Seeking Inspiration

For me, the renovation process goes something like this:  become frustrated with room -> begin tracking down inspiration -> get super excited and buy supplies -> begin renovation -> realize you don't have all the supplies and get more -> get bored/frustrated -> finally finish a few weeks later. Yeah. Guilty.

Admittedly I do feel extremely proud every time I enter that finished room.  And I do appreciate the huge change that even a coat of paint can make.

But this time I'm going to go in with a more concrete plan than usual and I'm on a deadline.  You see...I've decided that while my fiancee is away at class this weekend, I'm going to repaint our dining room. A week before Thanksgiving. :)  Keep your fingers crossed for me guys!

So we've already decided that we're going to continue the gray paint that we've used in our family room on in through the living and dining room rather than awkwardly trying to split it in one of the corners. Which, yes, could have looked neat, but we decided that we'd take the simple route and use furniture and accessories to make things more exciting.

Sorry for the picture quality...but I'm absolutely in love with those kelly green cushions and that geometric floor!

So...on to the inspiration. I've been Pinning a few gray living rooms and some of the trends I seem to be drawn to are long dark curtains, patterned carpets, and bold dining sets.  We did inherit a dining set from the previous owners, and while I like it, I do think it could use a bit of updating.  I think initially I'll just switch out the cushion fabric, but this picture has me reaching for some paint in a major way...

So in the meantime, I'm going to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Hopefully all goes well and my fiancee will come home to a nice surprise. Hopefully. :) I'll keep you posted.

So how about you...where do you look for inspiration? Any tips for the remodeling process?