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)
(Clockwise from top left: Venice, my home away from home/Santa Monica Beach with mags, the hubby, and a boogie board/My newest sweater, courtesy of Urban Outfitters/Flan from Mercado – touted as the “best flan in the universe” – it is.)
