French Style Furniture and Chandelier Updates
French style furniture and chandelier updates were what my weekend was about over here. You might think I’m a bit nuts with the changes I’ve been making but I tend to work at things until I’m fully satisfied that it looks great! Do you notice some changes? I’ll share a photo below of what it looked like before and the changes are quite dramatic.
I have a LOT of chairs, in fact far too many and I need to scale back. Some are vintage and those tend to be my favorites. Some are new because I’ve worked with companies in the past like Kirklands, Birch Lane, Hayneedle and more that were quite generous. The chairs above are a French style reproduction and I’ve had them for a few years now.
Above is how they looked before and you can find them at my link here… Cost Plus World Market . While I love them like this…I’m going for a cleaner and whiter look and decided to paint them. I don’t use chalky paint and have a secret method to share with you for painting furniture that is fast and inexpensive! I’ll be doing a tutorial in the next couple of days for you who love to DIY, as I do.
I still have and use the x-back chairs below, but decided to switch things out and store those in the garage for now. Do you notice anything different besides the french style furniture?
For the 3rd time this month I changed out the dining area chandelier and thank you to my husband for putting up with me! I have to be honest that although I love the modern coastal vibe of the tole chandelier above, I was missing the crystals of the previous look. See that (and more chairs!) in THIS POST. So musical chandeliers was played and I’m going to totally confuse you now.
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The vintage tole chandelier was moved into the master bedroom that is getting some updates. The previous antique crystal chandelier was moved into the living room. This chandelier WAS in the living room and I thought it would look better with the NEW MIRROR and the old French sconces that surround it. Totally confusing, I know…lol, and my husband just rolls with it and rolls his eyes.
Changes keep it interesting and I’m still going for a light coastal French inspired feel. I see lots of trends out there and one design mantra that I will ALWAYS follow is YOU BE YOU! I think that this is made so much easier by having VINTAGE pieces that you love, mixed with new and a few things on trend…but not what everyone else is doing. Are you with me on that? And…change is a good thing and makes your decor look fresh!
Watch for my furniture painting tutorial on the french style furniture coming your way soon and happy decorating!
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PIN THE POST BELOW FOR YOUR INSPIRATION LATER!
Love it! The plant looks great! Husbands are can be tough when it comes to moving but your hubby seems cool inspite of the eye rolls.
Haha…they need to just let us decide on what looks best Maria!
It all looks fabulous, Janet! Looking forward to the tutorial. We are lucky we have husbands that put up with us!!
We are lucky…sometimes mine just ignores the changes and he’s a good sport.
Very lovely I love all that you do waiting for painting.
Thanks Martha! The painting tutorial is coming tomorrow!
Looks fabulous Janet. Oh how I love that mirror. Gorgeous in the room. I get the eye roll too with my decor crazy and changes too but your hubby sounds great like mine and will do our changes for us. Happy New Week.
Hugs,
Kris
Thank you so much Kris! Luckily our husbands put up with us after all of the years, but then again we put up with them! Have a wonderful week…
xo
I just love your new French look! Gorgeous!
I’m so happy that you do Betsy!
You are lucky! My husband gives me 1 shot with a chandelier! Looks nice!
LOL Laurie! It’s really simple to wire a chandelier to the ceiling box, but other tasks he would give me only one shot as well!
I followed all the charges. They look great and I learned the lesson to decorate with what speaks to me with look.
I’m happier and changes and additions I have made make me happy.
Looking forward to your tutorial. Have a feeling what you did. I have been painting furniture for 20 years.
Enjoy your day
Cindy
Cindy…it’s one of the joys of home to me. I love making changes and keeping things fresh! My tutorial is coming tomorrow, so I hope you check it out.
Have a wonderful week!
I love your chandeliers! I wanted to replace the ceiling fan over my dining table with a chandelier but when I started shopping for one I realized that my 8 foot ceilings and the size of the room were going to be a problem. A friend suggested I try Restore and to my delight they had several pretty and affordable options. I was thinking crystals etc but I choose one with a simple-but large–bowl that has a more rustic french look. The metal finish is mottled gray which ties it into the gray-painted wrought iron inset on my chairs.. Thanks for the inspiration!
That sounds like a great choice Nancy! Thankfully our home has higher ceilings so it’s easier to play around. Have a wonderful week and stop by tomorrow for my painting tutorial!
Hi Janet! Love the changes!! I definitely concur that you do you!! I’ve tried to style by someone else’s rules and realized that it looks best in their home not mine! I have to do what makes me happy! I can’t wait for your tutorial! I’ve been wanting to paint my dining room chairs forever! Love the mirror too! Hubbies are funny that way, but they usually come round! Ha! Ha! Thanks for sharing!
Exactly…as someone trained in art and not interior design I tend to look at the picture of a room. There really are no rules, use what you love! Tomorrow I have the painting tutorial coming, so please stop by.
I LOVE what you did to the chairs….!!!! Your chandeliers always grab my heart. Curious….did you purchase them in Florida, or did you have them shipped from abroad? The French/Italian crystal vintage ones are becoming harder and harder to come by in the northeast…at least for a reasonable price!
Thanks Susan…much appreciated! I have found some in the U.S. and some in Europe but have been a long time collector. I agree that the good stuff is getting harder to find!
Janet,
Painting the chairs white did make a dramatic difference in the room. But, the best change was using the chandelier with crystals to go with the sconces with crystals. I liked the way the first chandelier looked, but the crystal chandelier looks even better.
Judith
Judith, I think so too and to me it’s just more cohesive now. I appreciate your thoughts!
Isn’t that funny? I didn’t notice the chandelier swaps until you pointed it out, Janet, but yes the change is big once I saw it!!! Love all the hanging crystal drops and balls ~ so ethereal! Happily sharing and pinning to my Ethereal Lighting board for you and our readers. <3
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
p.s. Love the dining chairs’ new look. Pretty and soft with their slightly grey look. <3
Your dining room looks beautiful Janet, I love your beautiful mirror and chandelier. I’m looking forward to your painting tutorial, your chairs look great!!!
Sabrina
europeancountrycottage
Hi Sabrina…what a pleasure to see you pop over to the blog and thank you!
I am the exact same way! Always changing things around…keep things interesting 😉 Love the new look!
It’s fun to switch things out…almost like having a new home, LOL!
Love your ever changing chandelier hobby! Beautiful! I have been wondering! Are the X back chairs comfortable? Also, love the chalk affects!
LOL…I’m obsessed with lighting for sure and about to make even more changes! I find the x-back chairs comfy and we also have them at our beach home with chair pads for long dinners and chatting!
Your dining room is beyond beautiful! I have been looking for an urn like the one you have on the dining room table. Can you tell me where you found the one you have on the table.
Katie…so kind of you! I got that piece many years ago at a garden center and I know that they aren’t the easiest to find. Will look for some sources soon