kitchen nook

My trusty assistant, Hazel, and I were over at Aunt Sarah & Uncle Greg's house yesterday, and we started chatting about their kitchen. They recently repainted their kitchen cabinets, updated the hardware, and added a great buffet that they painted a fun, bright color. I'm pushing them to add a small table and two chairs in there as well. I think it would create such a warm & welcoming breakfast area!

Bryn recently posted about these rattan beauties, on *major* sale at World Market...



I think the pair would look incredible with Ikea's knock-off of the Saarinen dining table...



I love the pairing of the modern table with more traditional chairs... Not to mention that this combo would give you a very high-end look on the cheap!







P.S. - I'm hoping to be back around these parts a little more often now! I received the sweetest email from a new reader, and it was just the encouragement I needed! Thank you for sticking around, friends!

dining rooms

My mother-in-law recently took down her dining room wallpaper, and it got me thinking about dining rooms I love.  I absolutely can't wait until we start looking for our next home (a long time in the future), and I know a formal dining room will be on my must-have list.

For now, here are a few of my favorites...

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Which do you prefer for a dining room... dark saturated walls or light and neutral?