A Coastal Cottage Dining Room-- Updated!

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

 





This is my current dining room above. The chandelier is from Wayfair, the table was made by my husband, and the chairs are two different styles, both from Serena & Lily. The new floor covers an old linoleum that was here when we moved in that only be described as “giraffey.” The picture below is how it looked the day we moved in, old fashioned chandy and all.

2014, move in day
 
We’ve lived in this house for almost 12 years and this is the third dining table we’ve had, the second and third set of chairs, and the fourth light fixture for this space. The walls were wallpapered to begin with and we spent weeks steaming it all off and then repairing plaster. After all that we promptly painted the walls orange and then we left the cottage-y wood valances above the windows (I'm not kidding when I tell you my husband begged me to keep them). 
 
2015

 
The photo below is probably two mini renovations in, we now had gray walls and a more farmhouse style light fixture (that was too small for the room I might add) and some impossibly heavy restoration hardware bistro chairs. The original linoleum floors were still in full force, the art was tiny, and yes, I had an “Eat” sign in my kitchen (sorry, not sorry. I do eat in my kitchen). Let this be proof that many average folks like myself have several stages of renovation in a room before calling it good!
 
Gray walls, 2017
 
2020, new floor and table!


The real MVP of the current iteration, is the black accents. I've heard many designers claim that every room needs a touch of black, and I would have to agree. In this case I went big with a much larger chandelier, and all black Windsor style farmhouse chairs with bamboo and wicker accent chairs.

2014
 
 
2023


2026
 
 
Besides adding a touch of black I think two of the major transformers in the space are the plants (hello, who doesn't love plants?) and the larger more modern chandelier. I mean getting rid of the old-west style light and the ducky border wallpaper probably also helped.
 
I would be remiss if I didn't mention these Helo Birdie art prints also, as they really made the room come alive. When going for that coastal boho feeling you really have to go all in and introduce some color. This isn't just a farmhouse y'all, it’s also a plant loving technicolor beach cottage, ok?
 
In 2024 we added the pine tongue and groove ceiling which added alot of warmth to the space. I changed out some plants, had cafe curtains custom made, bought two different chairs from Serena & Lily for the ends of the table and changed the wall mirror to a piece from Anthropologie and that brings us to 2026. In mid afternoon the space gives off a very cozy warmth that I love. How have your spaces changed and evolved over time?

 

 



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