I found them dusty and grimy in a vintage store, and one was wired with a plug instead of hardwired.  Luckily, that’s not a problem over here.  We decided to take the easy path since we can’t access the ceiling from above and bought 2 converter kits at Home Depot.  The one we bought isn’t online, but is similar to this one.

So while the CC was wiring up the cans, I got to polishing.  Luckily, the chrome was in pretty good shape, so no soda was required this time.

Of course, they HAVE to be on a dimmer.  A complete MUST.

There is one small problem.  I think they are too high.  Currently they hang at 36″ above the table.  I think this particular fixture calls for 28-30″.  Thoughts?

Nothing is happening right away, since I really just wanted to get them up before Thanksgiving, but if I have to change the length and rewire them, I’m thinking that I won’t replace the chain..maybe black cloth cord?  I’ll listen to your suggestions and mull it over before making any decisions, but for now, I’m super happy to have a little dramatic upgrade from builder’s cans.

Plans for in here might involve removing the chair rail.  It is out of place with the architecture methinks.  No other room in the house has it.  I think the previous owners wanted to trad up this room for coziness.  I wanted to paint it black to hide it, but since I wanted the rest of the trim white, I thought that would look weird too.  I still love the matte black in here, but that rail is GOING.

I made the latest addition to the dining room wall to brighten things up around here.  I did it ages ago, and finally got it set during Michael’s 40% off framing sale.  Even with the whopping discount, it is obvious I need to learn framing.  A necessary life skill required for my life, me thinks.

It made the rounds a few months ago as well as in The Selby.  I love the Saarinen bases and can even appreciate the fussy wallpapered top (too busy for me, but it’s perfect for their place.)

The Things got interested in Ping Pong this summer after playing in the rec room where we swim.  The pool is now closed, but why should that mean an end to our fun?

I started looking for ideas to build one outside, but as fab as these are…there are no rearranging options for tons of concrete….

Via Lucky Dragon

Love them, but kinda bulky..

Now these are superb….

Via Flylyf

Via Decorator in a Box

I already have a dining room table, so let’s just make do.  I check online to see that my local Target has this in stock….only to get to the store and realize they don’t…Lies!!!!

The closest sporting goods place was farther than I felt like driving, so it was improvisation time.  I bought only paddles and balls and headed home.

This was a job that only Thing One and Thing Two could help with, so I put them to work.

And then it was PLAYTIME!

We played for 3 hours today….with more scheduled for later….

I. HAVE. STAIRS. (this is where I do a little dance, not unlike Elaine in Seinfeld)

Once I’ve stained the wood and all that jazz we’ll have a proper before and after, but this is beyond thrilling for me. The hog panels kick ass.

Oh, and I finally sold the 19th century buffet, so Flototto has moved in from the living room at last…big change-ups afoot here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xi4O1yi6b0

Southerners know Walter Anderson..especially in the Delta, but if you haven’t heard of him…check him out.  The Museum is still struggling to save much of the work damaged in Hurricane Katrina, and the best variety of his work is sold by his family here.   I’ve been toying with getting a print of one of my old favorites…Water Spouts, but in looking around, I noticed Wild Orchid, which I hadn’t remembered seeing before.  The nature drawings have always been my favorites and I truly love so many of them.

Walter Anderson's Wild Orchid

Walter Anderson's Water Spouts

….and I want it painted black…..

It was only a matter of time… I had to have a black room.  I’ve seen so many beautiful ones in the past year and I wanted to play too.  The dining room was one of the few rooms we hadn’t painted before moving in, so it’s been on the list for awhile.  Feeling a bit worn out with the process of getting the siding out to bid,  I decided to focus on a small, instant gratification project.  Hello, French Bulldog Black from Martha Stewart’s Valspar line.

BTW, this is how we renovate.  (That’s how the mailbox got done towards the end of the kitchen remodel.)  When faced with a big project that is very involved with tons of planning and details, we get impatient and need to feel like we are moving forward…so we go completely off task for a weekend with a “play” project.  I guess we could call it the attention deficit approach to remodeling, but neither of us have ever been diagnosed…..yet.

I worry that keeping the chair rail white will make it feel too traditional, especially because I have this big traditional buffet (that I want to go away!)  I hate the temporary lampshades, and I don’t have a place for the cookbooks yet, but all in good time…I will have it worked out.  This is just a start.

For those who like these kind of details: The photo over the buffet is by Jon Armstrong at Blurbomat.  Deer “trophy” from Cardboard Safari.  White MCM glasses are a recent score from my fave antique store in Chicago.  Fawns are (2) Roselane and (1) Northern Pottery…all 3 found on e-bay.  Dining room table is a Pottery Barn Shelton just scored half price a few months ago.  Chairs are PB’s Marais knock-off, BUT I got them a few years ago at the Pottery Barn Outlet for $60 each.  All in all, an extremely inexpensive makeover.

We’ve had our fix, and now it’s back to research, negotiations, no shows, fuzzy math….

Previous Homeowner's Dining Room

Previous Homeowner's Dining Room

Before..New Floors, but BLAH Paint

DR Before Paint

Goodbye Milquetoast Mocha

View From Outside