Mr Banks Before&After: Entryway, Living, Dining Rooms

Everyone who has already left a nice comment on D*S, or here, or written me an email…I want to kiss you all hard. And I am a fantastic kisser, so consider yourselves well-made-out-with.

Also, I was so nervous to show you all the pics. As all of you longtime readers know, I was definitely going through my blue period while doing this place, and I think the space reflects my optimism and intense desire for a joyful outcome to our tough time for our family. Even more so than Chicago, this house feels really personal to me. Distracting myself during the tough time designing this place is what got me through it, and I guess I was nervous about how nekkid showing Mr Banks it to the world was going to make me.

But y’all like it, y’all really like it.

Even foxes who I love like Amber like it.

And my heart feels so full. So thank you.

And seriously, the D*S post was awesome and such an honor, but was truly a “peak”, there is so much more where that came from. I think it might take a week or two to go through all the before & afters…but I am going to try to combine them into bigger posts to get through them faster. Today, starting with the entryway, living, and dining rooms.

For those that might be new here, I spent a year renovating our last house in Chicago which we lovingly called Clifford: The Big Red House, and it was featured in Rue Magazine last spring. If you want to refresh yourself on what our living&dining situation was in Chicago, here is the post on that. The day we did the photography for the Rue feature, I had a routine ultrasound and found out that our baby was sick, and we quickly made the decision to sell our house in Chicago and move back to Texas to be closer to my home and the experts in our baby’s condition. We found this house, which I dubbed George Banks because of its charming Father of the Brideness, began renovating and moved in 6 months later. It has been complete madness, and I am so grateful to now be reveling in the afterglow of all of that.

Revel with me!

Entryway

The dining room, living room, and entryway (plus 2 bedrooms upstairs) were all original to the house built in the 1930s. The rest of the house was remodeled and added on to and that is what we had to redo, but we really didn’t have to do much in the original rooms. The entry was kind of a depressing non event, nothing really wrong with it, we just repainted, restained, and replaced the light fixture.

Entry Before

Entry After

Entry Before

Entry After

Some more afters…

Botanical pictures from Furbish, table from GardenHouse, Topiaries from Design Darling. The pewter oyster shell is a candy dish that my Grandmother bought with her first paycheck when she was 20 and working at a department store. She used to always have it filled with candy in their living room, and she would catch me trying to sneak a Krackle or some other awesomely old lady candy often. She gave it to me for my 20th Birthday, and it is one of my most treasured things.

Living Room

Besides the entry, this was the room we did the least amount of work in. Just stained the floors, painted, replaced the lighting and removed the shutters.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

…and another view

Before

After

I love this room because it is basically the exact same things from our house in Chicago (new ottoman, gun chairs moved from the dining room, painting from the kitchen, and the trunk from the playroom) we just painted the walls the most incredible pink, Colonial Rose by Fine Paints of Europe, added a new rug to fit the space, and a different light fixture and it feels like a totally different room! I was going to recover the couch and chairs and go in a totally different direction but MFAMB told me she would beat my ass, and I believed her. I am so glad I listened though, I love getting to watch the pieces evolve.

Dining Room

The dining room needed the most work of these three rooms because of the crazy built ins surrounding the space. No problem, ripped those out, stained, painted, replaced the lighting, and added some china cabinets and it is a totally different space!

Before

After

Before

After- The china cabinets are from Ethan Allen, I just had them painted white on the outside, and a great coral glossy pink inside.

…And a detailed view.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

I love the dining room, again, because of how much stuff we reused from Clifford, and yet how different it feels. It is the same dining table, and chairs- the chairs were painted and recovered. Same buffet, new china cabinets and chandelier. It is the brightest happiest room, and the lighting at night for dinner parties is so sparkly.

OK! So that is all for today. Sheesh. That felt like a lot. I might have to break the rest of the posts into smaller bits to get through them all. Anyway, I hope you like getting to see more detail and different angles of the rooms, feel free to ask any questions in the comments and I will answer them as best I can!

Tomorrow we will have the kitchen and bar before & afters…

all the pretty pictures courtesy of Paige Newton Photography

88 thoughts on “Mr Banks Before&After: Entryway, Living, Dining Rooms”

  1. Ah-mazing!!!! Bailey i love what you’ve done!!! You’ve blown my socks of again, it was well worth the wait and trust me waiting was HARD lol Don’t ever doubt yourself, you are one crazy talented gorgeous lady!!!!! (hope this works i tried commenting before but it didn’t work boo!)

  4. I’m dying. I want to pin your entire house. Every single picture. I LOVE all the pinks and bright happy colors. You live in my dream house.

  6. Couple of sources, Madame?
    Velvet on your host chairs? The yellow is divine.
    The shiny coral color in the china cabinets?
    (It hit me yesterday that this little detail was actually one of my favesies!)

  7. Seeing a completed George Banks brings me so much joy… I have been waiting for this since you announced you moved! The result is ultra fab and you should be proud. Congrats!!!

  9. Fan-freakin-tastic work! You are a genius with your designs. I love that you are so daring with your patterns and prints! Thanks for sharing, I wish you lived in Charlotte and could help me with my little place!

  14. Bailey – the entryway is beautiful! Where did you find the fabulous green coat rack??!!

  15. Bailey – the entryway is beautiful! Where did you find that fabulous green coat rack??!!

  18. Bailey, this home could not be more happy if it tried. Each room is better than the next {but not really, they are all pretty perfect}. I want to sleep on your dining room table if it means I could wake up with those chairs and glowing coral china cabinets. Proud of you!

  19. The dining room looks so much better without all those built ins. Could you imagine trying to fill them all? What a pain! I love the chandelier in the dining room. This is my favorite room so far!

  20. Stunning. So so so amazing. The best dining room I have ever seen anywhere ever. You are talented times 100! Can’t wait to see more, especially looking forward to Gracies’s bathroom!

  21. Bailey, ur home is beautiful! What’s the paint color on the trims and hardwood stain color in the entryway?

  23. Literally, obsessed. Can’t wait for you to help me design my crib after law school. Love you. Love your show.

  24. It’s lovely! The story about your grandmother’s candy dish made me smile. I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now so when I saw the pictures yesterday I felt like I was being invited to a friend’s new house! Hello, stalker. 🙂

  25. Beautiful. Are the doors in your foyer painted black? I can’t tell if the trim is black (along with the doors) or if doors are stained a rich, dark brown. Whatever they are, I love them. You have done an amazing job. I love all of the color and your ability to mix in so many colors. I want to live in your dining room and kitchen. Thanks for sharing!

  27. Ugh everything is killer – dying for that green velvet sofa – can’t wait to see more!!!!

  28. Your home and work are amazing!! All the more special comsidering the stressful pregnancy. So glad everyone is happy and healthy in your beautiful home.

  29. Where are those gun chairs from? they are divine! I feel like you did a post on the designer maybe??

  30. amazing and so so so pretty. you made my day. looking forward to seeing more tomorrow!

  31. Oh my goodness, Bailey, the house is STUNNING. I’m loving the Before and After’s, your work on it is incredible. Thanks so much for sharing, I can’t wait to see the rest!

  32. WOW!!!! This is AMAZING! You have such a vision of turning dark and drab into bright, sophisticated, inviting and fun!!! I am amazed at the after!!!!! Thank you so much for inspiring and sharing! You are an inspiration to pull through tough times and to power through and come out with a positive spin done your way! Thank you!

  33. Bailey!!! I love your blog and I love your style! You are an amazing designer! I pinned your sailboat bathroom to one of my pintrest boards yesterday and I did not even know it was your bathroom!!! That does not surprise me though! I love your work! Great Job! And Gracie is adorable!!!!

  34. I don’t even know where to start. Everything is absolutely amazing. Your home is beautiful! I cannot wait to see the rest of the house.

  36. I am in love! Your dining room has to be my favorite room so far. It is just beautiful. Please share the fabric source for the chairs? I just adore how you bring such texture and dimensions to all your designs.

  38. Your house is my most favorite house, EVER! I just love everything! I can’t wait to see the rest of the before and afters!

  39. Can I PLEASE move in with you? I can be a live in nanny and can be your Francois/Franc! I promise to not be a party pooper and to bring swans and use a hair dryer on your tulips during frost-snaps. Please oh please. Amazing. Seriously.

  40. Beautiful. Like everyone else, I wanna marry your dining room. Thanks again, Pete for letting bailey paint your house pink! Your living room walls are so beautiful I desire to make it with them!! Love this house.

  41. Bailey,
    You are so talented!Great job on Mr.Banks!!I love your young,fresh,traditional style!I love your use of color!!I love the whimsy and personality you bring!I get so tired of all the white washed homes they are doing today.Your home says a happy family LIVES here!!
    Keep on being you!!It is helpful for us soon to be 50 empty nest Moms to have you youngsters to keep us a little hip and still challenged!
    Also,you look fab!!All of a sudden you will lose the rest of baby weight,your body takes a while to readjust.Do not beat yourself up.I think the amount of things you get done with a baby is amazing!

  42. Absolutely STUNNING. I recently stumbled upon your blog from a friend and am in love. Where are the yellow gun chairs from? Very excited to see more.

  43. O. M. G. It’s like you literally injected light and joy into that house. The fact that you are able to see that vision and potential in such a dark space is incredible!

  46. OK, I’m kind of obsessed at this point. Wanna know how I know? I’m pouring over houses for sale in the Highland Park area of Dallas looking for fabulous looking 1950’s Eight is Enough houses type of thing and mentally decorating them. Then it’s back to look at the fabulous George Banks again!

  47. Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe it! I am so glad you kept the green sofa fabric! It’s the showstopper of the room. Every little detail is perfection!

  48. Your look is amazing. You should try out for the next season of Design Star. What you’ve got going on is way better than anything I’ve seen on that show.

  49. AMAZING. I love it all. Your house makes me happy and I’m not even living in it. Thanks for taking the time to show us all the details- that chandelier is beyond fabulous!!

  51. Just when I thought it could’nt get any better….and it does. Fantastic!

  52. It is truly beautiful – a perfect mix of beautiful pieces, stunning details and a huge dose of personality. It feels happy! Thanks for sharing – Allison

  53. YESS!! I literally JUST commented on how i would LOVE to see the before and afters on D*S, and then you brilliant woman have them here. Thank you! You did an incredible job, and totally pulled off all the risks you took – which is soo amazing. LOVE IT. I am obsessed with your bathrooms, and am going to straight up copy that amazing ball fringe edged shower curtain. Obsessed. Congratulations on your amazing home, and all you success!

    Raiana
    lifeSTYLE
    Rai Atelier – Etsy Shop

  54. LOVE it all, but especially the entryway & the dining room! Thanks for sharing.

  55. Its SOOOO amazing Bailey. What a transformation. You really made it feel so light and fresh and cozy all at the same time. The subtle accent pieces here and there that are really fun [the gun chairs] are just so unexpectedly perfect! And that pink that you used in your living room – I’ve been toying with the idea of it for my entry for a while and you have me completely sold! Its amazing! Congratulations!

  56. bailey, i know you are getting a crazy barrage of emails, so i’ll get it if this gets lost, but i MUST know what color you used in your dining room. MUST. it’s just what i want in my family room.

    your home is GORGE GORGE GORGE, btw. stupid gorge. ox

  57. Amazing job. Incredible. I love just the way you make things quirky, glamorous and beautifully classic all in one with COLOR. I love color and it seriously brightens everything up. Nice work!!

  58. sigh.

    it’s so pretty. and i am with tobe. what is the damn dining room paint color?!!

    your house is a unicorn.

  59. OK! So I am still working on the pink paint color in the china cabinets…BUT
    The walls are opal essence by Benjamin Moore
    The yellow velvet is DG from Osborne&Little, I don’t have the exact numbah.
    The chandelier is from venicearte.com

    Hope that helps, and when/if I find the china cabinet pink I will let you know!
    xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxxxxxx

  60. ALSO! China cabinets are ethan allen, here
    http://www.ethanallen.com/product?productId=3668569&categoryId=8027
    Green coat rack is from Urban Outfitters
    Paint color on the trims in the entry hall is black benjamin moore, the doors are painted black as well. I don’t know the stain, one of the darkest options.
    The gun chairs were from a store called Mercury in Austin, I got them in college.
    The hummingbird fabric on the chairs is cole&sons

  61. I just found your gorgeous blog via another blog and am so happy as I am now a very happy follower…so inspiring! Have a lovely week xx

  62. I just found your gorgeous blog and am now a very happy follower…so inspiring beautiful work! Have a lovely week xx

  63. I just found your gorgeous blog and am now a very happy follower…so beautifully inspiring! Have a loively week xx

  64. I could sit and look at these pictures all day long. Your home is stunning and your use of color is bold and inspiring. Keep ’em comin!

  65. Congrats!! I’m not the least bit surprised that it’s so stunning, but I’m just amazed that you can find such great painters, upholsterers, drapery workroom, etc. in such a short time. I’ve lived here forever and can’t find the right people.

  67. So I’m studying for the bar (which is why I am just now commenting at 11:27 PM — aka I read your blog when I get done studying aka I love your blog so much), and George Banks has just blown my mind. I love EVERYTHING about it, but, like most have said before, the best thing is seeing Gracie 🙂

  71. Hi! I am IN CRAZY LOVE with your house. (And can openly admit I have a small case of lighting envy towards you.) thank you so much for sharing everything (house, home and, well, personals too….) Man, figures I didn’t find you until now (am in Chicago) but so grateful that I did. It’s all too yummy really. And I love that the picture is called “smoking pussy”, for some reason that makes me like everything a wee bit more!

  73. I love your house! You did such a lovely job and are so talented! I’m so impressed and can’t wait to see more!

  74. Where, oh where, did you get your gorgeous new living room rug? I have been looking for that exact one!

  75. Where, oh where, did you get your gorgeous new living room rug? I have been looking for that exact one!

  76. OK, love love love your living room rug and I’ve been looking for one just like it! Where oh where did you find it?

  78. Just saw your blog on another and am in love with your decor! I just moved as well and this is so inspiring, you share my love for bright color! Can you please tell me where you got the amazing entry way chandelier/light fixture with flowers? If it is one of a kind, i would love your advice on other great lighting sources! Thank you!

  79. Just saw your blog on another and am in love with your decor! I just moved as well and this is so inspiring, you share my love for bright color! Can you please tell me where you got the amazing entry way chandelier/light fixture with flowers? If it is one of a kind, i would love your advice on other great lighting sources! Thank you!

  80. The yellow dining chairs are amazing, and I love all of the upholstery in the living room — your house has blown me away, so much talent!

  81. Your mix of colours and patterns is so exciting and charming…It’s pretty special to get things to look fresh and modern and 50s and retro all at the same time! Can you please tell me where to find that amazing floral printed velvet on the armchairs in the living room?

  82. Hi Bailey! Sorry I’m late to ask you this but I’ve been meaning to ask you forever- where is your hunter green sofa from? And also the navy velvet? They are both to die for!

    thank you!!
    nicole

  83. Love the coral pink in the china cabinets (and everything else!)- any luck finding the color?

  84. I love what you did to the floors as we are looking to do something similar to ours. Did you have them refinished or entirely new flooring put in? How much per sq ft for the floors?

  86. i would love to know if you know the room length that has the fireplace framed by teh two windows. I am dying to get two windows put in my home just like that with a fireplace. I am not sure if it wile be feasabile though.

  87. Love your style! It is beautiful!! What is the pretty green fabric on your couch? Is that a velvet? Thanks !!

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