A Dining Room Transformation Honoring My Cancer Warrior
This dining room DIY is dedicated to my mom, who fought cancer like a champ and made time around the dinner table magical. It’s not easy to think about what cancer didn’t take from me, because often it feels like it took it all. My mom fought cancer my entire life and died when I…
This dining room DIY is dedicated to my mom, who fought cancer like a champ and made time around the dinner table magical. It’s not easy to think about what cancer didn’t take from me, because often it feels like it took it all.
My mom fought cancer my entire life and died when I was 14. My world shattered and I felt so much pressure to hold in the deep pain I felt. I’ll never forget my dad’s stress to make ends meet, raise three children while balancing the weight of this loss.
Healing Through DIY
When the 2020 Fall One Room Challenge came around, I knew I wanted to tackle our dining room and dedicate this transformation to what my mom did best – love deeply and share delicious food with the people she loved most.
This transformation was more than just a challenge, it was a celebration of surviving grief on a daily basis.
It’s been 12 years and not a day goes by that I don’t wonder what things would be like with her here. I wonder if we would be best friends, if we would vote the same way, or if she’d show up to my house unannounced.
The Famous Table
I had been shopping for the perfect table for two years and nothing seemed right. After combining pictures of everything I liked, IT HIT ME. The table I’d been envisioning was identical to the dining table I had in my childhood.
Before passing away, my mom gifted her marble and wood table to a close friend. There was no way her friend still had it 15 years later but I figured I would ask. When I reached out, their response was, “We’ve been waiting for this. We always hoped we could pass this on to you.” So of course, I had a good cry. My husband, father-in-law, and dad teamed up to get the table loaded onto a rental car and it was on its way to me, 3,000 miles away.
Adding Dimension with An Accent Wall
The original dining room wall had a piece of chair rail trim separating two paint colors. To give the room some dimension and the elusion of height I installed a board and batten treatment.
I love a two-tone design but for this space, I wanted something more neutral. I used Behr’s Abbey Stone paint to give this room a neutral and calming feel.
These IKEA candle stick holders are some of my favorite pieces of decor because they make any dinner feel fancy.
A Touch of Functionality
If you have limited counter space, as we do, consider hanging your fruits or veggies in Mesh Eco Bags. I bring mine to the grocery store to avoid the use of plastic bags.
Open Shelving
We have an eat-in dining room which means our dining table and kitchen are essentially one space. I wanted my eye to travel from the kitchen to the dining room easily so it made sense to remove one set of upper cabinets.
Removing the cabinets, let in more light from the kitchen window – and boy isn’t natural light just beautiful when you’re a content creator?
People have asked if these are really all our dishes. These are all the dishes we regularly eat off (not serving). There are only two of us y’all but I challenge you to reduce your dish collection – less clutter!
