Dining Rooms

I mentioned how I like dining rooms. Yes, I am speaking of the room that is so often saved for company or holidays; or like in my case, occasionally becomes "project central" because it is the only room in the house were things can be left without disturbance. The downside to "project central" is that due to me not having to to walk through this room, I can manage to leave it a mess for longer periods than truly necessary.

The house I grew up in didn't have a formal dining room and I always knew I was going to have one. When I would visit friends whose home possessed such a room, it was always an elegant and mysterious place. Even if I never knew them to use this room, I always knew there was something special about it. I have refused homes because they didn't have formal dining room, even when all other things have been perfect.

My dining room is furnished with an antique dining suite from the 1920 and was manufactured in Gettysburg, PA (I know because the original packaging label is on the back of the 6 foot long sideboard). I absolutely love it. My in-laws received it as a trade-in on something in their furniture store and the 1st time my husband saw it he said he hated it. He couldn't see through the 70 years of grease and cigarette burns or the lovely crushed yellow velvet seats. My in-laws had it refinished and gave it to us as a house warming gift when we moved into House #2 (which had a dining room with a wall designed specially to accommodate that sideboard!). It is a definite favorite on my list of furniture pieces.

The house we live in now has a tiny dining room, (a testament to some builders belief that dining rooms aren't necessary), so I don't keep the leaves in the table and it definitely didn't have much in the way of decor in the dining room when we moved in. Someone, with very poor taste --- Bless their hearts --- had a pitiful excuse for a light fixture in there (it would have been more at home over a breakfast table, at best); and walls as white as white could be. They were not a deep, lovely neutral but rather a thin spray of builders paint. Being of limited budget, I was fortunate to be the recipient of a $9 polished brass chandelier which was brand new (my MIL found at a Good Will Store!). I was glad it was brand new and the $9 price tag was GREAT but it was ugly as sin. So I painted an antique gold finish on it, added some crystal bobeche from Pottery Barn (which I got on clearance for $3.50 each - a super deal considering they were $15 each regularly and I needed 9), some taupe silk shades and had my dear daughter stitch up a cover for the chain that matched my window treatments! I knew those sewing classed for her would pay off. So, for less than $100....WAhhhhlaaaaaa....a designer light fixture!

"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

Romans 12:13 (NIV)