The first is a dining hutch and by all means keep it. The second is a buffet & we have one very similar which DH uses as his credenza.

Before you leave the buffet an orphan, look at these painted vintage buffets/hutches.

The first is a dining hutch and by all means keep it.

Actually, when I bought it, it was styled in a bedroom as well as a DR. It was my idea to put it in a bathroom, and it has worked very well there, I love furniture in bathrooms in old houses. But yes, of course, the more common use is K or DR.

As far as the piece from the PO here in Maine, I would have no place for it. I dont dislike it, but the drawers dont work all that well and it is odorous.

Is that a mirror on the top? can it be removed and a plate rack/groove put in its place? The mirror is the only thing about it that i dont love otherwise i think it is perfect for maine.

As soon as someone gives me a beach house I'd be happy to put it in my dining room! 😉

It's a cool piece of furniture. You thinking of using it in the girls bathroom? Seems to be room. It would be unusual....creative...not sure if it's the look you want? OT I LOVE the giant clamshell. I'd love to have brought one of those home from a dive trip.

I would put the white sideboard (is it a sideboard?) in the beach house dining room without hesitation.

Nicole, it has been in the girls bathroom over a decade, between their pedestal sinks.

This has been a surprise, thought people would think what i have in my DR now works better. Glad i asked!

My cleaning person in CT just measured for mr … should just, just fit

If it fits you must move it. (sorry for badly channeling Johnnie Cochran)

Nicole, i use the (obv fake) clamshell as an ice bucket for drinks

If it isn't too tall I would put it there in a heartbeat. And I like the mirror because it has the same rectangle shape as the window at the top and would expand the idea of windows on either side.

I am building a new house but still have time to adjust a wall to fit it if you need a new home for it.

hmm, interesting point Pal. So it might almost look built in? I will have someone in CT go measure.

In fact I would probably paint the entire area under the windows the same color as the trim and hutch to make it look as purpose-built as possible.

And I would get rid of the phone jack if possible.

Yes, i think itbwould look terrific in your dining room, even better than thenpiece that is there now, depending on measurements. I like Pal’s idea.

I agree with Pal about painting under the windows should you put the piece there. The new piece will take up much more of the space than the current one and what you will be left seeing is two little squares of the grey under the long windows.

But then, how would we make phonecalls? 🤣

It will be nice to know it has a friend in Maine!

If it’s too tall I wonder if you could trim the legs a bit? No?

I would use it in that dining room in a heartbeat. Those DR windows are gorg!

It’s going to look great in your dining room!

I think of a hutch taller and with shelves. i typically see them with dishes displayed on the shelves.

@teeda pretty buffet!

I like it a lot, just not sure how the all white look will blend with the darker wood tone of DR table/chair.  Would you ever consider painting it a color?

Arapaho, that was one of the reasons my OP said "but just looking at the photo I think I know the answer, don't I?"

No one else has raised it. I did think painting it white like the window trim could obviate the need to have it relate to the table. And that seems to be consensus?

Put it in it's new home, see how you like it. Ask us how we like it and suggestions for colour. Maybe provide other pictures of the surrounding area.

I love the white buffet for your dining room as long as it does not extend above the window molding. Many antique buffets have mirrors also. If you are already planning to paint it why not a blue pulled from The Wave— which IIRC you have on the opposite wall of the DR? Painting the alcove white presents the problem of where to stop and how to stop—paint edge, trim pieces? etc. I would leave the existing paint and find a pretty blue in a satin finish, brass knobs or some fabulous vintage finds?

After 10+years of use in CT, the piece needs to be painted and I planned to keep it a creamy white like it is now (the pic of it at the top is from the web). Then it occurred to me it might work here in Maine, and if so I'd want to paint it a true white like the trim here.

I think painting it blue will make it even more informal, and the room is more formal than most summer home DR already. Moreover, it is possible we will switch out the DR table here for an even more formal, dark, table, indefinitely or just as de facto storage until we find our next home.

This, plus behind the chair, obviously, is where I was thinking paint white to match the hutch.

Yes, that is what I thought you meant Pal. I am going to double check the msmts the next time I am in CT, but I am pretty sure the answer is I should paint the hutch/sideboard/buffet white because it will probably eventually migrate to this spot.

Really appreciate everyone's input because I wanted to move the piece here but thought it might not work.

I am also thinking of knocking down the formality of the table with a French oilcloth, which will work even better w painted hutch/sideboard/buffet, EG

I would paint the wall above those windows white also, otherwise it makes the windows look oddly low—-could that be a trick of the angle of the photo?

That might be nice, too. I think the window height is consistent throughout the house.

I love that piece, and think it will be perfect in your Maine beach house! You answered my only concern (which wasn’t much of a concern anyway) in that it is beyond perfect for a typically beachy-casual beachouse, but your beach house seems more, i dont know, stately or something? But then you said you wanted to make the dining room more casual, so seems pretty perfect to me!

(We are on the hunt for a beach house, and I would kill to have a storage piece like that! There is never enough storage!) 😂

BTW does anyone have a good source for french oilcloth tablecloths?

I got a nicely made one from this etsy vendor. Beautifully packaged too.

I hear the reason for the white and I get that. I'm the minority of one, just thinking some shade navy blue might be nice. Maybe replace the knobs / hinges with brass.

Lol, Arapaho, that’s what I said! I don’t think navy or other deep blue is necessarily more casual than white, and a more relaxed beach house dining room with no curtains or rug is not that formal anyway.

I'm terrible about replying before reading all responses, so forgive me!

I really hope the piece works there, as I think it'll look perfect! Like it was meant to be.

Arapaho I did not mean to one up, my exclamation was more along the lines of ”great minds think alike!” 😁

Mtn, I would switch from the oil cloth to the coated French tablecloths. I have several and they stay out all summer in the sun and rain. I wash them and they are still perfect.

The fellow who owns I dream of France is a delight.

I Dream of France

ETA: You can order them with or without umbrella holes and with or without a zipper which makes it easier to take off to wash without taking out the umbrella. I have several of each option I like the umbrella holes that are covered in fabric.

OT I've never seen a "real" clamshell for sale. Good to know I didn't miss out on something. :0) My poor husband complains that bringing things home un-broken is hard enough without adding SIZE to the task.

Yes, you can buy a real clamshell of that type. But mine is cast. Reminds me though, one of the most fascinating things I have seen are the giant mollusks in the GBR. As you snorkel over them, you can see them move as they inhale and exhale.

Cyn, that was exactly where I was looking! Glad to know you like yours.

more relaxed beach house dining room with no curtains or rug is not that formal anyway.

LOL it had both an oriental rug and curtains on every window when we bought it. The fpl and mantle are somewhat formal. The real challenge will be if I end up moving my old DR table in, that is quite formal and bossy. We shall see.

This is my DR set, except no gold on the table legs thank goodness, and I don't plan to use the chairs, but you can see how it is pretty formal.

Yes, that is a very formal table. Seeing it I would almost recommend painting the buffet piece in black lacquer but the shape is informal also.

Those chairs are absolutely TDF, including that fabulous upholstery. May I ask why you aren’t using them in your Maine DR after reupholstering them in a pretty blue and white? They are completely, utterly perfect.

Oh that, is a photo from the website, not my upholstery. Mine are cream with gold Napoleonic bees.

The head chairs, with the circular arms, are way too formal for the vibe of the rest of the house. And all of the chairs feel too ... tall? The high backs take up a lot of visual space vs what we have now.

I think that, remembering my table does no have the gilt detailing, I can get away with the table in that space but the whole set is too much.

KSWL, this is my DR set, in my first house. It was bought for this space, and suits it. It doesn't work in my CT DR or ME DR.

PS for those of you wondering about the red walls they were based on the color in the rug and were almost raspberry.

Thank you for the picture, Mtn. I can see the curved back of the chairs much better in your photo. They look very comfortable, an unusual dining room chair attribute. They just are so graceful, yet have a strong sense of presence. Your buffet with the brass railing would look very handsome in that Maine dining room too! I also had a red DR for years, I believe at one time it was practically a requirement in Georgia 😁

The website picture you posted from the mfg is my platonic ideal of a dining room—- the chairs, the fabric, the colors of the room,fireplace, sisal mat, chest…. it all combines as one deliciously beautiful room.

The buffet with the brass railing is long gone, I had no place for it here in CT so when we sold our first house, I sold that piece.

Yes! I love the Great Barrier Reef...been there several times...but....never seen a giant clamshell for sale.....? Real or otherwise....I did Google and found several. It's very cool. Yes I see them underwater aaaaaaaaaaaall the time.....:0) You will too....now you can scuba right up to them..... good for you mtn!

Honestly they were very easy to see snorkeling, right off the beach at Lizard Island. I never felt like I was missing anything by snorkeling instead of diving, but I bet it'd be very different if I went back now.

Have you been to Roatan? We have a trip there in March. (anyone who wants to tell me Honduras is dangerous needn't bother btw).

Yes. Roatan, Bay Islands off Honduras. We stayed at Anthony's Key Resort for a week. Yes...they took our passports and locked them in a safe. At night guards walked the perimeter of the resort. We were met on the airport landing strip with men carrying small machine guns in camo. :0) We never felt like we were in any danger. My husband got a head cold and missed a lot of the diving. I remember the eel garden, it was my first....seen MANY more since then. The no-see-ems were horrible. On our way back from diving, I fell asleep on my stomach....and got about 200 bites on my back.....while on the transport boat. We had Skin-So-Soft with us...it really works! I thought since we were on a boat.....I didn't need it. I enjoyed that trip. Had to speak Spanish more than usual. Jeannie, a GF, had her sports bra and camera stolen by resort employees. Lock your luggage once you get there. Where are you staying?

OMG that is awful. The one downside to so many tropical places! I once fell asleep with my forearm outside a mosquito net and it was nearly covered in bites.

I am going to Grand Cayman for my book club, and from there DH and I will go to Roatan and to Cuba. Trying to add to my list of countries visited *and* hit some dive spots. In Roatan we are at Ibagari; this being an example of a place where I might not feel safe in an Airbnb!

I purchased THIS poster in the gift shop. I googled Ibagari....NICE!