Hello, hello, hello! I have some exciting news to share with you all today! I've been hand picked by Linda (Calling It Home) as one of 20 design bloggers to participate in the spring edition of One Room Challenge! What in the what?! Yep, 20 rooms are about to get hooked up. Talk about a delicious feast of designs for y'all! It's a six week journey where all designers share their entire process of turning a basic room into something bad and boujee! And for the next five weeks, every Wednesday, we'll be posting each step along the way. It's a very talented roster of designers and I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous, but y'all know I love me a good challenge. You can also join in on the fun as a guest participant, too!

If you're visiting Old Brand New for the first time, welcome! My name is Dabito and I'm a designer and photographer currently living in New Orleans with my heartmate. We bought this home two years ago and we've been having lots of fun updating it on a budget. Check out our bedroom, patio, and sun room for a sneak peek of our house.

We ain't got time to waste so let's get this show on the road! The room we're focusing on is...the dining room! I am finally giving it some major love. It's one of the last rooms (ahem, I'm looking at you, too, kitchen, but that's another story) in our home that isn't pretty or (gasp!) Instagrammable. Let's be real. Like, have you ever seen it on my IG, ever? Lol.

Let's go over some before photos shall we? This is what the dining room looked like when we first moved in. There are no windows but the room has two openings; one leads to the kitchen and the other to the living room so it gets some decent light.

The walls were a light grey color which I later painted to Snowbound. I replaced the nickel chandelier with an even smaller vintage yellow chandelier I found from a thrift store. Fast forward a year later, I updated the dining table to a six top and now the chandelier looks teeny tiny above it.

The dining room essentially became that one room where things go to die, I mean, donated. Omg...I just remembered that one donation scene from Toy Story. So sad! Anywho, the space lacks depth, color, life, and art. And I'm gonna pretend that sideboard looking thing doesn't exist either. I'm so sorry, Buddha. I could do better.

We have lots of work ahead of us but it's totally doable. Crossing fingers everything will arrive in time for the reveal! But before we start, I want to share a few inspiring rooms. They are all over the place in terms of style but that's kinda my jam. Each room has something I love about it. One thing's for certain, there will be color going into this dining room of mine. Yaaas!

Such a gorgeous space. I love the checkered floors with the Beni Ourain rug. The emerald green is absolutely magnificent.

I love these bold and contemporary looks. Dark walls and sumptuous velvet mixed with brass, plus a sculptural chandelier. Into it.

This peachy pink is calling my name. Also, more checkered floors. I don't think I'll be installing any but I love it!

This is very traditional but I dig it. It was built for Thomas Jefferson after all. Can you guess what I love about this room? Hint: it's not the windows although they are beautiful.

So, what do you guys think will work in my dining room? Any faves here? Stay tuned for next week. I'll be sharing plans and mood board with all my furniture and home decor picks!

Catch up on our One Room Challenge!
Week 1 • Week 2 • Week 3 • Week 4 • Week 5 • Week 6