To those of you who have inherited a knotty pine room and are considering some type of camouflage, you might want to consider embracing it…

We bought our house because my husband fell in love with the knotty pine library/den. I think he half-expected Bing Crosby to jump out of the closet, pipe in hand, clad in his signature smoking jacket—and yes, of course, singing ‘White Christmas’. It was definitely a throwback to the 40’s and 50’s.

It was a man cave for 7 years while my dining room languished in the front of the house. I flip flopped the living room for the tiny dining room after a few years. Yep, the dining room was now a foyer/dining room. Every woman’s dream!  Every now and then I suggested moving it to the den but you know how men love their caves. Right, not happening.

Finally, 8 years later ……welcome to our NEW DINING ROOM! Wonders never cease…

How did this come about you ask? We visited the Brandywine Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. We viewed the artwork of Andrew Wyeth and his father, N.C. Wyeth, and toured the family’s home and studio. Late in the tour, the guide explained that N.C. Wyeth had built on a paneled dining room. We entered the room and there it was—a charming dining room with paneling, wood floors, fireplace and a farm table lit by candlelight. My husband looked at me and said “Oh, this is great!” Oh, good grief.

– N.C. Wyeth’s dining room (Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, PA)

When we got home that evening we moved the dining room to the den. I was ecstatic. A few weeks later I had the beam wired for the new chandelier that I found on Overstock.com and added an area rug from HomeGoods.

Our early MacKenzie Childs wall-mounted tray and enamelware ‘Cake Carrier’ with my grandmother’s old wooden sieve from her bakery. Finally, there is room in our dining room for cherished family heirlooms.

My dad’s old rocking chair from years gone by.

I joined a flea market baluster with a thrift store tray. Just a bit of whimsy.

Love the blue of this cast iron pot.

I spent my summers growing up on Cayuga Lake in Upstate New York. By the time I married, MacKenzie Childs had been established in Aurora right across the lake. So visits home always included a stop in Aurora. Some visits were even timed around their barn sales—we all have our priorities! The ‘High Coffee’ on the mantle is in their old Taps pattern.

The old fainting couch was my very first auction find. The reupholstery still looks great years later. When we opened it up we found that it was stuffed full of straw.

As the sun goes down and shines in this window the whole room starts to glow. It’s our favorite time of day in this room.

I was thrilled with my latest find. An old bobbin etagere from a thrift store! The perfect display piece for a tight corner.

Such a great ceiling! Hard to believe that it leaked like a sieve within days of moving into the house and the fireplace turned into Niagara Falls. Owning an older home can be like walking through a minefield. Something always needs to be repaired.

And now the BEFORE pictures…

See those white dots. That is where the holes were drilled into the ceiling to take care of the carpenter ants. Apparently, carpenter ants love wet wood.

Here is the view of the roof while under repair. No wonder the fireplace turned into a waterfall with every passing shower! Before you ask, yes, we did have a home inspection. We even had a separate roof inspection. I guess we should have been present when the inspector was there. Oy vey. Buyer beware!

Note the white water stains on the brick fireplace. This was a quick fix.  Repointing the mortar and a coat of dark green paint was all it needed.

Here is the photo we took of the room during the open house. We replaced the track lighting with smaller halogen lights.

My husband has since moved his man cave to the basement.  It took a big flat screen TV to lure him down there but … he loves his new cave. And yes, that is knotty pine, too!

Lynette

Resources:
Chandelier – Overstock.com
Area Rug – HomeGoods
Matchbox Window Shades – IKEA
Furniture – Tag Sales, Auctions, Consignment Stores
Enamelware, Wall-Mounted Tray and Candlestick Shades – MacKenzie Childs