If you have a Jewish home, chances are your dining room gets put to good use: weekly Shabbat meals, holidays . . . the list goes on and on. Here are some tips to get a gorgeous dining room without breaking the bank. Maybe you’re newly wed, and were given Bubbie’s old dining room set. Or, you may have existing dining room furniture that just needs a fresh look and updating.

Three words: Used furniture. Paint. I’ve painted tons of furniture over the years, and it’s not hard—you just need to be sure you’re using the right type of paint. Ask an assistant at your local paint store to be sure. Take a look at these examples and you’ll see what I mean . . .


After painting the table and cabinets white, the homeowner gave the chairs and back of the shelves a few coats of coordinating blue paint. It totally transformed ho-hum brown furniture into a more updated and fresh look.


We’ve all seen large china cabinets like this one. They tend to look heavy in the original brown wood, but brush on a few coats of cream-colored paint and it magically looks like a new piece of furniture. Adding new brass pulls and knobs and some modern chevron paper on the back adds to the updated look.

In my own home, I transformed a large dresser I found on Craigslist for $35 (really!) into a sideboard. I find a sideboard so helpful—the perfect place to put Shabbat candles, and the large drawers hold my tablecloths, cloth napkins, Shabbat candles and more. Here is a shot of the before . . .


After several coats of high-gloss orange oil paint, I had this . . .


Here is another sideboard I found for $50 on Craigslist and transformed for a smaller dining room . . .


And the after . . .


I found the wicker caning sheets and new ring pulls online.

In the photo below, you’ll notice that all the wood chairs are different . . .


But by painting them all glossy white, they look like they belong together. This is a really inexpensive way to furnish a dining room, since you can find mismatched wood chairs just about anywhere for a song.

Below, more old chairs are painted white and upholstered with new fabric seats.(This is super-easy to do with a staple gun.) They look so fresh and modern, especially against the wallpaper.


How about Shabbat candles? They don’t have to be purchased from a fancy Judaica shop.


Here, the homeowner put together a wonderful eclectic look—a mix of antique and silver candlesticks resting on a large tray she found at Target! I find Marshalls also a great place to find candlesticks and trays.

The bentchers (Grace After Meals prayerbooks) are gathered in a square basket designed for napkins, perfect to hold these books.


Lighting Shabbat candles every week means that you’re going to need a lot of matches. Why keep them in the box they came in? They can be slipped into spice bottles, like I did here . . .


Here’s how they are made . . .


Buy some stick matches and spice bottles. (I found mine for a dollar each at Bed Bath and Beyond.)

Cut sandpaper to glue to either the top or bottom of the jars.


I used some washi tape to decorate the rims of the bottle caps.


You’re done!