Dining Room Planning: The Before

I’ve wanted a new kitchen table for YEARS now. I decided to hold off though, because I didn’t want to be the kind of mom who freaked out when her kid played with matchbox cars on the table. Then, I held off more, because I didn’t want to be the kind of mom who freaked out when her kid colored or painted on the table. And then I held off because tables are expensive and I never found one that was exactly what I wanted.

For a while I was eyeing up a local table builder who makes tables from reclaimed wood. However, I had two big issues with his designs… First, he always had such big unwieldy pedestals holding the table top up and I just felt like it was taking up too much room for my long-legged family. The second issue with the reclaimed wood is that the planks of wood had small spaces where they butted up against each other… or as I call them, CRUMB CATCHERS.

So, I waited and waited and would occasionally scour the internet for a ‘farmhouse’ kind of table. And NOW I’m finally pulling the trigger on an order, so I wanted to give you a sneak peek!

Here is our current table set up:

I took this photo on a super rainy day, so the whole thing is a bit darker than normal.

The china cabinet is very dark, but the wood is too gorgeous to ever paint. Rather than having a dark table and chairs set, I want to lighten it up a bit. Also, the current table is a bit stubby looking, so I was looking for one that was longer to give us some more elbow space.

Finally, the rug has to go. I had put it there to break up the room a bit to make more of a dining area (our kitchen is a huge open kitchen on the other side with an island). But it’s gotten dirty and worn over the years. I was thinking about getting rid of the rug altogether, but then I remembered that it is hiding a hole in the floor from when the previous owners had the island over on this side of the room and electrical cords running into the floor.

And here is what I’m looking at:

Sources: GrainWoodFurniture.com, WestElm.com, and Wayfair.com

Dining table: Grain Wood Furniture, Valerie Dining Table in Driftwood, $399

Dining chairs: West Elm Windsor Dining Chair, set of 2 for $199

Rug: Wayfair Alicea Striped Flatweave 5×8’ rug, $126.99

I originally found the dining table on Overstock.com, but I dithered around for so long that they sold out of the finish I wanted. I then did a google search using the full name of the product and found the website of the company that makes it. I was surprised that they are based nearby(ish) in Virginia and even more surprised that their price was $100 less than the Overstock price!

The reason I like this table is because it is 100% solid wood with no particle board or MDF. The top is distressed, which keeps it from feeling/being too precious. And since it’s actual wood and not a veneer, any extra dents or wear will just add to the charm of it. Rather than a pedestal or rail along the bottom of the table for support, it has four legs giving us ample room for our legs.

I knew I wanted to pair the rustic farmhouse table with more traditional classic black Windsor chairs. However, there are like a billion options of Windsor chairs out there to pick from. Believe me, I had windows open on my computer for Wayfair, Pottery Barn, Overstock, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, Amazon and more.

I finally decided on the Windsor Dining chairs from West Elm for a few reasons. They are more modern with a straight back (rather than curved). The price was $199 for two chairs, and they were on sale so they ended up totaling $338 for 4 chairs. My runner-up choice at Pottery Barn was $179 per chair, which would have totaled $716 for 4 chairs. So yeah, I liked the chairs better and the price was right. Also, I checked the return policy and if I end up hating them in person, I can drop them off at a West Elm about 45 minutes away for a free return.

As for a rug, I really like the indoor/outdoor rug I bought for my sun room and I wanted something similar. I searched and searched for the most neutral stripe possible and I think I found it with this indoor/outdoor rug in ‘mushroom’ stripe. It’s hard to tell though until I put everything together, so fingers crossed that this one works out. Otherwise, I do have a couple other rugs that I can steal from rooms around the house to help me decide exactly what I want.

I placed my orders this week, so now I get to wait until everything gets delivered!

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