Saturday, July 18, 2015

Unexpected Change

Honestly, I was happy with how my dining room looked.  Ever since we changed it a few years ago, it felt like it all went together well.  I had no plans to do any painting or redecorating in the house this summer.



Until...my brother Tim called me at my mother's house on July 4 to see if we were interested in buying a table he just made. Like, with his own hands, from re-purposed wood.  Ummmm....yeah. Ever since I saw the stuff Tim makes, I've wanted him to make us a dining table.

But then, of course, the dining table didn't work with the rest of the room.  And so--as I had, in fairness, warned my husband might happen if we bought this table--I had to change almost everything else. Wall color. Shelving. Artwork. Curtains. We even replaced the drawer pulls on the secretary (though I didn't think to take a specific picture of that). Only the chairs remain from the room's previous incarnation, and thank heavens that worked (chairs are expensive, even at Ikea). The resulting room looks like this:








It's hard to tell in the pictures, but I went with grey again (gull wing grey, which seemed appropriate for a table from Rockport, MA). The sideboard, shelf, and curtains are from Ikea, and the rest...is mostly stuff I had around, some of it used in new ways. 

I love the table, and I think I am pretty good with the rest of the room.  I'll have to see how it makes it through winter. I never used to like the dining room in winter until its last incarnation.  At any rate, this is it for me with dining tables. I now have one that is sustainable and has character, a story, and a personal connection.  It's not quite as big as the old one (which could seat up to 12 if I put in all the leaves), but I can still fit 8 comfortably, and that's good enough for me.  The room now feels less polished, but the dialed down, less fancy look does a better job of reflecting my casual nature.

Thanks, Tim! 
(And, um, thank you Howard--for putting up with my need to change everything right away.  I am working on that patience thing, but don't quite have it figured out yet.)

6 comments:

  1. Ooh lovely. The natural wood is nice and warm looking and I love the grey, the ceramics too...Great change.
    dx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Debbie! I will definitely have this one forever. Already planning to hand it down to Anya, since she is the one who is sentimental (like me) about these things!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOVE your new dining room! That table!! I have a brother who's amazing with wood as well...perhaps it's time to start dropping hints!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should absolutely drop hints. It took me a couple of years, but it was worth the wait!

      Delete
  4. It's lovely! And I do like the new decor. xo

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know, isn't Tim talented? Hope you are well!

    ReplyDelete