M+B Design
- Feb 22, 2019
- 2 min read

Making it home with a modern farmhouse update

I distinctly remember when we bought our first home some of the decor choices I made; some of which was dictated by our (lack of) budget and some dictated by the items that were given to us to use.

Some of those hand me downs weren‘t really my style, but I think lots of us can relate to that scenario.

In the case of my last client, she was ready for a dining room overhaul. She had been gifted some beautiful, custom furniture from her in-laws, but when we chatted about her personal style, it didn't mesh with those pieces. The rest of the house that she and her husband had redone + the plans they had for future projects all pulled modern farmhouse over the traditional style.

Pro Tip: Even if you don't know what your style is, just knowing what you like or prefer can help guide you in the right direction to finding your style.

These beautiful, traditional pieces just didn't lend themselves to the warm, homey feel the client wanted for her young family.

Emily and I have very distinct personal styles that we gravitate towards for our own homes, like we all do. And while we love creating in all different aesthetics for clients, it is always fun to design in our personal favorites. (Having our distinct personal styles is also what helps us think outside the box and collaborate new perspectives together. #beingaduorocks)

The first decision in pulling together the new look was changing out the wall color. Sherwin William's Accessible Beige was just the right amount of beige and neutral to play off the other design elements we were going to incorporate.

The focus for the design was clean lines, wood tones, blacks, creams and lots of greenery. When you layer each of those elements together, it creates a pretty stunning after!

It's amazing what paint can do! Scroll back to the before to really see the difference!

The bold mix of light and dark in the rug pattern compliment the same light and dark mixture throughout the design.

The dining furniture was a mix of styles to show off the modern farmhouse vibe: a rustic table, high back windsor chairs, and tufted armchairs with nail head detailing.

Pro Tip: Don't think your dining set has to match. Each piece was selected separately and pulled together. This makes the set more personal and interesting.

The table had a great rough detailing to it which added to it's rustic charm.

Before the new design, the room had four large pieces of furniture: a china hutch, two buffet type side tables and the dining set. By eliminating so many pieces, we could not only fit in a larger dining table to accommodate family and guests, but we could also fill the room with a statement piece.

The black sideboard was really eye-catching. The glass front doors filled with white dinnerware kept it from becoming too heavy and opaque in the room.

The iron handles... #swoon

A less is more approach in the table top stays on target with the modern farmhouse vibe.

Signs are such a fun and popular way to add personalization to your home. This large namesake sign was a bold way to add that into the decor.

As with every room, we hope it leaves our clients in love and feeling like there is no place else they'd rather be. Cheers to this new dining space; may lots of memories be made around this table!