He arrived. As I predicted, most of the family and friends are too polite to ask what he is doing here. But he gets lots of sideways glances. Are they thinking "OMG, how did she snag something that good looking?" or are they thinking "OMG, did she bring him home after a late night and now he won't leave?" I'm still looking for a fabulous piece of art to put over it. Something with just a touch of watermelon in it. It will happen. I'm in no hurry. small, the console is very sturdy, even though I put it together myself. I think the fact that they send a special microfiber cloth for dusting answers your question about scratching. It is VERY shiny - almost glass like. I have put felt pads on everything that sits on it. I have told my housekeeper to be especially careful when dusting it. I think it would be a scratched up within the first week if your children are going to play on it. Have you looked at Room and Board, like Pal suggested to me above? One of these might work for you or one of the By the Inch tables plus you get to choose the material your top is made of. I don't believe children preclude nice furniture, but I think we have to be realistic about expectations for little ones. If it is going in an area where they are free to play, then the Strut may not be your best bet. Blue, I think it is perfect in a dining room. I would not, however, use it as a buffet without a plan for protecting it from scratches. Plus, it is very narrow, only the width of a dinner plate - so, narrower than a platter. But I wanted something very narrow. Have you called Blu Dot to get swatches? The watermelon might be redder than you think. I got swatches of watermelon, slate, and cream. The watermelon sang to me (I think it used Pharrel Williams voice and kept repeating the word "happy.")

Laughable the half under the lift up is empty. You can stow quite a bit in it. DH has a wicker basket filled with this and that, a throw for when he's chilly and there is room for a lot more. The stationary side has the two drawers . I have fabrics swatches and sample books in the one drawer and Christmas ornaments in the top drawer. It is the most versatile table I've ever had. WTBS, if I was putting form over function I would rather have a different table but this is a work horse and DH loves it!

It's NMS, but I can see why you might be drawn to it. I also like the squares, but the angled lighting is too discordant for me. I've talked myself into purchases like that because of the price and regretted almost every one of them, most recently a custom sofa/chair/ottoman that I dumped for nothing on CL three years later after hating it as it came in the front door. When you describe it, I read "price" often. My husband keeps showing me classic cars that we can buy for a steal, "we could save $15k if we buy this one".......of course I ignore the message he's sending me! Okay, so now I'm assuming you decided you LOVE it. I'm guessing it has been in the showroom forever and they would love to sell it because it's not a mass appeal item. Go back and offer 15% of the retail price in cash to take it immediately. See what they say.....but maybe don't spend more than you planned to in the first place.

I'm late to the game and I use Homestyler too. What fun the snapshots are! (especially the 360 panorama) You have some nice arrangements. I would probably skip the fireplace and put a chair there and in the future you could put a TV on the wall with a credenza (where the 2 small chairs are). If you skip the fireplace and do shallow storage across that wall, you might be able to keep a chair in front of the storage shelves. If you want to keep the fireplace, I would move it down toward the door more and put a plant in the corner or maybe some storage. I would skip a chair in front of the fireplace. (Why block it?) I would definitely use smaller scale furniture, maybe even with legs so you get a more open feel. http://www.homestyler.com/designer/251ab2d8-32cc-4a0c-a273-ee33f1fa79d2 You should be able to view this in 3D if your are signed up for Homestyler by copying the layout and opening it when you are signed in. Maybe you don't have to sign up??