Dining Room Beginnings

First, let me apologize to you if you saw the in-progress post that accidentally got published yesterday.  Finger slip when I was trying to save the draft... oops!!

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As I obsess about focus on some rooms of the house, others seems to be pulling themselves together on their own. The dining room is one that I have been giving little thought to, but its been coming together slowly nonetheless.

Here's where the dining room started:

Here's what it currently looks like with our existing furniture and the curtains from our old bedroom at the apartment:

I was pleasantly surprised how it came together without even trying.  It still needs some love, though...

The Plan so far:

• Mis-matched chairs w/uniform finish and upholstery. +/- 4 standard dining chairs, 1 bench, 2 upholstered chairs for either end of the table.
• New chandelier swagged over the table.  (current one to be refinished and probably end up in the bedroom)
• Decorative paint treatment behind piano.  New paint all walls.
• New curtains.
• Refinish 'liquor cabinet.'  Final location TBD.
• Create built-in china cabinet by kitchen.

At a tag sale over the weekend, I found the first piece (for $5!) of what will ultimately be the collection of mis-matched coordinating seating.

Isn't she pretty? (Yes, I've decided the chair is a 'she.')  She was buried in a garage with other matching and non-matching chairs, but none were in as good a shape as this one.  I want a project, not a gigantic undertaking, so I only bought the 1 in the best condition.

After tag-sale-ing, on a recommendation, I went to a new (to me) fabric store and found Mecca!  (Or at least fabric store Mecca)

...and I fell in love...

....with a fabric!

It wasn't exactly a discount fabric, but it made me stop dead in my tracks.

I needed to own it.

I only purchased 1 yard to start with while I devised a plan for it (and made sure Hubby didn't hate it before I made a big fabric investment).  This gorgeous fabric will most likely be the starting point for the dining room design.  It will upholster the seating and the many fabulous colors in it will find their way around the room.  Every time I walk through the dining room (where I currently have the fabric draped), it makes me smile.  I may take inspiration from John and Sherry over at Young House Love with their 'Sue the Napkin' and name my pretty new textile inspiration.  Maybe something exotic... any ideas?

Chair Tease

$4 at a yard sale and hopefully a priceless outcome... only time will tell. The chair I purchased a few weeks ago got a few coats of fresh white paint over the weekend.  It requires some filler in a few spots and touch-ups in other spots before it gets its finished white lacquer coat (so excited!). I'm hoping to be able to do the touch-ups evenings this week then go Lacquer-happy next weekend.

As a tease, here's what it looked like before and what it looked like after the first coat of white.  Can you see my vision for it??

Now I need to find fabric for the seat so people can actually sit on it!

Idea Storm

Is it possible to have too many ideas swirling around in your head?  At this point, I would say emphatically YES!!  I have so many ideas- for the house- for the yard- for future business ventures- for a friends wedding...  and zero time to actually execute any of these ideas or to come up with the solutions for the unanswered ones.  They keep multiplying and pretty soon there will be an idea avalanche of epic proportions.  Be warned! Lets see if I can unload a few random thoughts/ideas/dilemmas here to start with.

#1. I heart estate sales.

I may have a new addiction.

Pretty bottle + amazing chair to refinish = $5 & 1 giddy buyer (a.k.a. ME)

The bottle is destined to have some jewelry draped on it (for now at least).  The chair's future is somewhat uncertain.  Definitely getting painted and getting a new upholstered seat.  Potentially upholstering the back caned area- that might be a game time decision depending on how the paint comes out.  I'm thinking it would look spectacular in glossy white (don't tell Hubby, he thinks he hates white furniture) with a punchy fabric.  I'm even thinking it might compliment our future Hollywood regency bedroom nicely.  We shall see.  Its currently sitting in the yard waiting to get hosed off.  Once it's cobweb free, it's going to go on an adventure through the house, being carried from room to room to see if it'll live with us or be sold after refinishing (I'm rooting for living with us, its so sexy!).  This project might get done sooner rather than later.  I just need to get a jigsaw (to cut a seat), stapler for upholstery, some spraypaint, some zazzy fabric, and padding for the new seat.

#2. Yard work.

The fantabulous (you heard me) parents are coming up from CT this weekend to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary and help with the yard.  Their idea, I SWEAR!  If the weather allows, we'll be putting some bushes out of their misery to make way for an epic veggie garden in the side yard and better curb appeal in the front.  I know the oversized bland bushes in the front need to go... I just have no idea what to replace them with.  Any ideas?  I want color or texture- something different that will still look decent in the 9 months of winter we seem to get in Massachusetts lately.

#3. Curtains- living room and bedroom.  This is the biggest 'question mark' in my mind right now.

Hi, my name is Karen, and I am severely indecisive.  Here's where I have too many ideas on one topic and I can't make a decision if my life depended on it.

Living room.  I know I want white sheer-ish curtains with a subtle texture which I then plan to add a ribbon of vertical color to.  Great, I have this decided! right?  Close, but not quite.  What white sheer-ish textured curtains do I get?  White crinkle?  Satin stripes? Linen-y stripes? Burn-out circles? I'm forcing myself to answer this week so I can move past this and nix the heavy looking brown curtains living there currently.

Bedroom.  As I mentioned a few times before, its going to be delightfully Hollywood regency (eventually) and I want curtains to reflect that.  I've decided on an accessory color scheme and that I want a simple white comforter with black trim (which will be punched with various patterned pillows).  I can't decided if I want a dark silver luxurious window treatments to compliment the light gray walls, or if I want a bold black and white stripe (or gray and white) that will be complimented by colored accessories, or if I want a lattice-type pattern in a color (particularly yellow).

#4. House guest preparation.

Brian's sister is coming in from NYC this Sunday for a few days- making her our first official house guest!  I only have a few items on my house list before we pick her up from the bus depot.  Also, in addition to my parents semi-frequent visits, Hubby and I have offered to to make Easter dinner- just for my parents & siblings basically, but still our first holiday!  Hubby will take care of the meal and making the plates look Iron Chef-worthy.  I'll make some dessert and make sure the house and table looks as pretty as the plates.  In planning additional house projects, I decided that I needed to pick a date for a housewarming so I would have a date to work toward.  End of May.  Now I have to pick and choose what projects I do first!  One step at a time.  I have to keep reminding myself of that.

#5. Chevron rocks my world.

I need to find a way to incorporate it into the house.  Maybe on the cool new chair above.  Maybe on a throw blanket, or curtains...

As you can see, my mind is pretty blank lately ;-).  Other topics racing through my head include: chandeliers, dining chairs, cat doors, and event planning (just to name a few).  Hopefully I can share all these topics/projects with you as I tackle them.  Are you as excited as I am??

*images via Tonic Living & Apartment Therapy