How To Reclaim Unused Spaces
We’re helping my good friend Ryan reclaim his dining room with some help from HomeDepot.com/decor. I say this with love, but he is a bit of a hoarder and like many people (myself included), so he can have a tough time parting ways with objects. By transforming his cluttered space into a colorful place to entertain, we were able to reframe his idea of how to honor his belongings.
Ryan’s dining room is a pretty small area — just about 8’ x 9’ — and it has become a place that just collects things (i.e. his snacks!). Because he was never really in love with the space to begin with, it wasn’t being used other than as a makeshift storage space. I think it’s really common to be intimidated when you have a lot of stuff and a small space when it comes to how to make it both functional and beautiful. But with a little help from homedepot.com/decor, I knew it could be done and was psyched to complete the transformation!
First we had to figure out the layout and what kind of furniture will work best in this small space. And the whole point of switching up this part of Ryan’s home was to make it more usable for entertaining. We looked to The Home Depot’s private labels, Stylewell and Home Decorators Collection, and immediately were drawn to this round antique-style mango wood dining table.The intricate wood carvings on the pedestal base give it so much character and makes it feel like a family heirloom. And round tables are best for small spaces. Now there’s room to walk around the space so it doesn’t feel cramped. As for the seating, we picked out these cream colored, cozy chairs which have clean lines and will also be comfy throughout those long dinners, game nights, or mah jong!
Next, we decided to paint the walls. We took inspiration from Hawaii (where Ryan is from) and picked this beautiful coral color (Behr terra cotta clay) that reminded him of a shave ice flavor. Then, we had to tackle the flooring, which Ryan admittedly hated. An area rug not only helped to disguise the tiles, but it makes the room feel so much cozier. I picked out this rusty coral Persian rug for a monochromatic look.
And no room would have the Dab touch without some art on the walls! I was pretty excited by all the different options you can find on The Home Depot so I was able to mix things up. To make the wall decor even more eclectic, we also picked out not one, but two two round mirrors to echo the shape of the dining table. Love this sunburst mirror.
Because I want Ryan to have no excuses not to use this space for future dinner parties (hello, he needs to show it off!) we picked all new dinnerware set with a seabreeze blue color and glassware from their Home Decorators Collection. Yes, they have tableware, too! Details like this are really important in spaces that have been neglected. Now he has no reason not to dine in style!
Looking at the total transformation, it’s hard to imagine this ever being a room that had been ignored for so long — but I can also understand the struggle. It can be intimidating when you don’t know where to start, feel limited by the size, or have so many elements you wish you could change. But knowing that you can find all the elements to make it look and function better from homedepot.com/decor, it makes it feel so much more accessible.
