I’m Struggling With A Creative Mental Block
I heard back from my contractor yesterday, and the work on the storage room will begin on September 14th. We had both forgotten that this coming Monday is a holiday, and they don’t want to start on my storage room during a partial work week. So that means that I have about two weeks (one week of waiting, and one week while they do the work) to fully focus on other projects before I have to turn my attention back to the storage room and get it finished up.
Two weeks. I can get a lot done in two weeks. And I’d love to see how much I can get done in the dining room during that time. Unfortunately, because I wasn’t expecting to work on the dining room yet (I thought that would come after the storage room was finished), I’m feeling completely unprepared. I haven’t ordered my drapery fabric, and I was really hoping to wait until they had a sale to place that order. I haven’t found or designed the coordinating fabrics that I want to use on the dining chairs. And I am struggling to figure out the details of this room.
I had planned to spend yesterday stripping the dining table, but that didn’t work out with our schedule. So when I finally did get some time, I decided to use that to come up with a decorating plan for the dining room. And that’s where I got stuck. I’m having such a hard time seeing the full vision of this room. I have bits and pieces of it in my mind, but I don’t have a complete, cohesive plan.
The main issue that is frustrating me is the lack of wall space. If I had my dream dining room, it would have lots of wall space where I could have some colorful, dramatic wallpaper. But wallpaper would be wasted in this room because there’s a cased opening, a doorway, or windows on every wall. There’s so little actual wall space in here that wallpaper would be a waste.
I know these are old pictures, but you can see what I mean. The opening between the kitchen and the dining area is almost the entire wall. Then there’s the cased opening between the dining area and the pantry.
The wall that has the most wall space still has the door to my studio.
And then the front wall is almost all windows.
So there’s no possibility of my dream dining room with walls covered in gorgeous wallpaper in this space because there’s so little wall space. And then I thought that I could at least paint the walls a color other than my go-to Benjamin Moore Classic Gray. But it’s the same problem with wall color. If I’m going to paint walls in a room a color other than a neutral, I want it to have an impact. But you can’t get much of an impact with wall color in a room with so little wall space.
And on top of that, I don’t want an area rug in the room. I’ve learned over the years that I don’t like rugs under dining chairs. Rugs make it so hard to slide the chairs in and out. Rugs make Matt’s life more challenging (even if they’re really thin). So the rug has to go.
The one thing that I did actually make a decision on yesterday is that I don’t want buffets flanking the pantry doorway. That’s just too many countertop-height things in a row — the kitchen countertop, the two buffets, and the pantry countertop. I need some height variation. So I tried a mockup using the cabinet that I built for our bathroom. The perspective and sizes aren’t perfect, but I do like this overall idea.
And I also found a chandelier that I absolutely love from Fovo Lighting.
That light is $2820.00. And I think y’all know me well enough to know I would never spend that much on a light. So I think you see where this is heading, right? 😊
So bits and pieces of this plan are coming together slowly in my head, but I still feel like I’m running into a creative mental block. The main challenge is that I think this whole wall needs to be redone.
I don’t want a TV in this room, and when it’s removed, that will leave a hole in my shelves. I could build longer shelves and fill them with colorful items, but I had ChatGPT do a mockup of that, and I don’t even think I like it. Of course, the way it arranged the items on the shelves is not right. But I still don’t think I like the overall idea.
And that’s my biggest solid wall in the room. It’s my one opportunity to do something impactful. I don’t think I want it to be filled with lots of little items.
So while things are coming together slowly, I feel like I’m really struggling with this room. And the reason for that is because I hadn’t planned on starting on this room yet. Decorating plans generally come together slowly in my head, and I had expected to have a few more weeks of working on the storage room, during which I could play around with some ideas for the dining room and hopefully have a complete, cohesive plan by the time the storage room was done. So trying to jump right in at this point, way ahead of schedule, and trying to come up with a complete plan on the spot, has me feeling a bit anxious about it. I’ll figure it out. It just might not be in the next two weeks.
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Tall cabinet/shelves on the pantry wall. Mural on the current tv wall (you need the space for the table, which I prefer smaller and round, with four matching chairs for less visual clutter). Table raw wood on bottom if possible, darker green than drapes for the tabletop. Or if the raw wood isn’t ready for prime time, just rub in a darker paint and leave some of the wood showing. Would you be open to painting a rug on the floor? There is a lot going on in this room, and visas into other areas of the house, plus the yard. It’s going to have to be somewhat simple. And that’s ok. Put your focus into a wow chandelier.
Do some fun projects like beading while you wait and let the ideas come while you wait
Have you considered a banquet on the TV wall? It would open the space and you can still use your new chairs. Also an opportunity for beautiful fabric
Wallpaper on the ceiling for your colorful pattern, and a corresponding paint on the walls to bring the color down into the room. And, of course, your curtains and chairs for additional pattern and color.
Kristi: perhaps this roadblock is a blessing. As I was reading today’s blog what popped out was designing colorful wallpaper, colorful drapery, etc. Perhaps you don’t need to have every room screaming with color on the walls and windows. The dining room, while a nice size, is too small to have all that color jumping out at you. My favorite room is your piano room. While you have created beautiful walls and colorful pictures, etc. The room isn’t a color explosion. There are places for your eyes and mind to rest. And I believe that would be the perfect room to relax and enjoy the serenity of a calm dining room. Yes, you can have color but choose the right place and amount so you can enjoy the company around the room.
Is there some type of art project that you wanted to try that could be an impact piece on that wall? Kind of like your pixel art or the picture using the wooden spoons. Something to fill your time for the next week and a half to two weeks while you can still think about how you want the rest of the room to look? It might be the distraction you need to be able to refocus on the rest of the room.
I’m voting for wallpaper! I think if you leave the large wall where the buffet is now open with wallpaper, it’d be a beautiful view from the kitchen.
I could see some really big art work on that wall with everything else you have planned. I mean almost floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall. One huge or two or four smaller? It could give you something creative to do?
I absolutely love the tall cabinets flanking the pantry door! That chandelier looks so Kristi. I went on the website to see where the light bulbs are placed and saw the white leafy pieces look like they are made of the clay you used on the chandelier in your closet. That would be at least a two week project! I am not a fan of the shelves. They look too busy to me. I would prefer 2 or 3 large pieces of framed artwork.
I’m interested to see what you come up with for the dining room. I absolutely love the light fixture and almost choked when I saw the price. Maybe you can turn a spiky chandelier into it with some Paperclay?
This sounds like the perfect time to spend figuring out how to make that crazy chandelier!
I loved how you simplified your entryway with impactful wallpaper and minimal items. I think this would work wonderfully in the dining area. Mural/wallpaper on the TV wall instead of shelves and artwork- to help open up the space. I also love the idea of tall cabinets flanking the pantry. I agree that finding a fun project to work on right now will help your mind meander down the creative roads until you come up with the perfect plan!
How about removing the shelves etc from the tv wall and wallpapering it AND the window wall, with new curtains having the same pattern as the new wallpaper? (So custom wallpaper and custom fabric in the same design, for the curtains). Sounds a little crazy but I thought it might be a way for you to have a big wall of beautiful pattern.
Or start on the table? Sorry if I already sent you this link—I meant to in case it triggers any ideas, but don’t think I did.
https://www.thestonybrookhouse.com/2026/06/goodbye-orange-oak-part-2-table.html
Girlfriend, You are overlooking a golden opportunity! Wallpaper the ceiling! You have a perfect ceiling for beautiful, bold wallpaper and trim (I’m seeing some gold). Go big, go dramatic and drench the walls in fabulous color! It’s going to be gorgeous!
If you were to build two tall, flanking cabinets, what would you put in them? I imagine it would be a lot of small items. It might read “cluttered”.
Perhaps you could create flanking artwork? Tall, artwork, even simple, can be make quite the statement.
Kristi – Here’s a thought. My dining room is tiny and like yours has a bay window and two large openings. To make it feel bigger I put a collection of different sized and shaped mirrors on my one full wall. The all have a gold like frame with brings it all together. I would send a photo, but they are currently all down as this room is getting a painting refresh. Keep playing – you will figure it out!
Girl,
You know if it doesn’t come easy then it’s not meant to be.
I am voting for impactful Wallpaper, one big artwork instead of all those busy shelves and gorgeous drapery. It will make up for no rug. And I vote for no more open cabinetry. Let the Wallpaper and Drapery be the stars and reduce the visual clutter.
I think removing all of the shelving is a good idea. It will make the room seem larger. But I don’t know what wallpaper you could use that wouldn’t be competing with the curtains (since the drapes will be right up against it), unless it’s something abstract (color, pattern and flow without any real design is what I mean – abstract may be too vague a term or the wrong term altogether). Maybe you can design a tapestry (which wouldn’t be right up against the curtains for that wall. Or a triptych – something that will take up a lot of area.
For the wall where the shelves are currently — what about a mural or large format wallpaper not on the whole wall but within molding? Use paint on the other walls perhaps the color of the background of the wallpaper/mural or the most dominant color from it. If using drapes, make them the color of the paint you use for the rest of the walls. That gives the pattern and color you desire and a luxurious feel for the room.
What about heading outside for the next two weeks? You could work on the stairs from the bedroom, clean out and start to mark garden beds, work on/in/around the workshop….give yourself time to figure things out….
My main struggle with the color and pattern in this space is the tile in the pantry. I feel like it pulls the eye in a not-so-good way and will throw off the delicate floral and bird fabric that you have planned. Would the pantry be getting a door?
While I loved the process that you used on those backsplash tiles, the color/movement reads more “Kristi’s previous style” versus “Kristi’s evolved/current style.”
I am so excited about the tall cabinets and chandelier! I know you feel that you’re stuck creatively, but you have already made lots of exciting decisions and acquired great pieces for your dining room. I think as soon as you are able to strip the table and settle on stain/paint colors, the other pieces will fall into place. As much as I have loved the wall of shelves with the tv, it’s my least favorite wall in this reimagined room. I think before I would get rid of them, I’d at least see what interesting dishes would look like on display. Because you are an artist, you could even paint your own plates, platters, etc., if the colors and patterns you crave don’t exist. The suggestion to paint your floor also intrigues me, as I’m a sucker for painted floors.
I’m looking forward to seeing your room come together, even if it takes a while. The things you have nailed down will already produce a great room, and the finishing details can be layered over time. Good luck and thanks for including us!
Hi, Kristi. I understand your having a hard time of making a decision on this room. If you’re going to remove the TV and shelves, could that not be your focal wall and put some fabulous wallpaper on it and use a color from the wallpaper to paint the walls or ceiling, to show off the terrific light that I assume you are going to make? That could give you the colors for the rest of the fabric for the chair seats and backs (different if that’s what you are thinking), curtains, etc. Or just use that focal wall to use a bold paint color and again, pull the color into the fabrics you decide on using. I know anything you do will be great, you just haven’t had enough time to think on it yet.
We all have our opinions don’t we? 😉 I think making the room, like several have said, a relaxing place to eat and have conversation would be ideal. Perhaps wallpaper the TV wall and don’t clutter it with a lot of items, giving guests more room to push chairs back without bumping into shelves. You could still have impact with that wall, table and chair colors, drapes and whatever you choose for your pantry wall without overwhelming the space with things.