DINING ROOM PLANNING

We haven't eaten a proper meal at a real dining table (in our own home, that is) in years. Though I'm proud of our efforts to actually cook healthy meals and eat together most nights, DVR will be a tough side dish to rid from our diets. Both Ez and I agree our brains are sufficiently rotted by now though, and it's time for a change. With the floors finished and the dining table built, there's no time like the present.

Also, the dining room is basically the center of the house, and it's kind of a bummer to walk through it every day when it's so overwhelmingly brown and empty. It's better now than when it was our workshop, granted, but I fear it needs a lot of help before anyone will want to eat in there.

This week our dining chairs arrive -- a good place to start, I thought. I bought the Tolix knockoffs from Overstock. I know some people are appalled at the idea of ever buying a knockoff, but my math skills are so limited I can't wrap my mind around how much it would cost to buy eight chairs at $250 apiece. I looked at all sorts of options -- wood, metal, tufted, slipcovered -- and these seemed to be the best combination of durable, affordable and attractive. (I'm putting some faith in the many online reviews that say they are also comfortable. Here's hoping.)

Anyway, here's our sad, poorly color-corrected but still very brown dining room as of this week:

And here are some things that are on my mind as I think about turning it into a real room:

Tabouret chairs from Overstock

Tree Ring Print by LintonArt on etsy.

Nomad Sideboard from World Market. It's 25% off right now, FYI...

Vintage Turkish Kilim rug from misterpillow on etsy. Too steep for me, but I can admire, no?

The sideboard may have to wait for now -- lots of transactions happening at the moment -- but this is the direction I'm headed. My next purchase will probably be a rug, since the thought of chair legs sliding on my new pine floors makes me a little panicky. Since our table and the floor are basically the same color, I'm looking for some bolder color on the floor to break up the brown a little. We'll see what I can find that fits the budget.

Who wants to come over for dinner?