out with the old and in with the new.

Over the span of our wedding festivities, John and I received so many beautiful gifts that I didn’t want to store away in a cabinet or closet. It’s tough living in our one bedroom, one bath condo, because there is very little counter or table space available to display these great pieces (and frankly, nowhere to store them, either). The condo has been enduring a major transformation over the past month. Not only did I have to make room for all of these items that I am smitten with, but I had to make room for the husband and his things, as well. Let’s just say, it hasn’t been easy. I am a fan of simplicity, not a fan of clutter, so for every new item that we bring in, we box up the old item that it replaces. However, there are some things that I have developed a relationship with and can’t bear the thought of getting rid of, which puts me in a pickle. Where do I put the new things that I am equally infatuated with? Slowly, but surely I have been going room by room evaluating, organizing, re-arranging, and dreaming. There is so much that I want to do to the condo. I want to make it our own, our home. However, out of the five living “spaces” in the condo, there are four that require us to spend money. We aren’t sure how long we’re going to be living in the condo, so what better place to start than the room that won’t cost a thing to makeover?

Enter: the dining room. When I first moved into the condo, John’s parents gave me their former dining room table that a friend crafted for them many years ago. It meant a lot to me that they were so willing and eager to give me such a sentimental piece that they had preserved over the years. It is a rustic beauty, simple, yet elegant. Not only does it fit perfectly in the small space for being such a large table, but it also matches my coffee table from Pottery Barn. I got a great deal on six country cottage chairs in antique white from the JC Penny Home Store in Atlanta (who would have thought?!). I love white EVERYTHING, so these pulled together the rest of the decor in the condo and were also a great contrast to the table. The sisal rug is a hand-me-down from my parents. I love the neutral color and texture. I only had about 6 feet of wall space to work with, so kept the wall decor minimal. We hung an antique pine mirror that is also a hand-me-down from my parents. I purchased two wall-mount hurricanes to hang on either side of the mirror, but I felt like it needed something else. I found two pine shutters in the basement of John's office that were love at first sight. Our intention was to paint them, but raw pine is just so beautiful that I couldn't pass up keeping them as-is. Finally, I topped the table with an elongated wood candle tray, that I stuffed with green moss and white, gardenia scented, roses from Pottery Barn.

Originally, the table was without the runner and had place mats instead.

Let's face it, the centerpiece needed some spicing up, and I had a few gifts in mind that would get the job done. We received a bleached jute table runner, as well as a runner made from pure natural fibers. I never envisioned using both at the same time, but after flipping through a Pottery Barn magazine, I found this:

I then added an antique wood tray that I grabbed from my parent's lake house to the center of the table and filled it with my new infatuations: two recycled glass jars, a birdcage that my sister-in-law and her husband gave me for Christmas (we also used it to hold cards at the wedding), and a soft blue glazed ceramic vase—all from Pottery Barn, as well as a white, Martha Stewart pitcher, and candle from Anthropologie. I filled the birdcage with a white candle (of course) and bird's nest that I used to hold my bridesmaid gifts at their luncheon. I took some green moss from the old centerpiece and put it in the small glass jar and then gathered up all of the white roses and dropped them into the large glass jar. To top it off, I ventured outside and cut some limbs from a red berry bush to put in the pitcher. I chose this shrub in particular, because it is extremely prickly. Flowers do not last long in this household because for some odd reason, Goose and Coco think it's food. One gnaw at the red berry bush will be the last gnaw. Here is the finished result:

This weekend I will be painting the barstools. I have not decided on an exact color, but I'm thinking something in the gray family. More on that to come!