You might try asking at the link below...there are a lot of very knowledgeable folks there when it comes to 'older' stuff. Here is a link that might be useful: Antique and Collectibles Forum

lynnski, you've given me a great idea. Our kitchen, dining area, and LR are essentially one big room except for the pantry wall that separates the kitchen from the LR. If you look at the third pic from the top you'll see a little bookcase built into my cabs where I keep cookbooks. This end of the cabs faces, and is only a few feet from, the dining area. I've thought those cookbooks don't look right; DH says they look "junky." Anyway, I put the biggest Chinese horse in there all by himself, with the blue Chinese box you see in the cookbook photo underneath him, with only one very low shelf. He looks great, and carries on the living room feeling into the dining area. Only questions I have are that there's not much contrast between him and the oak bookcase, and also it might look a little stark. I'll post a pic on a new thread when I can get one. I'm thinking the cookbooks (I keep them neatly) will transfer their "junkiness" to the top of the cabs if I put them there, and they're also not tall enough. Don't think we can afford to put an extra row of cabs up there though. Thanks for your ideas. The Chinese horse looks very much at home. summiebee, you're right about the view. I wanted the house to have as little demarcation between the inside and outside as possible, with a glass wall. Didn't turn out that way -- builder convinced us that with our high winds we'd never be comfortable -- but he also put the windows higher than we wanted, and one expense we're going to undertake is to find a way to make the view windows bigger. They're 8x5 now, but we're going to put in non-operating glass doors or something instead. Thanks again, all.

Thank you for permission granted! It may be quite some time until anyone gets those chairs, as mom is only 86. May be 10 years before she down-sizes. : ) And LG, I get what you mean about the flaunting. I am starting to get the idea of what goes together and I really do think it is more interesting to add something that is not expected into the mix. I guess I am trying to find the right not expected item. You know, my first thought on it was to use a settee against that wall where the painting is in the dinette. and put the table next to it and the chairs on the other side and the ends. The settee would be maybe a curvey style and be the unexpected. The table is oval, but I don't know if that really matters. I think there would be at least one comfortable seat, maybe two on a settee. Not sure if it would be odd due to the table being an ellipse and not a rectangle. In the future, I'll have to weigh how important it is to my brother and SIL to have the whole set not broken up/ compared to my wanting part. I can live with them enjoying it intact. If they take the whole set , then I would ask them to give me one of my mom's 45 year old black leather club chairs that I've always loved. They've had them for about 17 years now. It may be a solution that would make everyone happy. It would work in my Great Room. I don't think they actually like the leather chairs.

yes, I saw that. benjes, I didn't mean to suggest that your comment was for just me. I did suggest she move the photos, I just didn't say 'they don't belong'. I'm on the fence with it. If one doesn't have any worthy art, and the family photos are done in a way that look good, coordinate w/one another and properly sized, then I suppose you could do it. But for over the sofa, I still prefer one or two large pieces of actual art. or a mirror. and I'm loving this danish chair w/the teal cushions