A Tale of Three Tables

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom (save money and do the pack and move ourselves!), it was the age of foolishness (move three sets of tables and chairs to the downsize cottage!).

Our downsize cottage does not have a separate dining room. It's the first time we haven't had a designated dining room in over fifteen years. Instead, we have a dining area next to the kitchen. Those are the compromises you have to make when choosing to go smaller.

I knew that one of our three (yes three!) sets of dining tables and chairs would work in the dining space upstairs. I was pretty sure that my original kitchen table and chairs that got repurposed in the last house in my craft studio would work great in the basement of our new house. And it does! You can see it here:

basement

The question was which table and chairs would fit the space on the main floor? Would it be our original dining room table and ladder back chairs here:

dining room

Or would the oak table with painted black chairs that we found in Illinois work best?

oak table and chairs

I was happy to find that my hutch would fit along the back wall of the dining area just fine. But what table to pair with it?

I tried the original dining table and ladder back chairs first. But the height of the chairs took up too much visual space in this room, making it feel cluttered.

Then I remembered how I fell in love with a farmhouse and its dining area when I was perusing Indiana real estate last summer:

Hmmm. Would the painted Windsor style chairs from the oak table work with the rectangular pine farmhouse style table better?

I swapped out the ladderback chairs for the black Windsor chairs, and I love it!

The black chairs tie in really well with the black appliances in the adjacent kitchen. My sons also voted for the black chairs because they are more comfy than the ladder back. Good point. My husband, on the other hand, does not understand that everything is no longer matchy matchy. He's not a guy that can understand whimsy.

Here's a few photos from the kitchen. It's small, but very functional and easy to work in.

I need to sew some new cafe curtains for the window over the sink, as well as panels for the patio door. Future crafting project!

The only problem now: what to do with an oak table and six ladder back chairs we no longer need. Hmm. For now, they are hanging out together in the garage until we can find them a home.

We are enjoying our spot here at the table, where we can watch the birds come to the feeders on the deck. It's a good place to be.

Next time, I will show you the adjoining family room area, and share with you some future projects for this space, too.

Blessings, cafe friends!