this page: DIY Renovation of a Living Room. You won’t recognize that room either.
WHERE WE ARE NOW – Keeping Room!
So, what does it look like now? Ta Da!!
I can’t help but say, doesn’t our sweet Dane, Gracie, just look so beautiful too?!
Amazing, yes?!
The last picture is taken from where you would have been standing in the old kitchen. We removed the wall separating the old kitchen and dining room. And, remember the clock I pointed out earlier in the post – yep, it’s still in the same place!
We moved the old kitchen into the former den, and we moved the dining room to where the old kitchen was. We had several reasons, and you can find out about why we changed the floor plan and the dining room renovation by following these links:
DIY Renovation of a Dining Room
A big DIY kitchen renovation, that includes a move
The Window Seat
It’s hard to say I have a favorite spot in the room but the window seat is super special. As I mentioned, I’d been thinking about one since we first saw the house, I just knew it would look amazing in the space and would really change how we used the room.
TJ trimmed the space around the seat to make it a focal point from any place in the room and really give it depth but in a classic and timeless way. You’ll see in the pictures, the trim he did is incredible. He builds the beauty and I sand, finish and paint! For the wood windows, which are original to the house, I sanded, stained and clear-coated them. Everyone that comes into our house comments on how beautiful the windows are. TJ did such a good job on highlighting them with the window seat and surrounding trim – it just draws your attention in.
I feel no shame admitting that one of the reasons I enjoy the window seat so much is because I can see the rest of the main floor. Meaning, the rest of the renovation work we’ve done.
I don’t know about ya’ll, but enjoying where I’ve been and what I’ve done helps me stay motivated to keep moving forward.
We included storage underneath the seat which comes in handy to store seasonal pillows and quilts. TJ also ran a multi-port outlet so we could charge our devices while enjoying the window seat.
Keeping Room Conversation Group
So, the window seat is my favorite spot of the room when its just me.
But when we have guests it’s the small conversation group that shines. It’s beautiful, comfy, and just intimate enough.
When I have a few girlfriends over, this is where we sit, chat, maybe have a glass of wine. Or, if we’re working on a project, the table give us just enough space to spread out our “stuff” while having an easy conversation across the table.
If we’re entertaining, this is where guests enjoy a conversation but still feel part of the larger group lingering in the kitchen area as guests tend to do.
After all the hard work, this room is enjoyed, and that’s all a girl could ask for.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the final reveal of our DIY renovation converting the dining room to our keeping room.
As much as I enjoyed sharing it =) And, in that spirit, here’s a final look at the before and after:
Be sure and check out my next blog post where I provide paint colors and decor sources.
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