We have one dining space that sits in the exact center of our home.  It has to function as both a casual and formal space, depending on the occasion.  It has a great view of the rear yard through the French doors, but it was definitely in need of some freshening up. 

I was inspired by this photo of a “casual” dining space featured in this post, where the homeowners chose to formalize their breakfast nook adjacent to their kitchen.  How lovely is this?

And of course we all love the mixture of white and dark in this dining space from the movie “Something’s Gotta Give”. 

Yesterday, I learned (sadly) that our local Villeroy and Boch outlet store is closing.  Sigh.  But I was able to score a great deal on a beautiful cream table runner and an incredible bowl for the dining room table.  

I also stopped by the local Goodwill store, and would you ever believe that this vase and these two hurricanes came from a thrift store? I am not joking here.  They were each $5.  I think the only reason no one had bought these hurricanes was because they were on opposite ends of the store.  I did the happy dance as they were “reunited, and it feels so good…”.  [Is that bad 80’s song stuck in your head now?] 

I also freshened up the dining room hutch with a medley of some of my favorite white and green objects. 

I absolutely love this buffet and hutch that I purchased five years ago from Crate and Barrel.  It was made in Italy and has a European feel.  It is just about my favorite piece of furniture in my home.  The piece has formal elements, like dark woodwork, glass doors and antique keyholes.  Yet it also has a casual appeal, with its painted interior.  I invested in it because I knew I would love it for years. 

Here is the dining space all freshened up:

And my lovely little tablescape:

Those flowers came from my rose tree and some hydrangea buds in my front yard.  I highly recommend this ‘Iceberg’ floribunda rose for gorgeous white blooms year after year.  Plant it in a large pot if you’re renting your space. 

But after all of this fresh white, I think I prefer my daughter’s designer touch.  She will grow up to be a great decorator because she certainly knows how to make a space feel like her own:

Nothing ever stays perfect in a home filled with children.  But I like it that way.

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