Creating A More Welcoming Dining Room | Home Lighting Makeover

My family and I live in a duplex and have a small dining area that basically consists of a couple cabinets and a rectangular shaped table and chairs set. I had never really thought about decorating the dining area since I have young kids, including a 3 year old who can make a mess out of anything he is eating. Recently I had the chance to makeover my dining room area and GE Lighting sent me some coupons for light bulbs since no room is complete without light. (This is sponsored but all thoughts are my own, as they always are.)

Lucas and I went shopping at our local Walmart and I ooh’d and ahh’d over all of the things I’d love to put in my kitchen and dining area. Colorful mixers, glass cake plates, ceramic bowls… I saw all of the possibilities of what a dream dining space and kitchen could be like and then I came back to reality. I remembered that my space I was working in was small and that I had two little adorable boys who would be touching anything that was within reach. Most of those beautiful things would have to wait but I could do something nice with the space I did have.

I also looked in the lighting area. There were shelves full of light bulbs. Honestly I normally just find cheap light bulbs and am out of the aisle in less than a minute but since I had coupons I actually looked at my options. GE had a great value back of light bulbs for a little over $8 but I chose to get the GE Reveal® light bulbs that came 2 for $12 because of the picture displayed on the front of the box. I liked the idea of having bright, beautiful lighting in my home as opposed to the lighting that is pictured on the left.

Along with the light bulbs I came home with a few things for the dining area including a tiered fruit stand. I have always wanted one and though the bowls are breakable I think it’s sturdy enough to withstand my family. I found a plaque that talked alluded to the fact that I don’t cook that often and some flameless candles (remember those little hands?). I also was thrilled to find some cute decorative jar carriers on clearance that people who can fruits and vegetables probably use that I thought would work to hold bowls of condiments, appetizers, and trifle dishes for dessert. The last thing I decided upon were some colorful tablecloths to add a splash of color to the room.

Once I decorated the boys loved adding fruit to our fruit bowls. Then it was time to change the lighting. Look at what our lighting situation looked like before:

We had a mixture of energy efficient spiral bulbs and regular light bulbs. One of the bulbs had burnt out a few weeks back and we hadn’t gotten around to changing it. The fixture was also dusty so Sinisa cleaned it up a bit and added our new light bulbs. I’d really love to change the fixture but we rent so we are stuck looking at this one every day.

Wondering how much difference the lighting in a room makes? Check out this “before” and “after” picture!

We sat in our newly decorated dining room as a family for the first time yesterday and it was so nice! I had never wanted to sit there before but now I welcome the chance to sit in there. It’s well-lit and it feels inviting with the personal touches I added. One other bonus? We’ve been eating more fruit since it’s prominently placed on the table and I think this whole makeover to our dining area is going to help me lose weight! After we ate dinner I was still hungry but instead of reaching for seconds I helped myself to a small orange. Once I had peeled it and eaten it I was no longer hungry. Who knew that decorating could help you in the weight loss department, too ;)

I normally wouldn’t take time to makeover a room since I always put my wants low on my to-do list so I’m so thankful to GE Lighting and Collective Bias for the push I needed! Now I’m excited to redecorate every room in my home!

(Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and GE Lighting #cbias #SocialFabric #GELighting)