My $1 Dining Room Hutch Makeover

When we built our house almost 12 years ago, I was in love with natural oak. When you walk into my home, you can tell.

Kitchen cabinetry, buffet and hutch, dining room table and chairs, coffee table, end tables, bench, TV stand…oh, and the entire living room/dining room floor. All in an open-concept area.

It was time to shake things up a bit, one step at a time. First, my Dad stained the top of our coffee table a very dark brown, so it stands out in the sea of natural oak hardwood flooring. Next, we purchased an area rug (very reasonably priced at Canadian Tire) which really helps break up the monochromity. (Is that a word?)

Then (I feel like I’m writing a sample procedure for my students: first, next, then…) I decided to make a tiny, but impactful change to my dining room hutch. Since we moved in, it has been filled with the exact same wedding-gift items (for someone who loves to change her decor often, I’ve been very lazy in this regard).

For the very first time this Christmas, my mom helped me shake it up to be a bit more festive, which I loved:

After Christmas (you know, on Boxing Day morning when I put my house back to “normal”), I knew I didn’t want to go back to same old display, so I considered my options. I thought about books and other meaningful items from our home, but for me, there are still certain things that “belong” in a dining room.

I decided to go with a gold/brown and glass theme and use items I already owned to create a fresher display.

However, the biggest change was the background. Here’s what I did:

1. Went to Dollarama and bought a $1 roll of gold and white wrapping paper.
2. Cut it to fit.
3. Taped it to the inside back of the hutch.

I’m not sure if you can tell in the photos what a difference it made, but when you’re standing at the front door looking into the room, it doesn’t look nearly as “oaky” (another new word) as it used to, and I absolutely love the change.

For a few bucks and a few minutes of work, I’m so pleased with the change!