Over the last couple of years, I've been making changes to our living area. We have a somewhat open concept living room, dining room, and kitchen. My goal is to have pleasant but neutral background in these spaces that can be enhanced with accessories and colors as the seasons change. My main color palette of white, gray, and black seems to be simple and sophisticated at the same time and easily enhanced.
Recently I decided I'd had enough of my old dining table and worn out chairs with no padding left. I'd been wanting to get the
Ikea Henriksdal chairs with long white slipcovers for a while…even with two messy boys. Crazy. I know.
(But you can wash them!!)
In order to make these changes, with *zero* budget for new furniture, I decided to sell my old dining table, chairs, and a sofa table to get the needed cash. I posted pictures on a local yard sale site and happily sold my items fairly quickly. The
Greyson table came from World Market. I absolutely love the color, texture, shape…everything!
We sat on folding chairs for a few weeks. Then we were able to get our Ikea chairs. All the buzz and excitement around here about the new chairs have actually helped the kids to not be so messy. I also drape a white hand towel on their chair cushions so that can be washed easily and catch the crumbs and spills. So far so good!
I've been having fun changing out the
pillow covers on my couch lately for some quick changes. My neutral background is working out great for these updates. H&M Home has adorable covers for as low as $5.95. I have
this one and
this one! The gray/white plaid checked covers are from Ikea.
One of my
favorite recent additions is this
butcher block table my grandpa made years ago.
I've had the pleasure of keeping it at my house since my parent's moved to a smaller house. The galley shape of my kitchen doesn't allow for me to use it properly as an island, but I finally found a good home for it as an end table. It is a little unconventional, but I actually wanted a large scale table for this location. I have vaulted ceilings and large scale furniture so it fits in perfectly.
It also reminds me of my grandparents. :) (Hi, Grandma!)