before and after: {dining room!}

What follows is my dining room journey...

This was my dining room when we moved into our Victorian, shotgun-style, early 1900's-built home:

The previous owner had painted the ENTIRE 1st floor mustard yellow. Not a bad color, but not my flavor. I wanted something a little more modern. More dramatic. More spicy. But not mustard.

Deciding on the new hue took some time. I knew I wanted green. Vibrant green. But then I thought: perhaps neutral is better...safer. As you can see, we had a range of choices from the very palest olive to a sassy green apple to a bright lime green:

After much debate about what kind of vibe we wanted to have in this very central room, we decided we wanted {vibrant and full of positive energy.} So we went with the brightest, boldest green: Jalapeno Jelly (Valspar)

You can see the color difference from the mustard in this pic:

To get this bright green color to work, I knew my accessories would have to be more natural, less colorful! I wanted to tone down the "Christmasy" look that was created by the green's contrast with my beloved rust-red chairs. I found these natural fiber runners at Target for 14.99 each. Then I fell in love with this wine jug from Pier1. $49.99 - a definite splurge, BUT I had a gift certificate...

{I am a complete sucker for wine jugs.}

I added some bright red silk dahlias and ta-dow: dramatic centerpiece. I feel the bottle and colors work well with my wine theme, including the chianti bottles I display on our bar area.

{The large chianti bottle, by the way, is empty. Was consumed by my beautiful famiglia in the candlelight of an Italian restaurant on the night I graduated with my BA in English. Such a warm memory - I will cherish this bottle always!}

Finally, the dining room is how I want it. (At least, for now.)

The before:

The after:

I will be honest: our choice has been met with mixed reviews. Jalapeno Jelly is not everyone's favorite flavor. Most people give me the: "Oh, I like it! But I'd never choose this color..." Which I think might be a polite way of saying "Um, hideous." :D

But I like it. Hubby likes it.

And really, when it is your home, that is what truly matters.