My mother had my father scrape the linoleum off the dining room floor. Seeing the floor was made of old, wide barn planks, she had him refinish the floor. Sanded and stained them a dark mahogany. I kid you not, he put at least 6 coats of poly on them.

Then, she and my dad yanked all the dark wood paneling off the walls. She Painted wainscot a country blue and they installed that to chair rail height. She found some flowered wallpaper that had the same country blue in it and up that went capped with country blue painted molding at the top of the wall.

The old fashioned dining room set wouldn't work now. Chrome table with red chairs. Think 50's dining. They went to an unfinished furniture store and bought a huge wood harvest table with 4 chairs and 2 capt chairs. Dad used the same stain on them that he used on the dining room floor with another 6 coats of polyurethane. She made her own table runner and placemats in the same country blue. Let's not forget the humongous braided rug for under the table. Plus two smaller ones.

Dad later regretting the poly after my sister and I went crazy with the furniture polish and turned the dining room floor into our personal sock slide arena!

She didn't stop there. Next up, her bedroom! She basically did the same treatment there. Floors included. Except she painted her walls the country blue and made her own country wall border from the leftover wallpaper from the dining room. Of course she had to buy new bedding to match and a huge braded rug for under the bed.

I was so sick of "country blue" I never wanted to see it again.