Mexican-Style Kitchen

The Mexican theme now flows into the adjoining dining area. The dining room walls are painted a bold yellow above the paneling and the paneling is painted white.

Regular office chairs are repurposed into dining chairs. The seat is covered with red fabric and plastic, and the back is reattached upside-down to make it more prominent. A fabric slipcover dresses it up, and additional seat and back covers also are employed for dressier occasions.

The main part of the existing light fixture over the dining table is painted white and paired with a new drum shade made out of brass rings and fabric.

An old bedspread is fashioned into window treatments. Fleur-de-lis finials are disguised with decorative sombrero hats adhered with hook-and-loop tape.

The built-ins are dressed up with fabric-covered shelves and colorful plates hung on the back wall.

Cordial glasses are painted with glass spray paint and turned into hanging votive holders. Chain and cup hooks are used to suspend the glasses from the inside of the picture. Before, the paneling in the dining room was outdated and made the space seem very dark.

The yellow shade these homeowners chose for the walls was too pale to appropriately highlight the dining area. The lighting in this space was insufficient, and the dining chairs took up too much space. Now the room is bright, cheery and updated for this family to enjoy.

This outdated kitchen was in serious need of a makeover. The cabinets were worn down, and the hardware was in serious need of an update. Now the kitchen and dining areas flow together with a cohesive theme and color scheme.