Tah - Dah!!

Let's try to do this in true HGTV fashion...
Before- this formal dining room, once stately, had been hidden under layers and years of cosmetic "improvements". 2 layers of paneling, and 8 layers of wallpaper, large draping curtains which hid the original woodwork, and drop ceilings which lowered the 10 foot ceiling height down to 8 feet...



A hidden pocket door was kept shut for decades, pinned behind the wall by layers of carpeting and flooring. All of which hid the original hardwood floors from when the house was first built...

After: The plaster walls were patched and restored, and painted with a granite textured paint in a dark brick color. An updated, but historic looking iron light fixture replaced the 70s fixture. Crown molding was added around the top of the room to draw the eye upwards and accentuate the high ceilings. The wooden floors were sanded and refinished to their original glory, and the 10 inch baseboard and quarter-round was added around the room, as it would have been when first assembled from the Sears kit.

Though artwork and wall sconces still need to be added, it is still a far cry from the wallpapered, carpeted, crop ceilinged room we found when we moved in!