I went to a couple of local stores today, just randomly chosen because they looked like they would carry formal dining furniture (Walter E. Smithe, Thomasville, and Drexel Heritage). As I expected no one had oak (except for mission which stylistically will not go with my china cabinet). So I looked for woods that were the right reddish brown color, which turned out to be, for the most part, mahogany. What I saw in all of these stores seemed to be really nice quality but I did experience sticker shock. (More from the price of the chairs than the tables: is $300 and up per chair normal? ArghÂ) I realize I havenÂt shopped for much furniture; when our kids were small utility ruled, and most of my good pieces are family antiques that I refinished myself. Subtracting the styles that wouldnÂt go and ones with distressing (I donÂt like distressing, at least not on a formal dining table), that left really only 2 tables found in 4 stores, one by Henredon and one by Thomasville. All of the stores said they had few styles on display but could order anything from the manufacturer. However ordering was what I didnÂt want to do, since I want to see the wood and workmanship close up. If I have to order anyway I might as well do it online. I have read about people on these forums ordering online but I have been concerned about getting something that is not the quality I am imagining. Are there any brands or vendors in particular I should look for, so I will not be disappointed? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Maybe you aren't as creative as you would like to be, but you probably know what you like and what you don't like. So that's why you should get a bunch of magazines and on-line pictures to start seeing what speaks to you and what doesn't. We now know that you don't want orange. What other colors don't you want/what colors do you love? Do you have a Calico Corners or JoAnn's nearby? Try browsing the fabrics and figure out what and colors and patterns you like: stripes/plaids/polkadots/floral? This is where you can start, and then we can work from there.

Unless you have some special situation that we don't know about, the basics are that you need a table and chairs in the dining area. How many people do you want to seat? Do you need more storage in that room too? Benches are not as comfortable as chairs, and don't fit well in the room with your windows and baseboard heating units. Are there children or adults only? For the living room, a sofa and 2 chairs would fit well. How many people do you want to seat at one time? 2 chairs are better than a love seat, comfort-wise. It looks like the side near the front door is open - what does it open to? Will there be a TV in this room? That will make a big difference in furniture arrangement since there seems to be only one wall it can go on. When you send us the room dimensions with door and window openings we can give you an idea of sizes.

I think I would have preferred art on that mirror wall too. Or does it reflect some light from windows on TV wall? What would be the purpose of the bench under the mirror. It seems that space behind sofa is a walk-way so I'd be careful not crowding the area with benches or sofa table. Is there room on wall side of sofa for a table? Or would something like a drink table or C-table be a better fit (does the sofa have a chaise end or is that a separate ottoman?)? I like your prints/frames- maybe just a tad high- I think midpoint should be 60" from ground. Is there a color from the prints that you can pull out as an accessory color? I would add that color in a tray or something on the coffee table to help blend the colors better (don't think the whitewash looks cohesive with the sofa and brick wall)