New Dining Room Table

Just a few short months ago my dining room had a $10 laminate table that I had picked up from the ReUse Center and some Ikea folding chairs. Not exactly classy, but it got the job done. 

In June I upgraded my chairs when I found an awesome deal on Craig's List for a set of eight Lowe Chocolate Leather Side Chairs from Crate and Barrel for $500. They were beautiful, super comfortable and such a great deal (normally $199 each) that I couldn't pass them up. After that my dining room looked like this:

I was ecstatic about the chairs but it made my table seem even worse. The table is laminate with some white paint spatters on top that required me to always keep it covered. On top of that, the table legs kept me from pushing the chairs at the head of the table in and even then, only six out of the eight chairs fit around it.

The last straw indicating that my junky old table needed to go was when I bought Super Couch. I have an open floor plan on my first floor so my dining room and living room are one big open space. Super Couch encroached into the dining space a little more than my old couch so I needed a table that wasn't as wide so people could still get around the table comfortably. Here is a picture of the sectional right after I bought it where you can see the dining area behind it a bit.

Being the logical engineer that I am, I had been thinking about the criteria I wanted in a table ever since I bought my new chairs back in June. I definitely wanted something that could seat eight people. I was also leaning toward getting a trestle table so I didn't have to worry about the legs limiting the chair locations. I also wanted something a bit narrower so that with the table centered under the dining room light (which is aligned with the bay windows) I would have three feet between the table and the sectional. My remaining item on my wish list was that the table would have leaves. I like to set up my Christmas tree in the bay window so having the flexibility to be able to make the table a little smaller to accommodate the tree is important to me.

I did some searching around and found a table that fit the bill perfectly. The Arcadia Extension Table at Cost Plus World Market was a trestle table (check!) and narrower than my old table at 36" wide (check!). It also had two leaves (check!) and extended to 96" to fit eight people (check!).

Being a cheapskate I had to think about it a while since it was $699. Last week I got a 25% coupon for furniture by email from Cost Plus World Market (making the table $525) so I decided that I couldn't pass the deal up and it was time to finally get it.

Frank helped me pick up the table (it wouldn't fit in my little hatchback) but with work being busy I didn't have time to set it up until last night. Frank is out of town, but being the stubborn person that I am I set it up by myself ignoring the instruction's warnings that it is a two person job. Luckily I'm pretty strong for a short girl and I managed to get it done. The only thing I had to do differently from the instructions was that after I built the base I put the top on and attached the bolts from under the table since I assessed the situation first and knew that building it upside down and flipping it over was not an option for me by myself.

In the past I have gotten into some scrapes by mistaking my determination for actual strength and ability which leads me to try to do things alone that I really shouldn't. Case in point: attempting to move a piece of 5/8" thick 4' x 8' sub-flooring into place over some joists by myself resulting in slipping and falling through the joists catching myself under the arm. I wasn't badly hurt but I had a huge red line running across my shoulder through my armpit and was a little sore for a while. Not my finest moment, but since then I've tried to be better about asking for help when I need it, although it is still hard for me since in my mind I am as tough as a 6' tall construction worker.

With the table built I couldn't wait to get the chairs around it to see how it looked together. I feel like a real adult now that I have proper dining table and chairs. The paint splattered laminate table has served me well, but there is something nice about a solid wood table.

I took some pictures this afternoon of the final arrangement. I have trouble taking pictures of the dining room because the bay windows and the pass through from the kitchen wash out everything near them and make the rest of the room look dark. It looks so much nicer in person.

I really like the contrast between the clean, tailored look of the leather parsons chairs and the rustic look of the table. I couldn't be happier about the table and it was worth the wait to get exactly what I wanted. I just need to make up an excuse to have a dinner party now...

From this angle it looks a little crowded but I actually have over three feet between the table and the sectional, just like I wanted.

Still on my to-do list in the dining room is to paint the trim white, maybe change the wall color, replace the free standing buffet with and a built-in and add a little artwork. It is definitely starting to come along, though!

What do you think about the new table? Have you made any fun furniture purchases lately? Did you wait until you were 35 to buy a proper dining table like me because you are a cheapskate? Have you ever accidentally injured yourself during a home improvement project? Do you have any suggestions about how to photograph a room with a window causing lighting issues?

P.S. If you are interested, check out some of my other dining room posts here: New Dining Room Chairs, Bamboo Blinds for my Dining Room, Dining Room Bookshelf Souvenir Collection and Dining Room Then & Now

Living Room Side Table Makeover

On Saturday I dropped off two donation boxes at the Ann Arbor ReUse Center full of household goods that I had purged from my home. While I was there I couldn't resist looking around a bit and I picked up a cute but very battered little end table for $5.

I have wanted a table to go on the end of my love seat in my living room for a while, but I needed something with a small footprint since I don't have much space. I think the little table I found was meant to be a plant stand but it is just the right size for my purposes. The height is great and now I have a spot for guests to place a drink when I am entertaining at my home.

The table was sturdy and the wood was in good shape, but the cream paint finish was grungy and quite poorly applied. I cleaned up the table and gave it a coat of spray primer followed by two light coats of spray paint in Spring Sprout.

Once I let the table dry for a day I decided to add some paper to the bottom shelf for fun. I measured the shelf and then cut a piece of teal chevron scrapbook paper down to a square of the right size. The shelf attaches to the legs at an angle so I needed to trim off the corners to make the paper fit. I placed the paper on the shelf and then folded the paper up where it hit the leg. This gave me a guideline for trimming the corners and ensured a perfect fit.

I think that the table turned out really cute and I can't beat the price of less than $11 ($5 table + $4.98 spray paint + $0.89 paper). It looks really bright and cheerful now.

The table fits wonderfully next to my love seat. I thought that the little shelf would be the perfect place to display the vintage camera that I picked up at a little flea market in Shanghai, China. It isn't in working order but when I saw it I couldn't resist buying it, loving taking photos as much as I do. My favorite part about it is that it actually has markings on it indicating that it was manufactured in Shanghai. 

Have you made over anything recently? Are you up to any spray painting? I think I must spray paint something once a week. It's a compulsion I tell you!

This post is linked to the "Thrift It Challenge" on Our Fifth House.