… to this!!
I have outlined the simple steps taken to increase the awesomeness of the breakfast nook below in no particular order.
Step 1:
Tear down the awful green curtains, burn them and replace them with nothing so more natural light infuses the space.
Step 2:
Spend 3 long weeks watching a painter transform the space as slow as humanly possible with Revere Pewter paint.
Step 3:
Give said painter the "builder grade" chandelier and replace with a fancy (and HGTV approved) drum shade version.
Step 4:
Scour every furniture store in the entire world and find not one single farmhouse table small enough to fit the cozy space.
Step 5:
Marry someone who says "I can totally build that" when you send him sample plans of a DIY farmhouse table from a random blog.
Step 6:
Change your mind about the type of chairs to get roughly 100 times only to end up with what you wanted in the first place (thank you World Market!).
In all seriousness, how AWESOME does our new table look??!?!? My amazing husband built it with his own two hands and I couldn't be more impressed. It is exactly what we wanted from the style to the color to the type of wood. A perfect fit for our space. A. MAZE. ING!!!
Since Ed is a man of few words and I am not able to recount all the steps he took to create this beautiful new piece of furniture, I will let the photos do the talking. There was lots of planning and calculating and internet research that happened before the supplies made it into the house, but once they did, he cranked it out in 3 days (and that includes dry time for the stain!).
As you can see, our basement doubled as Ed's "workshop". The basement is still a work in progress so he was able to take advantage since it was absolutely freezing outside on the days he was building the darn thing.
The table is made of cedar wood which made the entire basement smell like a delicious closet. Ed went to a lumbar yard instead of Home Depot to get the wood to ensure that there was no warping or splitting. What I love most about the planks he chose are the beautiful knots and imperfections. It makes the table have that rustic feel we were looking for without having to source reclaimed wood.
After lots of maneuvering and leveling and screwing (keep it clean, people!), it was time to stain. We decided to go with Dark Walnut because of the rich color it gave the wood. It also matches the space really well which is an added bonus.
After a few days of drying (and a trip to NY for a wedding - more on that soon!), it was time to move this bad boy girl up into the kitchen which was not an easy feat. This lovely lady is a bit big-boned and weighs a lot. Like a lot, a lot! But we managed and now she sits in our kitchen with some beautiful tufted chairs and is ready to be the centerpiece of meal time in the Mangiaracina household.
So there you have it. Our new kitchen table really completes this space and we couldn't be happier with the end result. My Ed is so talented and is looking forward to the next project we have up our sleeves. And in case you were wondering…James will continue to dine in his high chair on a wooden chair. The way he eats, no fabric is safe. :)
