Living Room Shelving

A few months ago, I posted about an empty spot behind the couch. Well, we decided to go with shelves but the next step was to find the right size and color. We found some large ones on steep discount at restoration hardware. The shelves were listed as "reclaimed" but when they came in the mail, they were painted to look reclaimed but they looked very fake. My husband spent the next two days sanding them and revealved beautiful wood underneath! No idea why they chose to paint them!

I printed some photos I have taken and am really happy with how it turned out!

BUT now I have this empty spot that we need to fill. I am not sure what to put here:

I have looked and looked and I think that one day I will just stumble upon it. Whatever it is :)

Rubio Monocoat on Restoration Hardware Reclaimed Wood

Thought I would stop in and give an update on the table! The table, from Restoration Hardware, was unfinished wood. A few weeks ago, we set a glass of water on the table and it left a very clear ring and we decided it was time to better protect the top. We did a bunch of research and decided to go with Rubio Monocoat natural oil finish in clear/pure (no, they are not sponsoring me or know I am writing about them).

Application was pretty simple and although we were a little sad that it made the table darker, it is well worth it to have the table to protected. Water now just pools on the top layer.

Soon I will be updating about the couch corner!

Dining Room Chairs!

Our chairs have arrived. We went with the Pottery Barn Isabella Sidechair. I love them so far.

My latest issue is how to decorate the two walls behind the couch. We don't want canvases (hubs doesn't like them) or black and white because we are trying to pop with color.

Any thoughts? :)

Restoration Hardware Dining Table

We finally got our table thanks to a nice little sale they were having. I know many people would not be willing to wait 8 months for a table, but we were to get something as beautiful as this! :)

It is a restoration hardware table at 108 inches long (with extensions to 122 inches). However, the table to not sealed. So we will have to figure out which way we are going with that and what chairs will get. I really want to get cloth to add some warmth to the table. I think we are going to go with off white removable slip cover chairs.

The majority of our meals will still be eaten at the counter so we are not in a rush.  But Thanksgiving WILL be hosted here this year!

Our all white Ikea kitchen.

As I mentioned before, we used Ikea cabinets for our kitchen. When we originally met with our builder, we told him we wanted Ikea and he was fine with that as long as we installed it. We did have him price out a custom kitchen just to see. The custom kitchen price came to 17K and we bought our cabinets during the kitchen sale for around 6K. Our appliances are all Kenmore except for the mircowave, which is also Ikea.

Door on the left is to the pantry, door on the right to the mudroom.

Incomplete.

Overall, the house still feels incomplete. A big reason for that is that we still need to buy a dining table. Remember our rule about not buying anything unless we love it? Well guess what table we love? Why, a restoration hardware table of course! And we almost had all the money saved (another rule is we cannot put anything on credit) and our car broke down and is finally running after a $2,000 fix. Such is life. The reason we want that table is that restoration hardware seems to have the only 108" tables we can find that don't "look" extended at that length. With all the other tables we have found, they must be extended to reach that length which creates lines we don't like. Have I mentioned we are picky.. yeah... it is a good thing and a bad thing.

We do have our lovely blue barstools on the island but it feels hard to invite many people over lacking a table. I feel like it will be about 2 years before this house is fully decorated!

So that is part of the reason I have yet to take too many pictures of the house, I am such a visual perfectionist and it doesn't feel "ready" yet. Man, I have issues! But I WILL do a kitchen post soon because the kitchen is finally done! My husband wanted to add some trim under the cabinets and life got in the way for a few months before he could do that. If I don't do a kitchen post, please feel free to email me angry messages! :)

Anyway, I do have some cute pictures of my girls and our first Christmas in the house!

 COUCH!

 

 House's first "snow"!

 

 Cold Brynn.

 

 The house is AMAZING for entertaining family! Will be better with a table :)

 

 See that space behind Elle? That is the empty table space. But the island works great for gingerbread house building!

 Also, note, nothing on the walls! I am so picky about printing pictures!

 

 Artsy tree.

 

 Princess Brynn on Christmas morning!

 We got antique doll beds for the girls and my husband painted them.