Blending Old and New: A Modern Meets Traditional Southern Living Dining Room Transformation
- Sep 22, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 3, 2025
Two summers ago, as our twins were preparing to leave for their freshman year of college, I started what I call reverse nesting around my house. While this transition of kids leaving the nest may cause some mothers to take to the bed (and rightfully so!), I decided to redecorate a few rooms to keep my mind off of them leaving. The first room I took on during this phase was the dining room, as it is one of the first rooms guests see upon entry into our traditional-style house. I wanted to blend the old with the new with a twist of modern meets traditional Southern Living dining room.
Modern Meets Traditional Southern Living Dining Room Transformation
Before we go any further, let's take a minute to let you take in the before photo, which was taken shortly after we moved in...I know. You don't have to say a word. I'll say it. It looked tired, old, and hungry. The red walls were ALL. THE. RAGE. back in the 90's/early 2000s.
What you don't see are the old granny-floral jabot style window treatments left in place by the previous owners that I may have personally pulled from their perch above each window while heavily pregnant and with twin toddlers underfoot. Your eyes can thank me for withholding that nightmare photo.
BEFORE
I couldn't wait to paint, and in the first iteration sans the rojo walls, I painted the walls a warm neutral while opting to paint the ceiling a beautiful haint blue color as an homage to my coastal roots, which I love - I'm sure in part due to its name (BM Beach Glass 1564). As we were working on the ceiling, I took the opportunity to switch out the old builder-grade brass chandelier to a timeless lantern-style pendant and never looked back! Drum roll please...
I'd been toying with the idea of wallpaper in this room for what felt like forever, but never could land on something that fit the space and that felt like "me" AND worked with the ceiling color that I truly didn't want to change. When I found the wallpaper (Thibaut's Lincoln Toile) I knew it was "the one" not only for the gorgeous colorway featuring all my favorite hues, but the beautifully idyllic countryside pattern reminded me of my husband and our shared Anglophilia.
To balance the predominantly red undertones of the mahogany wood furniture, I recovered the dining chairs in a delicious green velvet performance fabric and carried that green into the lighting as well by selecting a pair of stunning Currey and Co. lamps on the buffet.
This room now reflects my love of green, blue, and brown, a combination I'm sure was influenced by my having grown up on an island in Savannah and traversing multiple bridges over waterways and marsh on the daily.
The view from our kitchen now never disappoints.
Over the past few years, our dining room has taken in more than a few heirloom pieces with the loss of both sets of our parents... an antique desk my father-in-law used as a child to do his homework, a chair from their family farm in Missouri, a silver set and old record turntable from my mother-in-law, and porcelain pieces from my mother, including a beloved Foo dog.
A Blanc de Chine lamp from my in-laws sits atop an old radio and record turntable from the 50's. Only after her passing did my husband share that she poked a pencil through the base of the lamp one day when he was babysitting her. She was two years old at the time. He said he watched her the whole time, saw her do it then turn and look at him with her big brown eyes as if to say "uh oh!?" He said he immediately put his finger to his lips and told her "I won't tell anybody if you don't!" And neither of them ever did. I couldn't believe it until he turned the lamp and showed me and sure enough he showed me the pointed tip of a pencil poking through the internal paper screen (it has a light inside the base as well).
Every time I walk by or through this room now, my eyes catch one of these cherished pieces, and memories of loved ones lost bring a smile to my face. That's always my goal in every design project, to reflect the personalities of my clients and the things they love, but above all to make them smile and feel joy in their homes.
I hope you enjoyed this tour and it brought a smile to your face, too! Reach out here to schedule a discovery chat and learn more about how we can help you with your own home's personal and unique transformation!
