House Beautiful

On the prowl: Dining Room Tables

Trolling for the perfect dining room table to sit on that rug / below that jug above is no easy task, I’m coming to find.  I always kind of thought that the perfect one would magically appear on the side of the road, and when I caught a glimpse of it, I would just screech across 5 lanes of traffic, toss it on top of my hooptie, and drive it home.  You know…  something chunky and farmhouse-y, with oversized turned legs, the perfect patina, and something made out of reclaimed pine or old barn wood.  But even though being the trash lady is fun, I think this time I might (gulp) have to spring for one.  And the sooner I get a real table, the sooner I can move my “office space” out of the dining room…  Did a bomb just go off in my house??  It might’ve.  I bet my parents are so proud.  And yes – that is a tub of butter.  What.

Since I have a garage full of projects already and zero time to do them, this is probably not going to be a junk-and-refinish endeavor.  This time, I may have to actually scour for and invest in a piece I really love.  Care to weigh-in?  Here’s what the guts of the room and the in-progress-space look like…

{TWO CLAPS FOR MY FRIEND ALISON FOR HELPING ME PAINT THIS ROOM.  The girl’s dangerous with the extend-a-roller.  Ceiling:  Benjamin Moore’s Green Wave.  Walls: Lemme get back to you on that.}

{POTTERY BARN’S CLIFT GLASS PENDANT – giant, jug-esque and awesome}

{Photo of my oldest friend’s little boy, Simon + antique green glass candlesticks + favorite piece of all time, scored at Habitat for Humanity in 2004 for $125}

{Rugs USA’s Violet Overdyed Rug, scored at 75% off.  Money.}

{Tufted linen chairs – the perfect shade of chocolate-y grey.  From Nest Furniture on Clark in Chicago.}

{Bad a$$ alabaster and funky flower lamp, scored last month at a local antique shop for $50 bones}

{Curtain fabric options…  leaning toward Schumacher’s Ambala Paisley in Oyster on the left}

{The loveseat waiting to be recovered in burlap linen, with a long lumbar to be made out of that navy & cream Lee Jofa Threads linen piece via Shannon at the Designer’s Attic}

{Mini-wall of family photos – of both my mom and dad’s side around the dinner table…  a giant antique spoon – that’s for you, Hoover…  and a napkin with directions to my favorite restaurant in Florence, Italy written out for us by an obliging local}

{It’s a hot mess now, but it’ll clean up good later…  Right??}

Sidenote:  Don’t you love how Gus has injected himself into almost every picture??  À la the gnome in Amélie.  Anyhow, my options for tables are as follows:

1.  OLD FARMHOUSE BEATER WITH CARRERA MARBLE TOP. Pipe dream, people.

2. CHUNKY AND AWESOME. Do not love the nailhead/metal detail though.  Nor do I love the $1340 price tag (on eBay). 3. RECLAIMED TEAK TABLE… love the wood, don’t know if I love that that silhouette is everywhere right now.  $899.

4.  WORLD MARKET. Eh. Meh.  $500.

5.  LOVE THE CHUNK, LOVE THE PATINA. No longer available at Pottery Barn.  That solves that.

6.  CRAIGSLIST FIND. Homemade.  Feel like Paul Bunyan made it.  $800 but he said he’d “deal.”  Jury’s out.

7. LONG OVAL MASTERPIECE, from Celadon Home in Mt. Pleasant, SC.  I think I just let out a little pee…  If you haven’t been to Celadon yet, it’s honestly worth a trip to Charleston.  With a U-Haul.  $2200 though…  yeek.

8.  SWEET PATINA if I’ve ever seen one.  Not in love with the shape, though.

I’m leaning towards #1 (if I could find it), #5 (if I could sell my left nut to buy it), and #7 (there went my right nut).  Penny for your thoughts, anyone?

Signed,

If anyone needs me, I’ll probably be sanding in the backyard after all  🙂

(aka)

13 Responses to “On the prowl: Dining Room Tables”


  • Oh Steph, without a doubt #7. I’ve had it in my head for about a year now that you’re getting hired to design my living room in the next year or so!! Seriously, get #7!

  • Steph @ CovetLiving

    Nik: That one IS awesome, right?? I just called the store (I used to work at Celadon in Charleston 100 years ago) and they can still order it for me. Love ya for weighing in, and you are ON for your living room! 😉 XO, Steph

  • Is the glass light from Pottery Barn. That’s one of the one’s I was thinking about doing over the table I sent you…the pendants have to go to though.

    • Steph @ CovetLiving

      Hey Whit! YES – it is the one from PB. I really, really love it. It looks more like the giant vintage / handblown jugs than something shiny and squeaky and mass-produced from PB. Has some character – I bet it would go great in that space. Maybe over the breakfast table (?) Not sure about the island… we will have to pow wow on that.

  • I just love your style — probably because it mirrors mine! Every piece has a story or is a curb find that look like they were meant to be together. I know I’m not a friend but I’m diggin’ table #7, too. Keep us posted on the end result. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

    • Steph @ CovetLiving

      JB (!) You gem. Thank you so much for the kind words, for reading our little blog, and for weighing in! Will definitely let you know how it turns out 🙂 xo

  • Stephanie,
    Check out a couple of sites:
    Noir Furniture http://www.noirfurniturela.com
    Dovetail dovetailfurniture.info

    I have an account with Noir – not sure if you have your resale if not I could help you out. Good options in that fabulous style but not too outrageously priced (at least for trade or people who know people!). Otherwise #7, without a doubt!! Love the Schumacher print too, big fan of Schmacher everything 🙂 – good luck!

    • Steph @ CovetLiving

      Kristin: I LOVE Noir, and freaking love you too girl. Will look right now – don’t have a resale anymore, so that’s super nice of you… Hope you are doing great! Stay tuned and thanks so much for the note!

    • Steph @ CovetLiving

      PS: #7 is Dovetail (!) Have always loved that vendor too. Will check out both – mwah!

  • Hi! I came across your website on Pinterest after looking up Pottery Barn glass pendant for the 100th time. Love your style, really love the fabric choices for redoing the chair. I do have a question about the glass pendant. Does it give off enough light? I’ve obsessed for 6 months about buying it and this month I’m finally doing it! Anything you don’t like about it? I really appreciate your feedback!

    • Hey Sarah! OMG, I love this light. I think the bulb is a 100 watt max… mine is hanging in a room that gets tons of sunlight now, but used to be hanging in a darkish living room, and it was always plenty of light – especially because it’s just glass with no “shade,” per se. I put it on a dimmer, which works really nicely. I would definitely recommend it, but I would definitely also recommend layering some ambient light in the room as well (table lamps, etc). Hope this helps!! Thanks for reading! XO, Steph

  • Hey Stephanie it’s Sarah again! So I got my light and it’s installed and it is gorgeous! But, it looks foggy/dirty with the light on. Did yours look like that? Thanks!

    • Steph @ Covet Living

      Hey Sarah! So glad to hear you got it. And, yes I did notice that. I have to keep a bottle of Windex handy and wipe it down inside & out every few days. So, it’s a little high-maintenance, but still so so pretty!

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