Welcome to Tumbleweed Tidings on this beautiful fall day! We are actually up at the bungalow in Idaho, where the trees are even more vibrant and the sky is a little bluer.

Yesterday was a fabulous, great, amazing day because we got a chance to visit with my longtime friends Dona and Fred who were visiting from Alabama.  We were joined by our other friends Dan and Elaine, who have also known them for over 30 years.  Because we were already in Idaho just an hour and half away from where they were visiting in Spokane, we met for lunch at a restaurant overlooking beautiful Spokane Falls.  So, what happens when six people who haven’t all been together for 8 years, get together for lunch at 11:30?  You finally leave the restaurant at 4:20!!  I think they were ready to bring us dinner menus:)  But, oh, the joy of laughing, catching up with wonderful friends, and reliving memories together.  Priceless.

Today, it’s all about the dining room and how it was recently given what I’m calling a “spacelift.” What is a spacelift, you ask? A spacelift is similar to a facelift, only in a room or space, instead of on your face. (#rhyming.)
You accomplish this by making some minor tweaks, a nip here, and a tuck there, until it feels fresh and new again. And the dreamy part is, this can usually be done for little to no investment.

First, let’s start with the before pictures. There wasn’t anything really wrong with this room, other than it was starting to feel a little tired. Especially the wall on the north side. The two large burlap canvas bird prints were purchased second hand several years ago. I loved them for a long time, but I think I’m over burlap and wanted something fresher, cleaner, different.

To get this spacelift started, I did what I usually do…go shopping for inspiration. I wanted a large piece of art to replace the two bird pictures. Something very large, rather than a grouping of small pictures, if possible. Visiting our local Home Goods, I didn’t find a really large art piece, but I did find the long modern piece and two complimentary pieces. This would work!  You can’t tell very well from my pictures, but they contain shades of blue, rust, and green; all of the colors in my favorite Jacobean print draperies that hang in this room.

I then went to the linen department and there was a beautiful blue velvet runner that would match very well. While heading to the linens, I spotted their fall dishware display. Wow! Beautiful plates with pumpkins, gourds and leaves on them. And have you noticed? Blue wants to be invited to the fall party now. So, I grabbed one salad plate to complete my purchases.

Then it was time to install everything. First, the placement of the wall art, and a little paint touch-up. Loved it. Then it was about “shopping the house” to find other pieces that would work. The large vase in the corner used to sit on the area surrounding our master bathroom tub. Let’s be honest; it looks much better here. I also had a few teal ceramic balls from years past, so I poked some of them around.

Next, I added the cute pumpkin plate with blue, a pillow from the guest room, and layered the velvet runner over the existing runner, just for fun. In the laundry room, I found a blue pot in the cupboard, so I repotted two plants into it and placed it on a couple of books.

The final flourish was to add some white and orange pumpkins around the space, just to make it fall-like. The end result feels fresh and modern and it makes me smile each time I look in there. The nicest compliment came when I showed it to my husband, Jim. He said “it looks so clean and simple…great job.” Success!

Now for the price breakdown of this dining room spacelift:

Large picture, $39.99, small pictures, 14.99 each, table runner, 16.99, and the plate, 3.99, for a grand total of $90.95 plus tax. I didn’t count the pumpkins, as they will get moved around the house this season. So, for less than a fancy dinner with wine and a tip, you can spacelift an area in your home!

One of the things I most enjoy doing in my home is making simple, inexpensive changes to keep it from looking stale. Updating a space doesn’t have to involve purchasing new items, either. Sometimes, it can be achieved by moving things from one room to another, and re-accessorizing in a different way

The Spacelift will be a semi-regular segment on the blog, as I go through rooms at my house and the homes of others, showing how simple changes can really pack a punch.

Please comment below and let me know if you like the spacelift concept, and if it has inspired you to give your rooms a little nip tuck as well!

Good tidings,
Diane