uh oh turned oh wow: a dining room ceiling story

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Don’t let this first photo fool you. There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns along the way until we finally ended up with this Pinterest-worthy white oak ceiling in our dining room. Remember, we’re updating a 1970s home for our family of 5 with all of its charm and some of its quirks in tact. 

The original design was {ahem} interesting, but we have successfully re-configured this home in such a way that makes the living easy and our days a bit smoother. And we've taken you along for the ride. Did you see how we re-imagined this awkward space near our back door? If not, you’ve got to check it out. Especially if you’re as obsessed with built-ins and secret doors and Benjamin Moore Natural Cream like we are. 

So…this journey started when Joe* fell through the ceiling of our dining room. We’ll call him Joe so as not to embarrass him. Joe is a good guy. He just took a wrong turn and stepped in the wrong spot upstairs when working on our bonus room. And maybe “falling through the ceiling” isn’t quite accurate. He didn’t actually fall ALL the way through. Joe’s “oops” actually turned into one of the best pivots ever.

*this is not his real name

**but you knew that, didn’t you?

We were already planning to cover the textured dining room ceiling with white oak and had included it in our design plan from the beginning  but after Joe’s fall, it sealed the deal. And to be fair, it wasn’t all Joe’s fault, Tom had put a few holes in the ceiling himself when he opened up the cased opening into the kitchen to make it larger.

First board going up! Tom and my dad set to work on installing this ceiling.

I looked back at my camera roll and found that we started this project on October 29th, 2022 but then……basketball season for the boys, lots of other house projects, and so, so many other more important things in life delayed this project. But here we are! Living in a house while it’s being renovated is a marathon. Only the most elite athletes will survive. We’re doing it!!!

What is going through Tom’s head here? 

A reminder that The Hardwood Co is the best in the biz. Check out that herringbone floor.

After 8 ½ months of working on this ceiling, Tom put the final coat of poly on the beams and wrapped it up one Sunday afternoon. IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING.

And now we are finished with this room! We’ve come a long way and we have this white oak beauty that brings all of the cozy vibes to the room where we’ll gather for family dinners, card games with kids, late night talks with teens and planning sessions for our businesses, our life and the next big project. It’s a pretty good life over here.