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    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet: A Before and After

    July 8, 2015
    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter

    When we first moved into our house back in 2012, we did not have a lot of furniture. I had previously lived in an apartment and was renting it out partially furnished, and my fiancé had lived in a house with two of his friends, where the only furniture he owned was his bedroom set. Sounds great, right? Nice clean slate, very little old furniture to worry about, and nice new furniture to be bought! Our bank accounts, however, disagreed, as they are apt to do.

    So we began to accumulate our furniture a little bit at a time. Thrift stores and estate sales have been our best friends! One of the first pieces of furniture we purchased was a beat up old dining room buffet cabinet for $135 at a local furniture resale shop. I fell in love with the style: the clean lines, the sliding doors, and all of the storage room inside. Not everyone could see my vision, though, since originally it looked like a beat up old piece junk:

    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter
    Unfortunately, the only original photo I have of the buffet is this crappy old camera phone photo. However, I guess it makes the “before and after” that much better!

    It took a bit of elbow grease to get this piece into shape. First I cleaned the whole thing with warm soapy water. Then, I cleaned it again, this time with lemon oil on a clean rag. Finally, I used Old English’s scratch cover for dark wood, which fills in any scratches or blemishes in the surface of the wood. I applied this with a clean cloth, let it sit for maybe 20-30 minutes, and then wiped off the excess with a second clean cloth. The last step was to replace those awful matching wooden knobs: I opted for a simple metallic brass knob to give the piece a bit of character. The finished result:

    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter
    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter

    Not bad! With all the hard work out of the way, then came the fun part: decorating! I wanted it to be stylish yet include functional pieces, and there had to be some coffee table books, of course (my biggest decorating weakness, I’ll admit it).

    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter

    Starting from the left side, I added a section of coffee table books and a vase with DIY paper flowers. I cannot remember where I found the tutorial for these flowers (please comment below if you know!), but they were relatively simple and made from styrafoam balls into which I inserted cones of paper. Then, stick it on a piece of sturdy wire and into a vase! I love these flowers, one of my favorite things on the buffet!

    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter

    In the middle of the buffet, I set up a “mini bar” station. It contains a set of glasses I got on clearance at C. Wonder (RIP), and a collection of our most used liquors.

    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter
    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter

    Overall, I really have not changed much on the buffet since I first completed decorating it about two years ago. Here are some of my tips for decorating your own buffet table:

    • Evaluate your design constantly. Move items around to see if they look better in a different vignette. Don’t be afraid to grab things from somewhere else in your house and try them out in a new place: they might look even better. That old vase you didn’t like in your bedroom might suddenly look incredible in its’ new home on your buffet table!
    • Use layers of height. This adds visual interest to your buffet design. For example, I have taller pieces on the ends (flowers, picture frame, lamp) to balance out the shorter items in the middle.
    • Combine style with functionality. What do you use most in your dining room that you just love to look at? Perhaps it is a mini bar filled with your favorite cocktail accessories, or a set of gorgeous hors d’oeuvres plates. Put them out there for everyone to see, and you will be more apt to use your favorite items if you see them often.
    • Include lighting. Nobody loves to eat in the dark, but sometimes overhead lighting can be harsh. Add a statement lamp to your buffet to allow for some softer lighting (and for you to dim those overhead lights!).
    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter

    Now it’s your turn: what is your best tip for styling a buffet table? Let me know in the comment section below! Until next time, friends!

    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter
    How to Style a Dining Room Buffet | The Charming Detroiter

    dining room dining room buffet styling dining room decor

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    Comments

    1. Furniture says

      November 6, 2021 at 11:55 am

      Love love love the functionality of your decorating!
      Furniture recently posted…What Employees Value Most About Their WorkspacesMy Profile

      Reply
    2. Maruthi Interiors says

      April 8, 2021 at 1:09 am

      very informative thanks for sharing

      Reply

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