#SalaganHome Kitchen Eating Area
As many of you know, my husband I moved from a condo to a semi-detached home earlier this past year. I absolutely loved condo living but with twin babies on the way, space was getting pretty tight.
So with that, some of our condo-friendly furniture had to go. Our dining table was perfect for 2 people, but we knew as the babies became older we would need something larger. We also hold family gatherings so it would now have to accommodate 6-8 people at a time. Along with the high-top glass table, I had to let go of our sideboard/bar. No more cocktails being made here! Here are some before shots:
They looked out of place in such a large area, so I wasn't too sad to let these pieces go. As a Designer, I'm always excited to refresh my home and introduce new pieces!
The Table
First, we began plotting & scheming new ideas for Kitchen tables. My husband has always loved live-edge tables, where I like more of a cleaner look. But I was willing to explore our options. Marriage is all about compromise after all ;)
We went to Exotic Woods in Burlington, and found this gorgeous piece of Maple. It didn't take long to decide this would be our new table top. While technically we could have just purchased a ready-made table, it felt more special to make our own.
With some very sound advice from the salespeople, we opted to go with a natural finish and not stain the top darker as we had originally planned. I'm so happy we kept it natural! I'm really looking forward to seeing it naturally age over time.
Here is a shot of the top in all of its raw, unfinished state:
Since the table top was already joined, constructing the rest of the table was fairly easy. We purchased THESE legs from The Home Depot. They came unfinished so my husband sprayed them matte black. I couldn't be happier with how smooth the paint went on.
We knew going in that this would be an investment piece for our family so we didn't want to skimp out on the details. As soon as my husband finished screwing in the legs, we were in love. We couldn't stop staring at it and every time we walked by it, we'd say "this is a sexy table."
The finished product!
After it was all said and done, the table took about 4 days to complete. This included sanding & finishing, spraying the legs and drying/curing time. If you'd like more details on the construction, check out my husband's blog post HERE!
We are both so pleased with it, and look forward to many family dinners and game nights here with our girls.
Seating After the biggest piece was finished (the table), I was able to complete the look with THESE simple chairs. While upholstered chairs would have been my first choice, I know down the line these Eiffel chairs will be easy to clean once the girls get older.
The Ikea bench hack is nothing new. I've seen this done many times on social media, and I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate it into our space for not only additional seating but for some smart hidden storage as well. Basically all we did was take the Kallax bookshelf and turned it on its side. My friends at Tonic Living caught onto this amazing hack and now offer THIS bench cushion in the exact size of the Kallax, so there is no guess work involved!
Baskets linked HERE.
Fabrics & Drapery
I went back and forth with the scheme as I didn't know if I wanted much colour. Ultimately I'm glad I went with muted tones and soft blues, as I'm sure this space will get cluttered with colourful toys/plates/crafts in the near future!
The Designer in me cringed at the fact that I purchased ready-made drapes. But the cost of going custom just wasn't in the budget and I was pleasantly surprised with these sheers from Ikea. They were very similar to my original choice, but a quarter of the price. When going with ready-made drapery, the key is the double or triple up the panels so they look fuller. I purchased 3 packs and it was more than enough to cover our patio door.
Pillows: Vigdis Cushion Cover, Passagio Batik Cover
Drapes: Birtine Curtains
Accessories & Artwork
I just love the contrast of woods between the table and our Stinson Studios Ebonized Oak fruit bowl. We picked this bowl up at the One Of A Kind Show in Toronto a few years back, but you can still purchase it online!
I always love changing out my florals and/or greenery based on the seasons, so this was a quick arrangement I put together using leftover greens from our Christmas decor.
Lastly, I framed our family portraits from Jennifer Black Photography in simple black frames with large mats.
Overall we're so pleased with how everything turned out. We use the space way more than we ever expected, it's the perfect family hangout.
Thanks so much for reading and make sure to join the conversation over on my Instagram!
-Liz