We have a beautiful dining table, a 1790 antique drop-leaf made of New England maple, but it seats four and we can’t patch together that and the kitchen table as easily in this apartment as we could in Hanover. Meanwhile, the table we’re using behind the couch (first thing you see when you walk in) is too small, and the dining table would be perfect in that spot, as a landing pad and grounding element. We need a dining table that can seat six, and hopefully eight in a squeeze, and yet won’t be too big for everyday. The dining room is almost square, with the door in and the door to the kitchen diagonally across from each other, so that a table in the middle of the room will force an annoying weave through the room. Oh well! I want a chandelier, and that needs to be centered, and the table needs to be centered under it. But it does mean I think we need a round table that expands to an oval, and this weekend we saw this one at Pottery Barn and finally were ready to bite the bullet. We’ve been looking and looking at antique stores, flea markets, every furniture store we pass…Nothing has been quite right. This one *is* solid wood, which we felt strongly about. And it’s nice and simple? The photo in the right finish shows it unexpanded, which will be the everyday size (45″):

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Here it is expanded, with giant chairs and not my style of stuff surrounding it (why is there Sooooooo much stuff on it? Weird.):

Simple, right? Next up: Chairs. I like these from West Elm, but maybe we’ll get something really plain and upholstered, like these from CB2.

West Elm:

CB2:

And then there’s lighting. We saw some promising specimens at Restoration Hardware this weekend:

(Ok, that last one is more like something I’d want in the living room…)

But I think I’ll at least give it another couple months of looking for something vintage before I give in to the box stores on the lighting!

Ok, we’re just missing cabinet pulls, lighting, art…The fun stuff! I ordered cabinet pulls but something mysterious has happened to the order so I think I need to try again.

I also need to do some more treatments of the counter to make sure it has a good thick finish on it. But at least we have cabinet doors! I also added a couple more recent living rooms pictures to the apartment Flickr set.

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Big thanks to Scrappy Girl and Another Shade of Gray, both of whom have given nice links to the blog in the last couple days! I’m touched and flattered; I love both of their blogs.

Xander, a world traveler who is currently living in Bangkok, writes about travels, food, and culture at his blog Primitive Culture. I am always fascinated by the gorgeous photos he posts of daily living around the world–he has a great eye and captures a lot of details that you don’t see in vacation pictures. Today he launched a new series, Bangkok Colors, which I think is going to be so inspirational. Today: Pink! All those pinks and spring greens are so preppy and the opposite of the autumnal colors that surround us here in Boston right now. Fun.

And finally, a random obsession. I loved love love white ceramic and porcelain stuff, and have been slowly building up a few pieces at home. In today’s House and Home section there was a fun slideshow about hits and busts at various home stores, and I was pleased to see the porcelain logs that I adore posted as a hit. The same shop, Koo de Kir, said a Jason Miller porcelain Hostess Cupcake was a total bust for them. But I love it (it’s down at the bottom)! So fun.

(photo from Koo de Kir)