Tips for an Eclectic Dining Room

I love the look of a mismatched dining area. I'm talking different styles and colors of chairs. Or, just pairing two different styles together. We've got that going on in our breakfast room, where we've paired matching chairs with a bench.

I really want to get some cushy chairs in here...but that will have to wait. Until then, I wanted to give you some ideas/tips on how you can create the mistmatched and eclectic look in your favorite dining area.

#1: Select your table. It will be much easier to find chairs to go around it than try and find a table that will be a good fit for your seating. Are you going with a round or rectangle table? Or square? Choosing your table first will make finding your chairs much easier!

#2: Pay attention to chair height. You don't want your guest at the end of the table sitting down lower than your other guests. It's not only uncomfortable having to peer up at the person sitting next to you, but it makes it awkward to eat! When shopping, know how tall your dining room table is so you don't end up buying a chair that is too low or too high. And, don't forget to test it out! If it's a cushy chair, do you sink down?

#3: Know your table's dimensions. This goes along with Tip #2 -- know your table like the back of your hand! How much room do you have on the sides? Are the ends wide enough to accommodate a chair? Our dining room table is very narrow...standard chairs don't fit on the ends. Bring measurements, a tape measure and a photo when you head out shopping. It will save you less headache in the end!

#4: Don't forget your style! What will work best for your home? Do you do a lot of entertaining? Have little ones running around? You might love the idea of having a couple of cozy white chairs flanking your table. But, if you have young kids, this might not be the best option for you right now (or, get something that is washable!). If you like to have guests over (think clients, the boss), you might want to look for chairs that are comfortable and steer clear of the industrial/metal chairs. Make sure your selection fits with your style and life.

#5: Select chairs with some corresponding elements. While I like the mismatched look, I still think it's important to have SOME cohesive elements. Whether it's sticking with a similar shade, chair style, matching cushions or picking two different matching sets, you can still get the eclectic look, and have it look more natural.

The rooms below do a great job of mixing things up, without going overboard.

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Etsy is a great resource for finding unique chairs. Here's a Treasury List of some of my favorite finds. Let me know your favorite!

Weekend Plans: Paint, Paint, Paint

I started this post as a way for you to take a look at what we've been working on for our last two shows of 2012. Now, it's become more of a to-do list of everything that needs to be done for next weekend's event: the Chandler Hill Annual Harvest & Holiday Market. This one is super close to our house and Chandler Hill is one of our favorite wineries. It will be a great place to meet some new people.

It's going to be a busy weekend, but here's what we'll be finishing up. We'll have alot of home decor items for this show. Chalkboards, mirrors, vintage frames. We've also put together a cute wall vase using recycled wine bottles.

Jeff's been working on a bar/buffet table that I'm really excited about. I'm looking forward to styling it next weekend. In the meantime, it will be getting a coat of paint on the legs. I'll be trying a new distressing technique and if I'll goes well, I'll share it next week!

If you are in the St. Louis area, come join us Saturday, Nov. 10th from 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. There's a great line-up of vendors. As well as the usual picturesque atmosphere and fantastic wine!

Store Spotlight: Sesame & Lilies

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff and I took a vacation and headed to the Pacific Northwest. Among our stops was Cannon Beach. It was our first time in that area and it was gorgeous!

During the planning process, I stumbled upon a home store located in Cannon Beach called Sesame and Lilies. I knew from the website that I would fall in love....and I did! So, I wanted to take you on a little tour of what I saw and offer suggestions on where you can find some of the same looks.

They have room after room of beachy, one-of-a-kind home decor, clothing, jewelry, bath items, kitchen items and much, much more. It was a little overwhelming!

Burlap and linen (natural looking fabrics) are still going strong. I love this paired with the tufted look! It really softens and dresses these fabrics up. Here's a similar tufted chair. And, the large mirror would be an easy DIY project...distress some lumber (or use barnwood if you are lucky to have some) and make a frame for the mirror size of your choice.

Sesame and Lilies Tufted Chair

The raw edged stitching on the cushions below would be easy for a newbie sewer like me! And, some DIY hand stenciled pillows are easy, too.

Sesame and Lilies Chair and Pillows

I can't get enough of driftwood (like the bowl below). And the mini, distressed buoys were too cute.

This chandy made out of recycled bottles was huge -- a great statement piece for a dining room!

Sesame and Lilies Chandelier

This collection of glass domes is a unique way to display and highlight items on a shelf or buffet. Grab the latest 50% off coupon and head over to Hobby Lobby to pick some up! And we are constantly seeing architectural pieces at shops around STL that would make a great base for a lamp. Definitely something I want to add to our to-do list.

Sesame and Lilies Glass Dome Display

These signs are all over the place. Make your own or pick one up.

These over-sized glass jugs are totally beachy...but, take up alot of room as a centerpiece. I love the colors and think I would try the same look with different mason jars.

Sesame and Lilies

Sesame and Lilies

 I'm always look for different chipped paint/distressed looks. Great color combs here, with the blue, green, gold and white.

Sesame and Lilies

Sesame and Lilies

Another room and another spectacular chandelier. This one looks like it had been painted. I have one in our basement that I'll be taking some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to soon.

Sesame and Lilies

 Another great table scape. I spy a burlap runner, vintage bottles, antique glass insulators and
 rustic farmhouse table.  Swoon!

 Still seeing tons of antlers out there, even in the Pacific NW! I have these that I painted a few weeks ago.

Last, but not least, another perfect paint chipped table (piled high with sweet soaps, lotions and candles).

Sesame and Lilies

Thanks for taking a tour with me! I barely scratched the surface of what Sesame and Lilies has to offer. It's definitely worth a stop...just make sure you have an hour or two ;-)

Where is your favorite local home decor shop? Would love to hear about some of your faves!

Wet Distressing with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I've been wanting to paint a gold picture frame ever since I took part in an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint demo in July. So, when I spied this large, old frame at the antique store, I knew it would be perfect.

The cracks and scrolls are calling out to be distressed!

First, I gave it a coat of AS Paris Grey.

One of the techniques we used in the workshop was wet distressing. Once the paint is just dry, take a damp cloth and wipe off the paint. This removed the Paris Grey, but didn't scratch the gold underneath.

Then I took some Pure White and brushed that on. I didn't completely cover every surface. That's one of the things I love about AS paint....you don't have to be perfect.

Then, some more wet distressing and distressing with fine sandpaper.

 After that, it was a coat of AS dark wax. It made everything POP! And, once the wax was rubbed in and polished, to is buttery smooth.

It has the most perfect antique French look! To finish it off, I'll be adding some twine to the middle section. It will be a cute way to display jewelry or photos.

It has great depth and looks like there are so many layers...yet it was really a simple process!

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Farmhouse Style Dining Room Table

One of the things we are trying to start doing more is showing the process Jeff goes through when making our tables. This is one we brought with us to Strange Folk and were overwhelmed with the response. While it didn't sell (not many people expect to go to a festival and buy a dining room table!), everyone loved it. Which was great to hear.

It started off looking like this:

What I really like about what Jeff does with the large doors is that he trims them out. While they still look rustic and farmhouse style, they have a more finished look.

And, here it is today! We stained it a dark brown and added 4x4 legs (which can be removed). I painted and distressed the legs and gave them a coat of dark soft wax (the legs are super smooth...although they look rough). We opted to go with 5 small panes of glass over one large one (moving the large piece is really hard).

It can seat 6 comfortably...maybe 8. It's currently for sale in our Etsy shop and can't wait for its first Thanksgiving Day meal!

Hand Painted Deer Antlers

I've been meaning to show off my last quickie paint project. I'm loving the recent antler trend...and love the painted look even more! A few weeks ago, I taped off sections of these antlers and brought out my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Paris Grey and Country Grey). A light coat of spray acrylic gave it a glossy finish. I think it would make a great rack for jewelry or as a centerpiece. What do you think?

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