February 10, 2007
making a dining room
The last room downstairs gets a light and furniture, though we still need to paint…
The room that we’ve long called the future dining room was the first room that we gutted (with the mummified rats falling from the ceiling) and the first room that we saw peeking through a window when we originally found the house. This is also the room that had the fungus growth. Looking back it is freaking amazing that: 1) the room has turned into something nice, and 2) we didn’t just burn the fucker down and move away.
We’ve recently been able to start to put together the dining room. Neither of us have had a dining room before, it feels somewhat like faking being an adult. In the three years that we’ve been living here, we’ve had to eat on the porch or at a restaurant to eat at a table.
The table came first, bought new. Without chairs it gathered dust for a week or two.
The hutch and the chairs were found most recently at a local 2nd-hand store. The chairs were $10/each, the hutch was $50. It really did feel like we were stealing them…
The hutch is heavy & we’re trying to figure out what the vintage might be. The wood may be cherry or oak, and the doors are attached with piano hinges. We’re also looking for something on which to place the hutch. Knowing the age might make that easier.
We also got curtains up. This changed the feel and sound of the room dramatically. Anything that hides the house next door is a good thing.
It’s beautiful. Of course anything is better than mummified rats, but I know that R will be able to work her magic with paint and decor. Let me know when I should come over for dinner!
I’ve read a couple posts today that made me laugh out loud and yours was one of them (it was the burning down the house comment).
Your dining room is turning out so nice and gives me lots of hope for my own. Someday, in a few years, it might be finished.
Also, your furniture is beautiful and what a bargain! I got a set of six chairs very similar to yours at a garage sale this past summer. The style is Duncan Phyfe I believe.
I looooove your dinning room. Everything looks so perfect together. the hutch is beautiful and it looks like it will store alot. How wonderful! We felt like fake adults when we first ate in our dinning room too. You should sit on opposite ends of the table with tall candle sticks burning in between you!
this kind of transformation gives me faith in humankind. maybe you’d like to take over and administer iraq, it’d be a piece of cake after this.
Now comes the toughest chore - selecting the colors! Looks great! What should we bring over this weekend to eat?
How come Betsy always responds first? Do you send her a heads-up? Can’t wait to see HER new site!
I dunno how she does it — the time zone thing, maybe?
Chicken with no bones is always popular :)
Hey! Your table looks a lot like the one we bought when we moved into this place a year ago. :) Did you get it at Pier1?
The table is from Crate and Barrel, actually.