As you know, H and I came from a small apartment in NYC which was not big enough for a dining room set. We actually got this folding/slide out table from IKEA which worked really well for us. Fit perfectly in the small space as a 4 top but could extend to seat up to 6 people. Great for game nights. : ) We also purchased 4 white chairs from Target (similar) that were super cheap and very thin. They easily fit flush under the table giving us way more room to move around the space. However, when we moved into the new house we put that same table in our dining room and just started laughing! The table was soooooo small in comparison to the large room, it just looked sad. We knew we would have to get an "adult" dining room set at some point but it quickly moved up to the sooner rather than later list. So we kept our eyes out wherever we went.
The tough part about having a contemporary/transitional style (yes transitional is a style - a cross between contemporary and traditional) is that everything is a clean line. Now, don't get me wrong, I live for clean lines. There's something about that crisp, elegant look that makes me smile. But when it comes to furniture, it can sometimes also mean boring. All the "contemporary" dining room tables we were finding looked like office furniture, very plain-jane, no character, nothing. I wanted something with a little bit of style and uniqueness, but nothing too over the top. Of course, it always happens that what I am looking for just so happens to be hard to find (or expensive).
Well after going to literally every furniture store in the area, we finally found a table that we agreed upon at Ashley Furniture. It was a dark espresso color with some detailing on the top where the wood grain meets at the center and it had very nice legs - yep, my table has nice legs : ) The only problem was that the chairs that went with the table were just - ok. My original thought was to find chairs somewhere else down the road but after searching everywhere for a table, I was just tired of looking, and H was tired of me saying, "It's really nice, but..." So we looked around the show room and sure enough we were able to find a chair style that we liked from a different set, pulled a few over to the table and they worked! If you look very close you can see there is a slight difference in the wood color/stain but who is really gonna look that closely?
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| Here you can see a little bit of the detail on the legs : ) |
We also found our "adult" bedroom set that day, but that is another story for another post. There is a buffet style table in the dining room too that was from H's Great Aunt who passed about a year ago now. I wish I would have had more time to get to know her, but she seemed like a wonderful woman. She did a lot of traveling and collected paintings and furniture from her journeys. This table is such a unique item with a slate top and iron detailing, it really is a great piece of furniture. We just have to find the right place for it. For now, it works great here in the dining room with a few personal touches.
We painted this room using Anonymous by Behr. A great blue/grey color that really pops against the chair rail and crown molding. We also used this color to paint the inside wall of the coffered ceiling to give the room some added height. Now, disregard the curtains, they are way too short but I just love the sheer pattern. I am hoping to move these upstairs when we find something that works for this space. Or maybe we can just find two benches that can go under each window so it is not so noticeable.
Another item on our "to purchase" list is a new light fixture. Something more modern with a bit of bling : ) Maybe like this or this? And of course artwork or photos for the walls other than the one mirror, but that will all come in time. The mirror was a great HomeGoods find though, only $40!
So here is what our to do list looks like for this room:
- Paint top half of chair rail and ceiling
- Purchase table and chairs
- Buy new light fixture
- Find a great rug to make the space feel cozy
- Buy two fabric end chairs
- Buy and hang a large mirror on the back wall
- Add artwork/wall decor
- Install wainscoting on the bottom half of walls
- Purchase and install window hardware
- Hang window treatments <- we just need to find longer ones
Not too bad. And for now, this room is done until we find those details that we love (and of course at a good price). I know this is a room we don't use that often, but it is what you see first when you walk into the house so having this space more or less finished helps makes a good first impression. Plus, now we have a great space for the upcoming holidays to host family dinners. You guys know how I love to cook : )
Check back for updates!
JP
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