Don't write off fabric just yet. You could use microsuede, Crypton, or any of the newer indoor/outdoor fabrics available now. My DD chucked a whole bowl of tomato soup on one of my pale blue microsuede chairs and I swear it cleaned up perfectly. I think softer lines, and fabric, would bring some balance to the angularity of your room. I love the artwork and might think about pulling some color from the painting next to the stairs into said fabric. I know and love your kitchen from the KB. Nice to see you over here. looking forward to seeing more! :-)

I have about that size dining room with walkways on all sides. In my previous house, I had a 48" square dining table that I used when we moved in. I bought a 48" round table, it was amazing the difference it made. There are only 3 of us so I just keep 3 chairs around the table on a daily basis. You could do a drop leaf. I am not sure it you could find one in a style that would go with your house. I have 2 drop leafs that I use around the house and bring out when I need more tables for company but they are both Duncan Phyfe antiques. Another option would be a round with a leaf or two that expands for family. You'll be amazed how a round fits the space better. Something about cutting off those sharp corners make it easier to maneuver through the rooms.

Please help! Because of the curvature of the wall above the windows, I have to get a custom rod made. I need advice on measurements for rod and panels, please!!! I'm working on this with a welder and a drapery lady. My idea is for a single 1.25" black rod with the ends mounted to the wall like in the attached photo. There will be a center support. The welder will put a set screw at one end for the rings to go on. I want the windows to be as exposed as possible so my idea is to have the panels just frame the windows/shutters to soften the windows/room without looking too wimpy. I won't need to close the panels because the shutters work just fine for what we need. The drapery lady is suggesting 3 panels, which I agree with, but then she's also suggesting that the panels on the left and right match the width of the center panel. I understand that symmetry is important, but in order to accomplish that, we'd need to mount the rod a whopping 14" to the outside of the windows and the panels would go into the windows by 6" which is too much for what I want to achieve. The windows are 52 and 53 inches wide and there is 17 inches between them. I'm thinking to have the end of the single rod mounted at 11.5" to the outside end of each window. There will be a center support. I only want the panels to go into the windows about 3 inches on each side to maximize the window openings. The end panels would have a slightly smaller width than the center panel. Another option is I could have 4 panels made and slightly split the 2 center panels. Questions: Will my idea of measurements work or will the drapery panels look too wimpy? Should I do 3 panels or 4? How wide should each panel be to achieve the best look in keeping the maximum opening of the windows? How far above the window openings should the rod be mounted? (I'm thinking 8 inches. The ceiling is about 15 feet high.) Should the rings be 1.5" or 2" diameter? Thank you!

I don’t like the one ball style, just hanging there, very plain. I don’t know if the light inside can be changed out (it’s Edison light and way too warm for my tastes), but even if it could, I still don’t like the style. The credenza will be going upstairs in the den. I don’t like it because I think it’s too “leggy” on that side of the room. I want the TV stand or coffee table in our living room to have the tapered flared legs, and I want the credenza to have either square legs, small legs or no legs. I am not against painting the credenza Tricorn Black and changing the knobs out to brass ones for example, maybe add brass tips to the ends. I think that would be beautiful! But I think it fits the way it is upstairs in the den (where we will style with lots of blacks, greys, neutrals, brass fixtures, espresso dark woods, to contrast the white walls and carpet). We DEFINITELY need a splash of color. Mild is good for the furniture but we LOVE splashes of color. We have a lot of artwork waiting to be put up!! I have to see which ones to put up first after we finish painting! I love floating shelves! Husband wants a big old bookcase in the room… I am not a fan lol. Shelves are more my thing.