Wednesday, May 25, 2011

dining room stuff and stuff

i had been working on this beautiful post of dining room inspiration photos all day yesterday and when i got home last night i went to add a few more things and POOF! 3/4 of the post was gone including the bulk of the text. Uhhhh. so i decided to scrap it and start anew today. why dining rooms you ask? well because when we bought this house in the contract i decided to ask the sellers for their dining room table and chairs because it was clear the dinky little table we owned at the time would have been dwarfed by the new space and this was a quick no-cost band aid for us in the meantime. the table, while big and beautiful was never anything i would have picked in like a zillion years and yes it looked nice, boy was it impractical! we learned quickly the the giant iron scroll legs underneath didn't leave much room for our own legs. it seems like a small thing but when you're eating 3 meals a day there it gets pretty annoying when you chair is constantly tangled with the table and you're knees have permanent bruises. so onward and upward but never with out a low-cost plan. i had explored a few options over the last week. everything from taking our existing table to a friend and having new legs put on  (the chairs then wouldn't have worked) to visiting a place that beautifully paints estate sale furniture (it was unknown when if ever they would get something that worked for us and i'm not that patient), to thrift stores, garage sales, internet (i hate to pay shipping) and finally to the mall.

{BEHOLD} the wonderful world of floor samples! it's always hit or miss but i figured it couldn't hurt to check so i packed up Lucy after lunch yesterday and headed first to Pier One (totally disappointed by the quality) and then to the mall. i hit Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware first but no luck so i hiked to Crate and Barrel on the other side. BAM! like a bolt of lightening there she was waiting for me. i had set out to find a cream or white table but this was a deal i couldn't pass up.

The Arbus Extension Table retails for $1999 and lets just say i paid under $600. like i said with that price tag for solid oak i'd work with it. i should mention part of my challenge when looking was finding something large enough for our family. while there are only three of us right now we like to entertain and we plan on having more children someday. this table seats up to 8!
no way did i purchase those matching chairs- way to pricey and formal for us. right now i'm trying to decide to paint the table or leave it be. either way i need to find some low cost chairs that work well with the table the way it is right now but would also compliment a white table in the future. i love the look of the garden chairs at the table below. they seem super practical for families. 




i'm bending towards this one from Home Decorators Collection which sells for just $99 each but it pains me to pay $35 A CHAIR to have them shipped. so i may hold out for a shipping sale. i like the idea of lining the sides of the table with them and then do something girly and fancy for end chairs. 







i promise once everything comes together i'll share photos. i'm still painting the moldings in there too so it will be quite a little transformation. hope your week is rolling along!



Sarah

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