Old and New
When I designed this house, I had a vision for everything, right down to the smallest detail. Suffice to say, the journey to realizing most of this vision has become more of a marathon than a sprint. We've lived with many temporary conditions, either due to phasing, affordability, or the quest for the perfect solution. In the case of our master bedroom and dining space, it has been a combination of all three.
We'd been living with a bed frame and mattress set in the master bedroom, because I plan to design our bed from scratch. At the same time, this approach has left the room looking more unfinished than it really is (finishing the custom millwork is the biggest challenge). Lo and behold, we recently decided to replace our bed in New York. So, we decided to transport the old bed for use up at the house. I wasn't sure if it would really fit, but it was free, and better than a box spring and mattress on metal posts.
(side note: remind me to tell you about our road trip to NYC to pick up the bed. I'll set the scene: me and Brian in a rented commercial van, driving down 3rd Avenue on St. Patrick's Day. It was hilarious, in retrospect.)
Here's the new (old) bed. I kind of like it, actually.
While we were at it, we painted the double doors into the Master Bath gloss black, and for added functionality, we added some decorative hooks we found at a fabulous hardware store in Rome.
With our dining set, I will preface my story by saying that I almost never say no to free, and that we did not own dining furniture that matched my vision when we started this project. Fortunately, my mom gifted me her old formal dining table and chairs, and voila! - we had a dining set that has lasted us this past four years. The table and chairs are really well made, and if the space was larger, I might have thought about keeping the look. But, I designed the room for something more petite in scale, and a little less traditional. Serendipitously, we ended up with a leak in the dining room ceiling that damaged my mom's table beyond use. I felt terrible about ruining the family furniture, but I did seize the moment to search for the permanent table and chairs.
The table is custom Room and Board and the chairs are from a great spot in the City - SitDownNY.
What I like about the final solution is that the seating is comfortable, and there is plenty of room to spread out on all sides. The old table and chairs, while very elegant, were big and clunky and tough to move, and they created a tight squeeze within the already narrow room dimensions. Also, the glass surface of the new table is a breeze to clean. The Italian seat pads are wool and easy to manage when we have company. All in all I'm very pleased with the results. We will repurpose the old set, but in another home, at another time. In the meantime - Thanks, Mom! Your gifts have served us well this past four years.
For a look at the old table and chairs, check out my previous post.