The people of Instagram stories have spoken! The dining room is the first room you all want to see in our new haus (house)! So, the dining room it is. If you aren’t already following along with our adventures on Instagram, go here!
This is what the room looked like when we first toured the home! Our daughter calls it the “Beauty and the Beast” dining room for obvious reasons. We absolutely loved the potential it had and I immediately saw how we could make it our own.

Initially I thought that the, let’s call it “pillow top”, treatment above the chair rail was wallpaper, but boy was I wrong! It’s a plaster treatment combined with a custom paint job. I have a feeling it’s going to be a heck of a time trying to get the plaster off without damaging the walls, but that’s another story for another post.
So, what is the plan? Here is the quick hit on my vision for the dining room.
We’ll give it more picture frame molding above the chair rail mimicking what’s below it; keep the floors (obviously!); get a new area rug; paint; and update the light electrical outlets. Although it will crush her Disney princess dreams, we will be saying goodbye to the Beauty and the Beast chandelier to opt for something a little more transitional.
I’m also reintroducing our custom built dining room table and the forever-favorite sideboard from our old house. You know, that one I garbage picked and brought back to life. Waka Waka!

Together, our dining room will look something like the below. Now the only thing left to decide is if I should go with a neutral paint like shown in the mockup I made below, OR make a bold statement with a deep hue.
Help me decide below in the comments!

We just redid our kitchen and we were trying to pick a color for the walls but due to having dark cabinets (like your table seems to be) we decided to go with a shade of white on the walls. It’s so nice and bright. Plus we added recessed lighting. We did put in a dimmer on the dining table light so we can still have some ambience. We try to add pops of color with the items In the room. We can change those to go with the seasons and have a change without repainting. However, if your sideboard is white will that go with light colored walls – maybe if they aren’t as stark white as the sideboard ? You’re the expert though. Haha
I NEVER leave advice or opinions, as I am tragically unqualified, but I greatly appreciate your plan and think your room will be much better without Lumiere.
I’m currently in week 6.5/8 in redoing our DR as well. I ditched the china cabinet for an EBTH score (and after having that cabinet for, ahem, 30 years that was no easy feat).
Love your light, your table, and your molding plan (and therefore, your ability to do math, which I don’t)… Whether light or dark walls, it will look lovely with your sideboard. And if you don’t love color #1…it’s just paint.