@lindac, thank you!! Yes, once upon a time our family was large enough to take up that table and more. ;) I know that's one reason my mom wants to keep and restore it. I will look for someone to create leaves with an apron. I never have it without at least one leaf in it anyway. And, I am hoping to use it fully extended in our next home.

The two 'master' chairs are indeed from a different set. (But I LOVE them. They are sooooo sturdy and comfortable - everyone wants to sit in them! and they have great character) I also think they're made of mahogany, not walnut like the other chairs. But the cane back chairs have carving on the legs that is identical to the feet of the sideboards. All upholstery has been replaced multiple times from looking at the underside of the chairs - I also suspect the caning is not original, but it is doubled and is very heavy grade caning. Sideboards have carved mouldings identical to the mouldings around the edge of the table. *shrugs* Even if the chairs are from a later time, they match well with it. Don't suppose anyone has any ideas on the actual age and origin of the larger pieces? I've looked all over the internet, and I've had one person from Europe suggest they're from the 1930's, 40's, or 50's and made in America, which I have to disagree with. American pieces made during the great depression era aren't large, they aren't heavy, and typically don't have the nice veneer work on them. People simply couldn't afford that sort of furniture at that time. I have several pieces from that era, they're pretty common in this part of the U.S. 1940's ushered in WWII; the ability to manufacture pretty furniture was eclipsed by building airplanes and war machines. 1950's pieces don't tend to have the thick cuts of wood for a carcass - the table top alone is just over an inch thick, same for the tops of the sideboards. They also didn't typically use mortise and tenon construction for things like mouldings around the edges of furniture. I have yet to see any American furniture from any of those decades that have wooden knobs. They usually have brass or brass plated pulls. European pieces tend to have brass hinges; the sideboards I have do have brass hinges, whereas American furniture has iron or steel. I guess I'm just going through process of elimination now. LOL The style is so eclectic, yet not as awkward and top-heavy as Victorian pieces, that I'm led to believe it might be late (very late) Edwardian - which would put it being made in the mid to late 1900's, possibly even early 20's. One other clue to its possible age: It has a servants bell underneath at the area that would be occupied by someone sitting immediately to the left of the head of the table. It was an electric buzzer type thing, with a shred of the original sheathing left around what remains of the cord and it is a woven fabric. Actual copper of the cord looks dangerously thin - as in not up to modern electric standards. The buzzer appeared to be made of Bakelite, but also appears to be added later as I removed it and the wood beneath is lighter, but not by much. It is held on with flat head screws. It came with three leaves, and it will expand just enough for the three of them. The wood has shrunk so they don't fit tightly against one another, you can see right through to the floor in some places, but the moulding still meets at the edges. It has dowels/pegs on the underside of the frame to 'stop' the table at the correct length. I haven't measured it with all three of the leaves yet, but I do know I'll have to have a table cloth that's 70x120, if not larger. Also! The leaves do not have a metal tab system to lock them into place! Or the dowel and tabs like you see on modern pieces! It has carved wooden, half circle 'tongues' which are about a quarter inch thick. They insert into companion slots carved into the next leaf. They must be inserted in order or they don't fit together at all. Each leaf is marked for order of insertion with a scratched roman numeral: I, II, and III. I believe the veneer to be of walnut, as does the antiques dealer/appraiser friend of ours that looked it over this last weekend. He has been in the business for 30 years, and he's never seen anything like them himself. All he could do is confirm they're quality pieces and were a good investment. :-) I have not inspected the underside of the stretcher as it is just too heavy to flip onto its side.

Oh, nosoccermom! You posted the kind of thing I was thinking of when I first saw her photo. I didn't look further on Overstock (I'm already killing time I should be spending on something else), but the wavy would be great -- a little softer. It's a marriage of the large rectangles behind and the curves of the furniture. It is unexpected, but still adds formality. I like either of the rectangles. They are simple, yet dramatic and unique enough for your pedestal DR. OK, Lauren -- you can't say we aren't giving you ideas! LOL ETA: I showed the disc chandelier that is in my bedroom on your other thread. Just to balance your neighbor's view -- that one is in a traditional home with traditional dark furniture and I love it. This post was edited by lascatx on Sat, Jul 20, 13 at 22:29

I get where you are coming from, you want something that looks good right now! And don't want to spend a lot of money on something you don't love or won't want for long. Two ideas. #1. Clear off all the junk on top of your current buffet. Go to Michaels or Bed Bath and Beyond or some home goods store around you and get some low storage baskets, not too tall, like maybe 6". You can put some of the junk in there to hide it if you want, like board games, linens or desk items that you might use on the dining table some of the time. While you are there, get a light colored tablecloth that goes with your desired color scheme. I'm not sure why everyone avoids tablecloths, I can't live without them, and I can't think of an easier way to "lighten up" a dark brown wood table and lessen its dark presence in a room. Later on you can take it off. Also while you are there, get some fun blingy shades for your current chandelier in a light color you like. Maybe even some crystal bling to hang off of it or shades with crystal edging. And while you are at it, get some cheap square frames the size that would suit a calendar art page or old record sleeve. You can then make a quick and dirty inexpensive art montage to go atop your current black buffet. Pick something colorful and bold that you can see from up there. Done for now, and you can wait to find the perfect hutch. Idea #2. Go to IKEA and find a plain jane white hutch set. The one Nosoccermom posted would be perfect. Doll it up with some shelf paper on the back and a fancy set of knobs, or not. Done for now. Once you get your nice things in it, it will look great. That's what I did in my last house. I still have the IKEA stuff in a different iteration in my current home, as bookshelves in the library, so not money wasted. Now I have inherited "Big Bertha" my mom's Rococo revival china cabinet. Suggestion #2 will give you a chance to figure out if you want or need a hutch as opposed to a buffet and also give you time again to find the perfect antique or more expensive piece. Or not, you may find that IKEA is fine for your needs. Since I see you are in NJ, there may be some unpainted furniture stores around you. The one near me was just over the river in Allentown where I used to live. That would be another option, as I mentioned, if you don't want to try and refinish an already finished piece. Edited to add after I saw Beverly's mock up, that is another way to go. Looks perfectly fab that way to me. I'm no Photoshopper, but there are any number of ways to doll up what you currently have and make it work wonderfully.