Our Home Decor: Modernising the Dining Area in Our Kitchen

Posted on the 02 September 2014 by Alex_bumptobaby @bumptobaby_blog
Today I am going to talk about one of my favorite subjects - home décor. And this time I'm showing you how we've added just some small, very simple, inexpensive touches to our kitchen to give it more of the modern feel that Adam and I love so much.
The space I'm showing you around is the dining area part of our kitchen. It isn't yet complete to standard that we are totally happy with, as you can see from the empty frames, but we are certainly feeling a lot happier with it than we were.

The previous owners had painted the kitchen a very light green, which to be honest, isn't really to our personal taste. But as the stairs are in the kitchen, the same paint goes all the way from the kitchen up the stairs and on to the landing, so painting it all would just be a very big job, that right now we just don't have the time for. We may well decide to paint at some stage in the future but it's just a case of prioritising everyday life with jobs in the house at the moment.

To begin with, I'll address the reason for the empty frames. We aren't planning on leaving them empty (although sometimes it feels like that - haha). I think we've finally agreed on having three big photographs from our wedding in them. It's just a case of finding a moment to sit down, choose and then order them!
The frames are from IKEA and are perfect for filling up huge walls like this one. We chose to opt for three big frames, but if you have a wall similar that you need to fill - you could do a collection of lots of smaller frames together, with individual photos/memories in. I think that for the size of wall space that we needed to fill, the three big frames was our best option. If you have darker walls, try and contrast it by using white frames. Because our walls are light, we chose black frames. This works best when trying to create a 'modern' look.

Our table is one we've had for a few years now, and it's something we want to replace. But again - it's prioritising where we spend money. The table runner, cushions and the artificial flowers inside the glass vase are all from Next. The salt and pepper duo are from BHS and the two small candles were a gift. The Peppa Pig bag is Ethans from Peppa Pig World and isn't suppose to be a part of the decor - haha! 

The three hanging hearts are from B&M (I think). The "Live, Love, Laugh' hanging sign is from our Lake District holiday a long time ago. And the brown faux leather chest of drawers (found here) is from Wilko, as is the basket on top which Charlie has decided belongs to him (it doesn't, and it's safe to say  he has now found himself a new bed!). Basket can be found here. These two were my most recent additions, I have to say it was a complete random chance that I stumbled on to Wilko's website, and I am ever so pleased that I did as they actually have some amazing home decor items. I can't believe how nice the basket is - yep, I'm one of those that collects nice baskets! 


I'm happy with how I've managed to achieve a sort of modern, country feel but without splashing out lots of money or taking on a big job. It's taken a while but I think I'm finally starting to feel a lot happier with the decor in this side of our kitchen. 
I will keep you updated about the frames and what we choose to go inside of them. If you have any ideas for what I could put inside, I'd love some suggestions. :)

What do you think so far? Are you updating any rooms in your house currently?

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