If you’re looking to create a moody, almost candlelit vibe in your space, DIYer Annette Suarez (@moodywhimsicalforest) recommends considering your lighting early. “Moody, cozy rooms rely on good lighting,” she says. “Layer your light sources — overhead lighting alone isn’t enough. Add wall sconces, picture lights, or even a table lamp on a credenza. Don’t wait until the end to think about wiring.”
With sconces, a chandelier, and a candelabra, her dining room, which she shares with her husband, Sergio, is filled with layered lighting and cozy vibes, but it was once an orange and white “cold and outdated” space. “The tiles felt outdated and heavy, and the white walls made the space feel sterile instead of inviting,” Annette Suarez says.
She began her design process with demo and transformed the dining room into a space that “now tells a story with vintage charm and character,” she says.
Goodbye, orange and white.
Knocking down the wall between the dining room and kitchen made everything feel much more open, and eliminating the floor tiles also gave the room a whole new look. “The first thing to go was the terracotta tile,” she says. “It completely dated the space and clashed with the moodier, more intentional look I was going for. Once that was out, it immediately felt like a blank canvas.”
For the new flooring, she selected “warm wood tones [that] instantly made the room feel grounded and inviting,” she describes. “I also added depth to the walls — through paint and subtle trim — and that gave the space a layered, old-world feel.”
Dark, warm tones give the room a cocoon-like feel.
Annette picked green (Benjamin Moore’s Vintage Vogue) paint for the room, and she added picture frame molding to the walls and filled the room with rich wood furniture. Her advice is to look for wood pieces in similar tones.
“If you’re incorporating thrifted or vintage finds like I did — ladder-back chairs, an old credenza, or gallery wall frames — keep a cohesive color palette or tone in mind,” she says. “Otherwise, the room can feel chaotic instead of collected. Look for wood tones that complement each other (not necessarily match), and soften them with textures like fur seat covers, linen runners, or dried florals like pampas grass.”
The DIYer added a vintage-inspired gallery wall.
Above the credenza, Annette added three different-but-matching frames. “Instead of buying new, matching gallery wall sets, I curated a mix of vintage and secondhand frames, many from thrift stores and flea markets,” she says. “I sprayed some to match and kept the rest in their original worn finishes for that collected feel.”
The built-in bookcase was a DIY feat.
One of Annette’s favorite details in the room is the built-in bookcase in the corner. “It was my first time doing something like that, and it changed the entire feel of the room,” Annette says. “Building a corner bookcase was totally worth it for me, but it required more planning and patience than I expected.”
Her takeaways here? Start with a thorough sketch, double-check all measurements, and put in lots of prep work. “And when it comes to wiring or anything structural, bring in help if you’re unsure,” she says. She also recommends bringing your sketch and measurements to the hardware store so they can make the cuts for you “to save time and tools.”
Annette used inexpensive MDF boards, added basic trim for a built-in look, and installed a sconce above it. It all cost $150, including the light fixture — “and the result looks completely custom,” Annette says.
Her total dining room transformation cost was $5,000, and “there’s a sense of history and personality in every corner,” Annette says. “It’s not just pretty — it feels soulful.”