What a difference between night and day! I love the blue. After we started the painting is when I kind of fell in love with the blues, but it was too late to change my mind. :) My buffet is 45 1/2 inches. I like the idea of the two pictures, or even one large one for me, maybe rectangle shape. Since I'm too far away to buy fresh flowers, I may break down and buy some really nice silk ones for the centerpiece, that would help brighten the area. Question, since this room is the main pass-through from the kitchen to the living room, should I put a runner on the floor or a larger area rug? The room won't be used that often, and the LR will have a large area rug in the back, coming from the sitting room/pass-through. Here's a picture I posted the other day to give you an idea of the floor space. As you can see, there's plenty of room for a seating area on the right. But I want porch furniture first! lol And I know the area rug for the LR will cost an arm and a leg, so I was wondering if I could get away with a nice runner?

You're welcome Anele. It may not have worked, but knowing that can be a big help. Although who knows? Sometimes the "wrong" things can work perfectly in the right settings. I find that until you try something, you are never sure if it will work for you or not. That's why as I didn't stop when making the virtual. The main thing is that it makes *you* happy and works for *you*. Not everyone here at GW. Because if you try to do that you'll never get anything done. Personally I like a wide variety of styles of furniture. Mid-Century Modern, Art Deco, Victorian....Basically anything older than MCM. Newer furniture just doesn't have the woods or is built like the older stuff was. In my opinion anyway. I also think it's very important to reuse. I'm not saying I don't like some of the newer furniture, but I'm not passionate about. You'll know when you find the right piece. I just hope it fits your space! Since we're on the subject of dresser being used for other purposes I bought this piece pictured below a few weeks ago to turn into an entertainment center if I ever talk my hubby into getting a flat screen TV. Once cleaned up I'll stain it dark walnut, freshen the hardware with spray paint if Brasso doesn't work first then convert the drawers behind the doors to hold the cable and the sound system boxes. The other drawers will be used for storing movies. This could easily work for a buffet too. I only paid $5.49 for it. Half price furniture day at a local thrift store. Do you have a picture of you dining room? I'm thinking I've seen it, but I could be mixed up about that. My brain is much better with long term memory.

126" - 40" = 86" which is 43" each side of table. You couldn't really squeeze anything over 12" wide in there. And that would be tight. Is there room elsewhere for you bar storage? What's in the room with the windows behind the dining area? What space is available in the kitchen? The rug is small, but you don't really need a rug in dining area. In a small room the rug can come closer to the walls. I think the table,chairs and light work fine with the built in. You are living in a house that already had it's own personality, and I don't see the need to erase it. But I wouldn't introduce a cabinet with a really different style, so if you get one try to find something simple that will get along with existing furniture.

No I don't think you need to get a shorter table unless the one you have is wider than usual (most tables are 3-3.5' wide). I don't think the length is the issue in that room, it's the width. You can just get a bench instead of chairs on that side. Your table is probably 6' long or so, right? Then it will still fit in the dining room. You may want to play around with just putting chairs on 2 sides instead of 3 and pushing it more towards the corner to avoid encroaching on the living room space. 6'+3' = 9' so you'd have 1' to spare. If you want to share some space with the living room you could put seating on both sides.