Condo Update: Dining Table

As I near the end of my third month of living in my house I’m slowly beginning to see improvement. Like they always say “one step at a time”. The step this week was getting a much needed dining table. While I do my fair share of eating at the coffee table (currently I still don’t have one so it’s more like eating in my chair) it would be nice to have a big table to spread out on instead of balancing my plates in my lap.

I’m pleased to introduce you to the newest member of the furniture family at my house, McDougall the Pub Table! (Excuse my little doggy gate that made a small appearance next to the counter there)

If you recall there was literally nothing in this space before. Just some great walking around room. Even my little wine rack was empty which might possibly be the saddest part of it all. Especially considering I used to work in the wine industry. Like there’s not a single bottle in there.

Okay, I’m going to get on my soap box for just a moment. When you move into someplace new you need to remember that you do not have to go broke trying to get all your furniture at once. Ryli, my roommate, decided in the beginning she wanted to be responsible for furnishing the dining area, which I was all for. I don’t know if any of you have roommates, but I’ll tell you one thing it’s nice to divvy up furniture responsibilities. I was responsible for the things I brought from the last apartment and I now have to buy a coffee table and an entertainment center and Ryli took on the dining area and the living room rug. I also think it’s easy to divide the home into “areas” or pieces of furniture you’re each individually responsible for purchasing because you don’t have to decide in the end who gets what, unless of course you want to. It’s as simple as saying “hey I paid for that so I’m takin’ it with me!”

Back to the condo update. Ryli scored this pub table from where else? Craigslist, for only $250. It came with the table and four stools plus two counter height bar stools. She surprised me with it yesterday and said she wavered between a couple different styles. So with higher tables and barstools with backs to smaller tables with just two seats. When she went in to pick it up she was a little unsure about the height because she thought it would be bigger than it was, but I think it’s the perfect height. It doesn’t cut off the line of sight from the kitchen to the living room. It’ll also just the right size to fill the space which is actually a little smaller than I originally thought.

I had a little fun setting the table with the things I found around the house. Ryli is planning on getting some new place mats and things to match the rest of our decor a little better. Maybe some sparkly purple ones, who knows? Here’s a little close up of my make shift place settings.

Aren’t those flowers so bright and fun?! My sweet man friend brought them to me the other night. Me and Ryli are both envisioning flowers with a little less color as a permanent resident on the table, she’s thinking white calla lily’s and I’m thinking more white gardenias. We’ll see where we land. The beauty of flowers is they can always be replaced for an instant update.

Here’s a view from behind the counter. See how it doesn’t cut the line of sight off?

One of the best parts? A nearly full wine rack!

Which doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the new table other than they’ve both made small little changes to my life. I’ve just slowly been picking up a bottle here and there every time I go to the store. Next on my list to update for this room is this uber-traditional chandelier.

To put it politely, I am not in love with it. I’ve actually already purchased a new chandelier to replace it. I’m just a little unsure as to what my next step needs to be. We’ll just go ahead and label me as a novice electrician.

What pieces have you added to your home lately? Is anyone in the mid-move/mid-house-purge stage? Just take it one step at a time. Comment on this post for a chance to win a Sidequik computer document holder!