Krylon has all you need to keep it simple. ColorMaster Paint and Clear Polyurethane Coating. I'd apply three thin coats of paint followed by three thin coats of poly.

Hi Tina, no, I wish I was leaning towards the cottage style but our house is saying no. With it's oak kitchen cabinets (that DH won't let me touch grrr) and colonial style, it's screaming more traditional, rustic or even a little bit country (hopefully french). The problem I'm having is I fully intended to go with the off white look cause that's what we've always had and are used to. However when I started looking for new chairs, the majority of what I like is in black or wood only. I prefer to avoid going with wood because between the floors and cabinets I'm afraid it will just be too much. And I don't want to try to match any paint treatment the off white chairs may have on the table. Black is basically the easiest way to go or have a white farm table with wood chairs with the hopes it will be enough white to tone down all the wood? I'm in a quandary with it, can you tell? LOL Your chairs and table idea sounds lovely. With as long as you've been wanting them, I'm sure they will make your heart sing after you have them in place. You are so lucky that you KNEW what you wanted and what your space needed!!! In addition to the table and chairs we too need a second piece in our little dining area. I've been looking for a hutch I can spruce up for months now. Sometimes the process can be so dragged out, it seems like it will never come together huh? I think the black will actually work better in our space than the off white because we have dark counters and black trim on our SSL appliances. I just can't seem to visualize this room as finished the way I could other rooms in our house. :c(

Definitely black! I have had black counter stools w/ backs - used everyday for at least 15 years. They were not terribly expensive, but were made in Italy - bought them from Spiegle before it was so normal to order furniture thru catalogs! :) They do not show anymore dust than other furniture. Scratches are easy to fix ( really camouflage with a sharpie). Decorating is easier with black, in my opinion. I also bought the dining room set from the previous owners of the house we are in. What was I thinking??????? The chairs are shiny black enamel; while it looks pretty, it does show every spec of dust, but so does the glass top so they match! I think the Lantana set looks better in the black. It looks ordinary in the brown, and I would want to see the actual finish in person before considering purchasing the brown. Black is a safer purchase. I am partial to black in decorating and in clothing, so my opinion may not count so much. I love black.

It all looks like it works well to me. However, I moved the photographs so they are both at the SAME level -- do not stagger them, it looks unprofessional and is jarring to the eye -- and all of the art work, the photos as well as the scrolly thing, should all be hung so that they are at eye level. So basically the height of the photograph at left.