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Finally! My 'mini sofa' for my dining/library room is here! Pics.

14 years ago

Hurrah! That only took....3 months! I still have some fussing to do, and the pillows on the sofa are from my kitchen -- I'm having a new rectangular pillow made from the fabric I used to cover the chair seats. But for now, here it is...

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Comments (26)

deeinohio
14 years ago
Beautiful! Just in time for the holidays. I still really covet those chairs.
Dee
andee_gw
14 years ago
Sue,
Just beautiful. Sorry to ask, but could you make the pictures a bit bigger? I'd really enjoy looking at some of the detail in your rooms.
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Now I understand where you are headed. My suggestions will not be matchy matchy and are pretty eclectic in nature. So, hopefully you will get some ideas you may not have thought about. Let's start with the DR. Drapes: I like dramatic so, if the rug has bronze that would be my first choice though there is nothing wrong with gold. I like plain simple drapes. I think drapes like blacksplashes should not be a focal point of a room when you have other beautiful things going. They should help frame the room like the color on the walls do. You may not need pinch pleated drapes. It would save you money not to have the pinch pleats. You need to decide if you want to run them from ceiling to floor or with a rod (I saw some beautiful rods at Calico Corner's. I think JCP carries Kirsch hardware also) above the window not from the ceiling. Dining table: I notice most people select wood to use with oriental rugs. I am working with a designer for my family room and breakfast nook and he just taught me a good lesson: Print rug-glass table, solid rug-wood table. He said you want to show off the beauty of the rug at all times from every direction. They do make some very large glass tables that you can use with 2 wooden pedestals for support or a great square base. If you are having a lot of guests for dinner like Christmas than you can add a folding table and use the same table cloth. This is just a suggestion. You can use wood but I always like to share new knowledge when I learn something. I still like crystal for chandeliers in dining rooms. In this case I would use crystal with some funky lamp shades to add a little fun into the room. You may find these at Home Goods or on line. I would try leopard for shades. It's hard to visualize if this will work without actually seeing it in person. Maybe someone will photoshop. Do you know the size of the table you want to use? I also think you may be able to find dining room chairs on ebay or a used furniture store that might be in decent condition or you can buy them new. Remember the chair wood does not need to match the wood of the table. There is more interest created when they don't. Here is another idea for chairs: you can used entirely different ones for the head of the table. Actually, I am pretty good at decorating eclectically. My friends are always looking for my eye. The designer I am working with always says to me "what do you need me for". Well, he is a great buffer between me and my BF whom I share my new home with. He has made my life so much more easier and is worth every penny. I am also learning alot about decorating from him.
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Comments (24)
Aaah, lovely. The shades are just perfect. I have always loved your table with that loveseat. I think that would be where I would have my tea with the paper every morning. Might even skip the paper and simply sit back and enjoy the space!
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Comments (33)
so as not to be influenced by the others, I am not reading all the above posts first. But, honestly your cabinets are very worn, especially around the sink. I would NOT leave them alone and just embrace the oak. I had dark oak cabinets. I now have a white kitchen. It is a painful process to get them to look good. If you are determined to make them look good, you will be able to do it. I had such a fear that they would look and feel like crap that we took a very long time to do ours, and do it right. I have been in some kitchens that were painted by a professional, they feel icky, and I'm seeing chipping! Yikes. You don't want that. I won't go into all the details, but in a nutshell, there is the taking the doors off step, removing hardware, washing with a tsp solution, rinsing, sanding. (maybe reverse that order....) Then I used Pore-o-pac brushable wood filler. Spread it on, squeegee it off, dry, sand, and repeat until you believe the grain is filled. Then, move on to the primer. Then the finish coats. I used oil based paint. So, add in the drying time between each coat. (including the steps between pore-o-pac coats) and each door's side had to be done at different times. Spraying while hanging really didn't work for us. Also, remember that oil based whites will yellow down. Not badly. Just plan accordingly. I love how creamy my turned out. I would add chunky crown molding to build it up before painting. I think you can get rid of that higher counter if you want. And I would certainly add some hardware to jazz it up a bit. As far as the guts of the cabinets. We added really heavy duty wire roll outs from Lowe's. They really offer so much extra storage in those base cabinets. They can be pricey, but they are really worth it. I think ours were around $80 or so for a set of 2. I keep all my heavy bowls, some appliances, and other stuff on them. And that ceiling fixutre really is something! You will be amazed at how much more updated the room will feel if you rip that down and add a light or a fan. bee
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Sueb20
Original Author
14 years ago
I have no idea why the pictures came out so small. I put them in their "original" format from my camera to Photobucket without even reducing the size like I would for email. Anyone know how to make them bigger from Photobucket?

This is the other side of the room.
catt11
14 years ago
Wow!! I just love that room and how you have it fixed! So inviting!
teacats
14 years ago
Just perfect!

I love the whole room! So cozy and very welcoming!

Jan at Rosemary Cottage
bungalow_house
14 years ago
Yes, lovely, and a wise use of space!
lisa_mocha
14 years ago
I love it!

I think it's just wonderful to incorporate a sofa or bench with dining chairs and to have multi-purpose room such as library/dining room!

Very inviting room...well done:)
User
14 years ago
Very nice and inviting. Love those chairs!
User
14 years ago
You can reset your photobucket account for different size max uploads. Your's must be set to small. Heres how to change it....
Look below where it says "Upload images and videos" and you'll see "Use CTRL to select multiple files (more options)" Click on the "(more options)" and a window will open that you can change what size you want the max upload to be. I use the 17inch screen size so if any photo I choose to crop doesn't wind up too small for easy viewing.

I hope that helps.

I do love your sofa table and chairs. All very pretty.
dilly_dally
14 years ago
It looks like that mini-couch is going to be too low to eat comfortably. Have you sat on it yet?
Sueb20
Original Author
14 years ago
Yup, it's actually just right, Dilly. I searched everywhere for a loveseat (well, PB calls it a "mini sofa") that had a higher-than-usual seat.

Actually, we need to add casters to the bottom of the table legs -- it's a little low for all my seats. I assume the table originally had casters and some previous owner removed them.
Sueb20
Original Author
14 years ago
Let's see if this works -- bigger pics?

Hm, always fun to see pics of my own rooms here and realize what needs to be tweaked.... gotta go put those framed pictures somewhere else...
cooperbailey
14 years ago
Perfect! I love the look of upholstered loveseats drawn up to a table. I have one saved somewhere. I think your choices are wonderful!
amylville
14 years ago
Looks so cozy, I love the idea of having a couch instead of all dining chairs. So true about seeing pictures of your own rooms to give you a fresh perspective
cliff_and_joann
14 years ago
It all looks very pretty, and comfortable too.
Joann
parma42
14 years ago
I love your mini sofa and your whole room.

Did that new rug start to lie flat, yet? That looked so great with the red leather. :)
dabunch
14 years ago
Sueb20,

Love your entire room.

I am currently deciding whether I want to put window seats or get a couple of mini settees in the dining nook

What is the name of you paint color?
DLM2000-GW
14 years ago
Wow you are just movin' and shakin' right along there! It looks so nice - unique and so inviting. Love all your choices. When someone asks how to do 'eclectic' right, show them these pictures.
Sueb20
Original Author
14 years ago
Aww, thanks everyone! I sat in there tonight for a while waiting for dinner to cook, and it was cozy. The sofa is comfortable for being so small.

dabunch, the wall color is a BM Aura color called Milk & Honey. The room used to be Stuart Gold and it just got to be too bright for me so we re-painted last year. I love this color.

dlm, I am so flattered... eclectic is generally how I see my style so I'm glad it's working in this room!

p.s. Parma, yes, the rug is behaving now. I seem to have had a lot of little projects going on at once lately! I think it's pre-winter 'nesting.'
User
14 years ago
I love your sofa! I hope you report back and tell us how well it works for seating when you have many guests around the table.
loribee
14 years ago
What a lovely spot...great job!
zipdee
14 years ago
Wonderful addition to your beautiful room!
Sueb20
Original Author
14 years ago
marti, I have seats for 5 in the room now and can bring in extra chairs from the kitchen as needed. The table has a leaf. We aren't big-dinner-party types so usually the biggest number of people at our table is 6. (That's all we had room for when we had the traditional dining table and chairs.) When we have more than that, we do an informal buffet and people eat scattered around the kitchen (which has kitchen table plus island and stools) and dining room.

I know it wouldn't work for everyone but for us, this is a much better use of the dining room space that sat empty 90% of the time.
redbazel
14 years ago
It looks adorable, sue!

Red
awm03
14 years ago
What a terrific room, sueb! I'd go in there with a book or magazine and never come out. Interesting floor lamp in the corner -- I like it. Beautiful wall color.
jojogirl11
14 years ago
That's very clever to combine library and dining room! I love the idea of using a sofa with a table, too. Very useful space- I need to think outside the box more. Glad you posted this!

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