We changed out the light almost right away. - and I painted the wall sconces to blend with the new light. I found this table off the curb for free and was able to fix and paint it. It was a good table except that there were no leaves. So it could seat six and that was that.
So, with help from a handy guy at our church, we took the top off the table and used 10 ft boards (cut down to 9ft) to make a BIG dining table. We kept the table legs, but replaced the bar in between the two legs (a longer board so that it would fit the new table proportion.
The old legs and new boards mixed rather nicely together.
I did a vinegar rub, soaked steel wool, used baking soda in the sunlight... since it was bitterly cold out I'm not sure how much sun actually worked on the wood tone. Then I used a few shades of gray paint and sort of smeared some on the wood and rubbed it off. I used a stain that was called "weathered oak" (there were a couple that I was torn between - all sort of an aged looking stain).
The overall finish is something I am happy with. The varnish I sealed it with is too glossy, so eventually I'll rub some matte finish on top. But for now I'm moving on and we can easily seat 10-14 persons.
It was cheaper for me to buy a bench than to get two more of the parsons chairs. I was really happy with this choice because the bench has been so completely useful for the boys. They climb on and off and pile on at dinnertime and I don't have to remind them to not tip the chairs or slide them in and out!
The rug wasn't exactly what I had in mind... actually I wanted industrial metal chairs too. But there was no point in changing out things that were available (I can work with this and made more financial sense), and the hard cold metal ones might look good but not as comfortable anyway.
I sold my rug on Craigslist and chose this because it was 60% off, which made it less than half the price of all my other options. The scale is good, and I don't mind the pattern, and overall, we have a dining room that can seat a large crowd - which is important for our family!
I'm loving the ability to have our whole family WITH a whole guest family, all at the same table. We do a lot of hosting, and gathering around a table of food is such a special part of a home that I want my kids to be included at the table when possible.
The dining room is an important room for us. I remember the Realtor saying that dining rooms are not used very often but I knew it was an essential for us. It might not be exactly my top choice - but for working within my budget, I am very happy about this room! AND - a few weeks later I sold these wood chairs for $50 and bought these chairs (with higher backs) for $20. They were fairly ugly with stained white fabric seats, but I painted them blue and painted the seats gray. I don't love painted fabric, and one day I'll probably recover them, but for the meantime, it's easy and functional. Works just fine and looks loads better. And I really wanted end chairs that were the right scale - and this way it ties in the blue in the rug too.
Here is the finishing touch for this dining room:
