Big ideas, little room

Don't be scared, but the pictures of my dining room are pretty terrifying.  You've been warned:

Horrible

Fur Culprit named Joey - and why is there a plunger in my dining room?

How many chairs can one small room hold?

See?  I told you. Hope you covered the children's eyes.  This is what we're working with.  It's a tiny room, about 8 feet square with a decent window and an entrance both to our main door and to the galley joke-of-a-kitchen.  It also has a tall narrow closet that currently is the only place to house cleaning supplies.   There's a weird floral light fixture that's pretty tragic, but belongs to the landlord, and some haphazard shelves about the place.  It's got nice light colored floors and white-ish walls.  And what do we have in it currently?  Let's see, one dining room set, dark wood, which we despise.  One kitchen set of light colored wood and a bunch of chairs.  Lots and lots of junk.  Also, two cats who have completely covered all the chairs in hair/furballs/cat puke.  I warned you.

I've never really used a dining room for the purpose of dining.  It's pretty much been a room with a big table in it where I throw textbooks, keys, scarves, shoes, magazines, mail, and anything else that isn't food and/or plates.  "Dining" for a busy military couple with two cats, a dog, and a 10-month old usually consists of balancing plates of hot food on our laps or on TV trays as we try to cram in an episode of Modern Family from the DVR and keep the silverware away from Baby Move-a-lot with moderate success.

But, I have a dream.  I have a dream that one day this mess will become a room where a family can get together, talk about their day, and have all the other Campbell's Soup commercial moments that we so desperately deserve.  A room where a table is protected from hot plates, where messes get cleaned up right away, and where friends can join us for a glass of wine.  Hell, a room to hang up said wine, as well as other interesting things we find along our way.

Here's my thought: take advantage of the light colored wood kitchen set.  Although it's not the right size, it's better than that big honking dark wood set which needs to be completely tossed out.  Paint the top of the table a nice glossy white and leave the legs the light wood color.  Get white/yellow/natural wood frames and create a gallery wall on the main wall.  I like yellow as an accent color.  Look for some curtains or fabric with a great bold yellow in them.  Get new cushions for the chairs.  Move all the junk OUT.

Here's some inspiration photos:

Source: thehouseofsmiths.com via Cheri on Pinterest

Source: younghouselove.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: simpledwellings.blogspot.com via Wildwood Creek on Pinterest

Can it be done?  Only time will well, so stay tuned.  In the meantime, give out your thoughts on making this dining room something to enjoy!

A Little Garden All For Me

It’s summer in DC!  Just ask the thermometer who is currently taking a nap under a shade tree. Whew, it’s hot and humid, but I’m excited to have a cute little outdoor area in our new townhouse.  It’s small, much to my dog’s dismay, but it’s already got a lot of great plants and a teeny tiny yard that maybe I can even manage!

The yard:

That's right, be jealous of my mad Paint editing skillz

The goal:  A Moroccan themed paradise that I’ll want to lounge in while I drink some tea and read a book.  

The plan at the moment: Rake up the old leaves, cut back the current plants, and really see what we are working with.  I’d like to buy some cute sparkly something-or-others to hang off the branches from my neighbors’ trees.  A couple of cushioned bright colored chaise loungers and a mosaic table (perhaps a DIY project like this one from Fresh Home ).  And an outdoor rug/mat.  

Any recommendations?  Also – how do I keep the mosquitos at bay in this new paradise??  They are killer!