Today I am sharing our simple farmhouse dining room refresh, and revealing our beautiful antique mantle. I’m also giving a few tips on how you can give any space a refresh totally free!

This simple dining room refresh all started with that show stopping mantle. I was able to “rescue” it from a house that’s being torn down. I knew I wanted to use it in the house somewhere. Originally I thought to put it in the living room, but I am SO GLAD that didn’t work out. It is the perfect focal point for our farmhouse dining room.

Getting the mantle out of the old house was the easy part. Getting it put up in our dining room…not so much. I wish every DIY project went as smoothly in real life as it does in my head. The hardest part was getting the mirror put back in. Guys. I was truly terrified. There’s a date stamp on the mirror that says “April 1913”. There’s no going back if we accidentally broke it. Have I mentioned I was terrified?! HA! Thankfully, once it was in place the rest was smooth sailing. I will have to paint it soon. I’ve been trying to decide if I should paint it white, or something different.

The rest of this simple farmhouse dining room refresh was really just rearranging furniture and shopping my house. I juggled the cabinets around again, and moved some things on the walls. Seriously though, that’s about it. I love to give my rooms free “facelifts” by using what I already have…Which is LOTS less since I’ve gotten rid of 60% of our things.

I was SO tempted to put a rug back under the table. Then I remembered a certain toddler. For now, I’ll keep the floor bare, but when she’s a little neater I’ll be ready. haha

Tips To Refresh Your Space for Free

Rearrange your furniture. This makes such a big difference in a space. Maybe your rooms are tight like my living room, and rearranging isn’t possible. Then I suggest swapping out side tables, or even lamps. Small changes can make a big impact.
Shop other rooms. I pulled a basket tray out of our family room and hung it on the wall. One of the crocks I had flowers in on the front porch. I just switched things around, and gave the items a new purpose. I feel like I am ALWAYS doing this. Walk through your rooms and imagine what you could use somewhere else.
Add some green. If you live anywhere with grass, there’s a good chance you’ve got an overgrown something or other. I LOVE to clip some of my forsythia bush stems an pops them in a pitcher. They last for such a long time. The best part is they’re free, and the bush needs trimmed anyways.
Swap out your rugs. Another easy was is to switch rugs from room to room. See how the living room rug looks in your bedroom, or vice versa.
Rearrange wall art. You can really transform a room by switching the wall art around. Try a gallery wall, or just positioning the pictures differently. If you need a really easy update swap out old family photos for current ones.

I love when I get a project like this done. Totally free, but talk about a big impact. I still can’t believe I was able to get that mantle. I’m a simple girl with a heart for simple things. 🙂

I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to lately! Let me know below. As always, thanks for spending a tiny part of your day here with me at the farmhouse.