Sharing the “before” and “after” transformation of our small breakfast nook!
The cute little breakfast nook full of windows was one of the features we loved most when touring the house we eventually bought in NC (details on our home purchase are in {this post} if you missed it!). It’s also one of the first spaces I tackled in making over our new house so I thought I’d share the “before” and “after” with you! Ready to see?! (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})
Let’s kick things off with the “before” of what our small breakfast nook looked like when we first moved in:
We absolutely love the floor to ceiling windows but the dated wallpaper and light fixture had to go!
Here’s our newly made-over small breakfast nook today:
Removing the wallpaper made such a huge difference! I’m taken down a LOT of dated wallpaper over the years and share my tips on how to remove wallpaper {here}. Once the wallpaper was down I painted the walls Benjamin Moore Simply White to lighten up the space. I share more details on this great paint color and what I consider to be the other {best white paint colors {here}. At some point I may add new wallpaper or paint the walls of our breakfast nook something other than white to add a bit more color to the space but until I redo the rest of the kitchen and the adjoining room it opens into, I’m sticking with simple!
Breakfast Nook Lighting
I decided on {this woven pendant} in the large size for above the table – if you’ve seen the large-and-in-charge fixture I hung above our tub in our master bathroom remodel, you’d know that I’m a big fan of oversized lighting! When it was delivered it looked bigger than I expected and I was a little worried that it might overwhelm the space but it ended up working beautifully. I love the texture it adds:
Breakfast Nook Table
I wanted a simple but stylish round white table that would seat four comfortably and six in a pinch – {this 48″ dining table} checked all of the boxes:
I’ve been keeping {this cute tasseled tablecloth} on it most of the time to keep it in good shape with the daily use and abuse it takes – I’ve been impressed by how well it washes up!:
For chairs, I already had two of {these bistro chairs} that we were using at the desk between the bookcases in our family room – I stole them from that spot and bought two more to make a set of four around the table:
Breakfast Nook Rug
And last but not least I found {this great braided rug} for under the table. As far as rug sizing goes, a good rule of thumb for round tables is to get a rug that’s 3-4 feet greater in diameter than your table. This is a 7′ rug (3′ wider than my 4′ table) which was a harder than expected size to find:
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Do you want to see a little bit of what’s on our breakfast nook table too? It definitely doesn’t look anywhere near this fancy on a daily basis but I had it set for a little tea party I did with my girls for an Instagram collaboration using Martha Stewart’s English Garden collection. We had the best time! Definitely a fun boredom buster for long days stuck at home. And there might be an idea or two to steal for a simple Easter table like layering your plates on pretty chargers or tying grocery store bought tulips to your napkins:
Once our breakfast nook makeover was done, it was time to move on to the rest of the kitchen. At some point we’ll do a full kitchen remodel but for now it was all about some inexpensive updates including removing the wallpaper, swapping out the island lighting, painting the cabinet surrounds that have yellowed with age, and replacing the cabinet hardware. Here’s a look at where things started:
And here’s the new look:
You can get a ton of kitchen remodel ideas on a budget {here} where I detail exactly what we did with our!
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I hate to end my post on a sad note but so many of you have been part of the Driven by Decor family for years and have gotten to know and love our sweet dog, Hope so I wanted you to know. Sadly, we had to make the difficult decision to put Hope to sleep a few days ago. It was a heartbreaking decision and one that we were unprepared to make (she went downhill very quickly) – we know it was the right choice but my heart sure didn’t want to let her go. Hope was a constant source of joy for our family and was my little shadow so our house feels very empty without her. I find myself looking down at my feet for her about 50 times a day as I get used to not hearing her trail behind me wherever I go.
Hope loved nothing more than to be scooped up and cuddled and I’m thankful that she got extra 24/7 loving from her four favorite people in the weeks leading up to her loss since we were all at home with her. We have so many special memories of her that we’ll hold onto forever – she was simply the sweetest girl:
XO,
Angie T. says
I’m so sorry to hear about Hope, I know she will be missed. Hugs to you guys.
Laura says
Your breakfast nook is gorgeous!
Mary says
So sorry about Hope! It is such a hard thing to deal with and then get used to not having them around. She was a pretty dog, and I’m sure your family gave her a wonderful life.
cassie bustamante says
i am so so sorry for your loss. i know how special she was to your family.
Dena says
Oh Kris, I’m so sorry to hear about Hope. I know you and your family loved her and I could certainly identify with you buying the stroller for her. I’ve been thinking about doing that for my sweet Charlie since he can’t handle the heat here in Louisiana.
Your breakfast nook is looking great and I think your kitchen only needs a few tweaks to bring it up to par. Stay well.
Carol Heartfelt Whimsies says
Kris—
First, my heart hurts for your family as you grieve your precious Hope. Everyone who followed you loved her sweet face. I am so very sorry for your loss.
Your nook update is gorgeous —love the clean, fresh and simple look. I could sit right down there everyday for my breakfast.
Enjoy making your NC home all yours!!
Dianne says
Your new home looks beautiful and I have always loved breakfast books. Yours is so bright. Nice job ?. I am also so sorry about Hope. As a pet lover, they are truly family members. Stay strong!!
Dana Jaax says
So sorry about your baby girl. We lost our
11 year old Boston 2 summers ago. She was the sweetest ever. Fortunately we still have Boxer loves. ❤️
Darrah Osgood says
I love what you did to the breakfast nook and recognized the wall paper! When we moved to upstate New York 24 years ago we had the same wallpaper with matching curtains in our kitchen and breakfast area! 24 years ago I was so happy with the paper but as the years went by and we grew tired of it, it all came down. Every bathroom was wallpapered as well as our laundry room and an accent wall in our bedroom. Every day for weeks I worked at taking the wallpaper down in every room. I vowed when the last bit of wallpaper came down that we would never have it again! Recently I said to my husband that maybe wallpaper behind the washer and dryer would look nice and he looked at me like I had two heads. I said maybe stick and peel this time!!! I am looking forward to seeing all of your updates to the new home!
Marilyn says
Love the new bright look to the breakfast nook. I also like that the changes could be done without breaking the bank.
I know the pain of losing an animal you love. The only thing wrong with these special beings is that they break our hearts when they leave.
Mary Lynn Soderholm says
So very sorry to hear Hope crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Our pets are our family too, they come with 4 paws and sometimes they come with feathers and a beak! Our 13 year old cat Is a rescue and our cockatiel bird is also a rescue we saved on a beach from a hawk 16 years ago!! Quite a story!!
Your new home in North Carolina will be a pleasure to watch come together?
Thank you for your lovely tips and sharing your home.
Mary Lynn
Natalie FitzPatrick says
I am so sorry for your loss?I loved seeing her tucked into your pictures. I can only imagine how hard this is for you. Thank you for sharing❤️
Kelly says
So very, very sorry about Hope…. loved to see her in your photos! Sending hugs, love and comfort…<3
Christy says
I am so sorry for the loss of your puppy.
Mary says
So sad to hear of your sweet dog’s passing. I’m sure she was loved a lot and had a wonderful time with you all.
Barbara says
My condolences to your family for the loss of your sweet dog Hope. I had to do the same thing about three years ago and it’s heartbreaking. Take care during this time and keep decorating. Looks great.