Congratulations on your beautiful little house!

If it were mine, I don't think that I would go with much colonial revival. Although, I have to admit that I am not much of a fan of the style, so that influences me against it. Mostly I hate the stain color it all seemed to come in!
You have to choose what you love.

I could see more of a prairie style (although a lot of this can be too heavy) or shaker style influence in the furnishings, to echo the lines of those beautiful windows and fireplace. I would replace the chandelier too.

Of the dining tables, only #1 and #4, and the chairs of #4 appeal to me for that space.

Love your retro wallpaper, I think that will be really cute with painted cabinets and new floor!

Love the porch!

Since you are starting with a blank slate, I would try to go with what you find most plentiful yet of good quality on CL. I think the pieces you show work with the vibe you are headed for in the kitchen, and with the house. Choice 2 and 4 look nicest to me - I really like 4.

I think it looks like 50s/60s colonial revival, to me. Would you consider painting furniture? An easy way to make things play well together.

Lastly, love the fridge, where is it from?

Good luck with your new home!

I'm open to refinishing furniture possibly painting, although the recent trend of everyone and their mother chalk painting old furniture and trying to sell it- makes me gag. Especially when they've ruined something I would have otherwise wanted.

I do like the craftsman sort of look, but I find true craftsman style to be dark and heavy. My current furniture is pottery barn craftman-esque. So it would work with the house, except for the kitchen if I do it 40's style. This is what Im struggling with. The bones of the house vs the 40's kitchen I envision.

The fridge is from the GE Artistry line. Probably just another piece of GE crap, but I'm not aware of any other vintage looking refrigerators for under $1,000. Lol.

It is very nice --- I have never heard of it before!

Edited to add:

Oh, and the other retro fridges are krap, too. IIRC neither Big Chill nor Northland make anything, they put a skin over some other mfrs krap. Exception may be Smeg and Leibherr (sp?) but they are smallish.

So this Artistry line is brilliant. I also like that it could be used almost anywhere, imho, from vintage to modern.

This post was edited by mtnrdredux on Wed, Mar 5, 14 at 18:20

I like #4 best too, especially since it seems like it would work more easily than the others if you want to mix and match with, say, some Shaker or mission style pieces.

Your new house is really cute!

I would keep in mind that the Artistry line is aimed at no-budget millenials who prefer cool over quality. It's pretty shoddy stuff, if that matters to you. Here's a recent Kitchen forum thread about the stove, and I have to say that when I saw these, I thought the fridge was about equal in quality.

If you keep an eye out, I've seen Big Chill fridges at Homegoods at reasonable prices, but not very often.

I like your options except for the hutch in choice 1, which screams 1970s to me with that cathedral arch raised panel door style.

Here is a link that might be useful: Style over Substance

Love your new house-- and love your plans for moving forward. I also think the 4rth option is the best and it looks to be good quality. That said, I love the spindle chairs in #2. I think the table is a bit much-- but i wouldn't blink an eye before I painted it and then suddenly it would become a lovely gem in an eclectic 40s vintage cottage style.

I think quite a broad range of basic sofas would work well with the look-- a PB basic would be great and not take over the room style.

It's really a charming house and a great size for a single mom. Very best wishes to you in your new adventure in your new house!

choice 4, followed by choice 2. Choice 4 has pretty clean-looking lines, and you could do a lot with a little paint (partially paint/partial wood) if you were inclined. Choice 2 is classic but not 70's dated.

Chairs from choice 2 painted. Table from choice 4, stained a darker color. Hutch from 4 but saw off the scallop under the glass doors. I'd paint it too.
It looks like a great house and I'm anxious to see the kitchen transformation.

Found this

choice 5

They are only asking $80! Includes 6 chairs, 2 leaves. Needs to be refinished. Ethan Allen. Most of the tables I originally posted are Ethan Allen too.

This post was edited by Lady_West on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 2:19

Looking on the porch would there be enough room to hang a porch swing? That would do wonders along with hanging potted plants.
Good Luck with all your decisions.

I've thought about a swing, or a gliding loveseat. I definitely want some sort of seating for sure!

It all looks like good furniture, something you will be unable to find today in even good furniture stores (I didn't say the finest, just good), but I do believe that paint makes all furniture work as long as everything in the same room is the same color and that all home-prepared food is palatable as long as it contains onions, salt and pepper, even a cake.

My mother had Ethan Allen early American furniture while I was growing up. She called the end table a dough box table. You can't beat the quality of that era of furniture. I like the chairs in two, but the latest look comfortable. I believe that we will see a revival in that style of furniture in the near future.. Enjoy your new life and house!

Actually by the 1920s, prairie and craftsman style for furniture was considered kind of passe, and even Stickley had moved on to colonial revival style furniture. The heyday of prairie and craftsman was the 1900s to the teens.

There was a very bizarre transitional period at Stickley where they tried to adapt their current craftsman pieces by changing some elements to colonial revival. Stickley eventually shifted to almost all colonial revival and that's what they made from the 1920s to the end of the original company when they were bought out by EJ Audi, who reintroduced the craftsman pieces.

There was a lot of interest in the 1920s because of the sesquicentennial. My great aunt's furniture from the time of her marriage was all colonial revival.

1960s colonial revival is different but it will still work. One of the big reasons this style of furniture will work well in a house like this is the Scale. Houses were smaller and the furniture is sized accordingly.

Good points, ineffablespace, and speaking of scale, the size of the dining tables vary greatly. Take measurements and consider your space--can you accommodate a long, rectangular table, or would a round table work better?

If it were me, I'd be choosing paint colors for these! Fun project and would be a way to coordinate with your kitchen vision.

Love your home--congratulations on your fresh start! Can't wait to see your front room with newly finished wood floors next to that fireplace.

Cute house!!! Love the wallpaper. I think if you cant find the right appliances just yet, plain white ones would be okay until you can get what you want. It will still give that 40s vibe. Maybe used the Ethan Allen set for the dining room and #2 for the kitchen. You have younger children so sturdy furniture is a must. That hutch would look nice painted white with the insides painted blue to match the wallpaper. And you could always switch out the glass for some added character. Nice cup pulls would look good too. Im no expert, but i think as long as you keep a cottage or bungalow theme going with lighter neutrals, you could pull it all together. A nice neutral sofa in a durable chenille would be nice. I immediately thought of the Milena sofa at Layzboy.

Love your house!

Hi Lady_West. You have a nice bungalow there. I am not a fan of colonial furniture either, but choices 2 and 4 could look pretty cozy painted. I love your wall paper choice! I think 1950's furniture would look good with the wall paper too. And I mean 1950's more streamlined than the colonial and it would be much less heavy than craftsman furniture. Diner style?

My house is a 1908 bungalow. I am almost done with the kitchen redo, and tried to mix in some vintage items in with the dreaded ss appliances. I went for function on the appliances. I hope you consider function over style too since buying appliances is very expensive.
Diane

Congratulations on your new home, it is adorable. Your 40s look is perfect for the house - it is one of my favorite decades style wise! Love the wallpaper and the chairs from #2. Actually my grandma had a set with the #2 chairs, probably one reason I like them so much. Such good memories. Her chairs came with a different table, it did not have as a heavy of a feel. #4 would be my second choice.

That furniture is very good from the era and better than most 95% of what is made today. I know there is more expensive furniture in the 5%, but this was of the best from the era. I have seen houses of the period of yours with furnishings from the 1960s era, which looks great.

I think the greatest part of an old house is that you can mix periods of furnishings. Just do it! Love it and decide what is your long-term plan.

I wish you and your new life and your family the very best. Enjoy the process. Watch for my3dogs and what she would do. I bet she is full of good advice.

P.S. The furniture you have pictured was pictured in EA catalogs from the 1960s-70s. I have the DR suite and the doughboy from one of your pix.

This post was edited by patricia43 on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 16:16

Hi Lady_West,
I frequent other forums normally, but I noticed your post when signing onto gardenweb today. I wanted to tell you that I love your bungalow and, fwiw, add some suggestions/thoughts on choosing dining tables and chairs :-)

Of the choices, I like the table in #4 best. It looks like Tell City furniture to me. My Mom has Tell City in a little different style and she always says the wood is called "hard rock" maple. It has mellowed to rich brown tones and I guess it just looks like home to me :-)

Also, about the table in choice #4, the long sides look like they are drop leaf. The bench could go along the side with 2 chairs on the other side and one at each end. That is probably the length it will be, I doubt it has leafs.

You will want to measure your dining space to be confident of the max size of extended table that will fit in your dining room. Consider getting around with the chairs in place as well as if there is room for a hutch buffet, if that is included.

With a "real" wood dining table, the top is not Formica and will stain and ring (over time) from drink glasses and spills that are not immediately wiped up. Heated dishes can mar the finish as well. That is why most ladies of the "dining room" era would have used table pads under the table cloth, to protect the table surface.

For daily use, a Formica top table, while not as pretty, is more scratch resistant, durable and practical for young active families.

When viewing the chairs in person, test them for joint strength. Put one hand on the back and the other on the seat, using downward pressure wiggle the chair. You can tell very quickly if they are sturdy or worn out. Also, sit in them and if the back "gives" or makes a pop or crack noise, beware.

Long tables, like the one in choice #5, tend to sag in the middle without support. Vintage 5 leg kitchen tables had the support for extra length. A 5 leg kitchen table is another style you might consider in your new home.

Also, if the leaves of the table are stored in a closet or under a bed, they can become a different color hue from the unprotected everyday used table. Be sure to examine it all together in daylight, so you can see more clearly what you are getting.

You might consider waiting to buy wood dining furniture set until you uncover and refinish your wood floors. If the wood furniture matches the floor too closely, they blend in and their beauty is lost.

Congrats on beginning a new chapter in your life. Take your time, purchase what you love and it will feel comfortable and look like your home.

Have fun,
Deb

Thank you for all the feedback and tips!

I think I am going to go ahead with the colonial revival style. It makes me happy, looks so cheery and homey. I am going to try to find pieces that are more delicate not the chunkier 70's style colonial revival.

Sadly the owners of the table set #5 have not responded to my email. What a shame, not only was it a super bargain, but the style was perfect for what I'm looking for. Oh well.

I did find this buffet/hutch at a local consignment shop for only $195 and I'm going to head over tonight and take a look. I love the plate rail thing .

I will probably wait to refinish the furniture. I haven't moved yet but I want to buy the furniture while I live here in a major city vs the town I'm moving to. The CL there doesn't offer nearly as much. I will probably leave most pieces stained, but im considering painting the chairs white maybe a few blue- like a wedgewood sort of blue.

Are you keeping the small booth in the kitchen?

If the table will be your primary seating for all meals, I would hold out til I found another table/chair set with 6 chairs. Or I would find a table that could easily seat six without dealing with the leaf if your space is large.

The number of kids at my house seems to grow every year as my kids get older. It is odd not to have at least 2 extra on the weekends. The school projects etc also tend to be done at the table.

Just brought home this hutch, Ethan Allen Baumritter, in good shape for a whopping $100. It just barely fit in the back of my minivan, it was meant to be, lol.

Still no table. These chairs are at an auction tomorrow. I might go, although I find the idea of a real auction intimidating.

I will be keeping the banquette. And I'd prefer a good sized table without leaves, but they don't seem easy to find. I will probably end up with a matching EA heirloom maple (I think that's the name of this collection from the 60's). Not sure if I want oval or rectangular.

And this pristine bedroom set just popped up on CL. $1,600 for the entire thing. Not sure that I want it all but I do like the bed. Pretty sure I want to snag that bench. The consignment store is willing to break up the set.

This post was edited by Lady_West on Fri, Mar 7, 14 at 22:45

The bench is fabulous, hope you end up with it!