Yesterday I got a surprise dining room make over. No, Ty Pennington did not show up at my house with a bus and a bullhorn, but an unplanned overhaul did occur. My dining room has needed work since day one, but with a kitchen renovation scheduled for this winter, which involves tearing down a wall between the dining room and said kitchen, I figured I would just wait. The Gods had other plans for me, they sent Erin as their petite messenger, convincing me to buy a table I really didn't even want, but clearly needed. Let's look at the before then I'll tell you the story.
Ok, so it's a pretty sad before, and not just because I can't hold a camera still for half a second. Most of the items in this room got placed there when we moved in and just stayed. Hence the dresser acting as a sideboard and the unhung picture.
I would have moved forward through the next few months with my blinders on if Erin hadn't needed 6 chairs. Let's clarify: Erin has been OBSESSED with finding 6 new chairs to go with her stunning new table in her stunning new dining room. So obsessed, in fact, I've witnessed her squinting her eyes at ebay trying to imagine that some pretty iffy chairs weren't really so bad at all.
Spending her days and nights peaking at any craigslist posting that offered the promise of multiple chairs she forwarded me a listing with this photo:
The price was right ($250) and I wrote back advising her to get the chairs. She responded by saying "I don't want those chairs, you need that table." I denied her claim on both counts, and she countered by insisting that I did, infact need the table. Somehow or another, despite the fact that neither of us wanted the table or the chairs, we decided to purchase the set and split it between us. I got the table.
Since she got the chairs, and I had none to go with my new set-up, I have her tulip chairs on loan until I'm able to find replacements. Should I have kept the chairs? Nope, they look awesome in her house.
All 4 images on the wall are by my friend, Bryan Keplesky. I had planned to put them in the office I'm fixing up for myself, but clearly, they were meant for this room.
And that map that had been leaning against the wall in photo 1? It's frame got a fresh coat of white paint and is now officially hanging on a wall. Well, at least until we tear that wall down.
Note: Overt your eyes from the horrid front door, it is getting replaced as soon as the asshats at the door hardware shop send me the right hardware, unlike the last time where they took 2 weeks to send me the WRONG piece. Photos of that soon I really really hope.