Dining Nook – Page 4

Furniture Feature: Dining Table

Published on June 29, 2010September 9, 2010 by Our Humble Abode13 Comments

Before we could bring our new table in, we had to remove the old set. Then, I added a few more Flor tiles to the existing rug. Because our old table was round, the four square by four square rug was the perfect size. The rectangular table needed a rectangular rug. When I order Flor rugs, I always order a few extra squares of each design. This came in handy. I cut the dark brown squares to fit with the existing design. Then I taped them together because I didn’t have extra Flor dots. After about ten minutes, our ‘new’ rug was ready for the table.

Ben and I carried in the new table base, but the top was far too heavy for me to move. With a little help from a friend, we had a new table. Enough talk, here’s the completed table:

The overall size is 4 1/2 feet long by 3 feet wide, which fits perfectly in our dining room. The chairs tuck under neatly, fitting close the edge of the table, leaving two feet of walking space on all sides.

The apron is set in 1/2 inch from the legs, giving the base a polished look.

I love the clean, modern Parsons style legs paired with the more traditional marble top.

It’s a perfect balance of modern and traditional. The dark wooden chairs are comfortable and stylish, but still add warmth.

I wanted to show the marble off, so here’s an artsy shot:

I am 150% in love with our new table. What do you think? What is your proudest DIY project?

Adventures in Building a Dining Table

Published on June 28, 2010May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode22 Comments

Some of our recent posts show changes we have made to our dining room. I have hated our dining table for the past year or so, but Ben loves our table. It’s solid oak and the price was great. The problem? The table measures in at a whopping 4 foot diameter. The pedestal base makes it impossible to push the large chairs within 6 inches of the table. Our small (9 foot wide by 10.5 foot long) dining room is even smaller.

After discussing a new table with Ben and looking around town, the search died; we couldn’t agree on a table. We discussed building a wooden table and painting it white. But how to make it sturdy enough? Back to the drawing board. Then, Ben had a great idea. Why not build the table out of steel? It’s cheap, durable and rigid.

Ben went to the local steel supply warehouse to see what he could find. He found three-inch square steel tubing for the legs and three-inch ‘L’ pieces for the rails. Score! The supply yard cut the pieces to length, too. Ben left $58.00 poorer and 100 pounds heavier, ready to start welding.

We decided on four outer legs connected by a 1/2 inch inset apron with a cross support. Pass about 4 hours and we had this:

Here’s Ben touching up some areas:

Ben is so amazing, he even added feet!

Add some spray primer and three coats of gloss white Rustoleum spray paint and we had this:

And this:

Because we plan to sell our entire dining set, we began searching for new dining chairs. The plan is to have 4 matching chairs at the table at all times, with these stacking chairs available for larger groups-we already have two.

I loved World Market’s Loft Chairs (see below), but at $100.00 each, they are a little out of our current price range.

After some online searching, Ben found these:

They aren’t quite as good-looking as the Loft chairs, but the price was definitely right and they are nice, solid chairs. The chairs are discounted because they are discontinued. We were sold-we bought four. World Market offers 10% off your entire purchase if you open a World Market credit card, so we got an additional $14.00 off! Here’s our receipt. I love when stores show the amount you’ve saved. I really love when the amount saved is more than the amount spent. Check it out:

Yep, we spent $125.96 and saved $154.00!! Amazing!

We went to our local granite and marble yard. We found a dark greenish-black marble with white swirls. It’s b.e.a.utiful and it’s a remnant! Ben helped cut the slab at the granite supply- it was too heavy and large to cut at home.

Then he hauled the 4 1/2 foot by 3 foot cut piece home and polished the edges using granite specific polishing pads on a right angle grinder. Here he is, hard at work:

Our Past Four Years…

Published on June 21, 2010May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode1 Comment

We have done quite a bit to our humble rancher since Ben bought it back in 2004. Most you can see, like paint and trim, but others are a little more difficult to notice-if you can see them at all. So, here’s a little recap of things Ben did before we were married:

Cut out and installed egress windows in basement bedrooms and the office.
Drilled a well.
Installed wood burning fireplace.
Removed siding to add insulation all around the house.
Replaced all upper level windows, enlarging the bedroom windows by one foot.
Replaced the kitchen linoleum with tile.
Knocked down the kitchen wall to create a half wall:

8. Closed ½ bath and created ¾ master bathroom.

Changes we’ve made since we’ve been married:

Added trim to the 3^rd bedroom and repainted.
Added trim to the guest bedroom and repainted.
Repainted living room and built an entertainment center.
Gutted and refinished main bathroom.
Added oak floors and trim to master bedroom. Repainted.
Installed a new glass back door.
Finished 1^st basement bedroom.
Installed a central vacuum system.
Added trim to the dining room and repainted.
Removed the chain link fence and built a new painted white fence.
Planted 17 fruit trees, boxwood, roses, peonies, lilies, and other flowers.
Installed a larger electric panel and moved it to the laundry room.
Built and hung new shutters and window boxes.
Dug a trench to install the geothermal system:

15. Gutted and unfinished master bathroom.

16. Installed a new front door.

17. Finished office, including built-in bookshelves and cabinets.

18. Finished basement living room with painted trim and built-in entertainment center.

19. Finished basement bedroom with trim.

20. Finished basement bathroom, complete with 6 foot jetted tub, open vanity and soon to be steam room.

Of course there are several smaller projects we’ve finished, too.

Things I Love About Our House

Published on June 18, 2010September 9, 2010 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

I’m sure most homeowners at least like their houses. We love our house, especially some of the features and details. Here are some of our favorites:

Our deep windowsills:

Our master bath window sill is marble clad:

The pantry above our stairs is great, too, although the doors could use a little love.

It is huge and holds almost all of our non-perishable food items, paper towels and larger dishes.

We have added white trim to almost every room in our house. It seems obvious that we love it, so here are some detail shots:

I love the crown moldings above the doors and windows in our master bedroom. It is convenient to have the hidden lighting, too.

The guest bedroom trim is simple, but definitely adds character to the room.

Here’s the plate rack we added to our dining room. Capped off crown molding and quarter round trim provide storage for large platters, but serves as artwork, too.

White trim in a basement bedroom brightens up the space and adds interest.

Our basement bathroom is outfitted with simple trim topped by a shelf, providing a display area and small storage.

What do you love about your house? Maybe some architectural details? Lighting? The layout?

Lighten and Brighten Up!

Published on June 15, 2010September 9, 2010 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

I love light and bright rooms, don’t we all? I have compiled a list of changes we have made to make our house brighter.

1. Add a sky tube to a dark, windowless room, like our main bathroom.

2. Mirrors! The mirrors in both of our upstairs bathrooms extend to or close to the ceilings. The large mirrors reflect light while making the space feel larger.

3. Our new dining light fixture makes our space feel brighter because the shade is white. The old fixture was oil rubbed bronze, so it felt darker.

4. When Ben replaced all of our windows, he enlarged some of the windows. All three bedroom windows are now 1 foot closer to the floors. The added light does make a huge difference. Ben also made a smart decision by making egress windows in our basement. All of the basement windows were the smaller of the two shown below. Not only are the bedrooms more functional, livable bedrooms, but the light is great. It doesn’t seem as much like a basement.

5. Our new front door has a window. At first, I hated the idea, due to lack of privacy-I liked to look out our peep-hole at the people on the other side, knowing they couldn’t see me. Now, they know I’m on the other side of the door-not answering… Any who, I love the light this little window lets in. The new back door is almost entirely glass, too. I love it, lack of privacy and all.