Eco Decorating: Dining Room Tour

I love my parent’s house.  Nostalgia, memories, yadda yadda… but what is really cool about it (and actually relevant to you) is that it is beautifully decorated using environmental and safe materials!  Any of you who have tried to do this know just how hard it can be. It’s tough not to compromise your style or budget while staying in these constraints!

A few years back, my mother devoted a lot of time and thought to a renovating and redecorating following green principles, and it turned out stunning.  Some months ago I shared a tour of her pretty green living room, which you should totally check out if you like upholstery that doesn’t kill you and window treatments that don’t kill you.  Today, I’m thrilled to share a look at the dining room, which is packed with great tips!

I love this space.  The whole room is essentially a huge bay window flooded with light.  But it wasn’t always this way!

Believe it or not, this room used to stop partway through where the table sits now.  You can sort of see where it was by the line where the flooring pattern changes.  It wasn’t tiny, but it certainly was a tight fit when guests were over (which, let’s be honest, is pretty much the only time you use a dining room).  Building it out with a bay window not only provided extra space, but takes advantage of the great view, looking out over a field and then into a forest.

The original oak flooring is reclaimed from old shipping pallets (20 years ago… BEFORE reclaiming shipping pallets was cool).  The floor for the renovation was matched with reclaimed wood by a local company, Long Leaf Lumber.  It was all refinished using Vermont Natural Coatings, which replaces toxic ingredients found in traditional finishes with whey protein, a byproduct of cheese making.  How cool is that?  Because the two types of flooring was refinished together, the match is pretty much perfect.

The wainscoting is also reclaimed, and is from a 1880’s carriage house that was in Palmer, MA.  Painted bright white, the details and character still comes through, while feeling fresh and clean.

There are some great pieces in this space.  I love the china cabinet, which has been in my parent’s home for as long as I can remember.  It is home to family heirlooms and even a few of my early craft projects which won’t be shown on the blog thankyouverymuch.

My mom is a huge fan of oak, and this buffet shows off the grain and variation of the wood perfectly.  These days it stores the company quality plates, napkins, and silverware, but growing up it was crammed with old photo books so that is always what I expect to find in there!

She is great at finding deals on little pieces at thrift stores – especially side tables – so it is a good thing that she has a ton of plants to put on them!

And, like every room in the house, there just has to be a perch designated for the dogs to spy on the activities of the various woodland creatures who frequent the yard.  In this case, it is a little stool found at a local consignment store.  I like how the variety of “leg types” between the tables and stool prevent this area this area from looking too repetitive and leggy.

(And don’t worry about the woodland creatures.  They never actually get caught.)

She also found a great use for an old sewing cabinet: storing dog food and treats!   I always see these and want to get them because they look so cool, but it’s hard to figure out  what do to with them.  This is the perfect use for all those little compartments and drawers.

There are still so many cool details in this space to share!

So as not to mess up the look of the bay windows and wainscoting with ugly radiators, she found adorable little efficient heaters that matched the look.  They blend right in and sit tightly to the wall so they don’t take up much space!

Another cool trick she pulled was to paint the ceiling by the bay a warmer white than in the rest of the space.  When it’s dark out, lighting near the ceiling helps the room still feel warm and sunny.  In person the effect is subtle, but it definitely changes the mood.

And I didn’t even get to tell you about:

• The dining room chandelier, which was made in Vermont with recycled steel and advanced low pollution production by Hubbarton Forge, and is fitted with LED bulbs, of course. 
• The window treatments, sustainably and fairly produced and made by Earthshade.
• The leaded glass windows, found by scouring places like Noreast Architectural Salvage and Old House Parts.
• The wood for the new construction, which was Forest Stewardship Council certified, and bought from Anderson & McQuaid Co., a local company.

Thanks for checking out this environmentally friendly space!  I hope some of the tips will be helpful in making your own decorating efforts greener and safer for you and your family.  Do you have any tips to share?

(Sharing at Tip Me Tuesday, DIY Like a Boss,  Link Party Palooza, and Two Uses Tuesday)