First things first. We have a furniture name change to attend to. Our giant 70″ dining table arrived (you know, the one we blathered on and on about here), and he just can’t be called Woody. Because he’s obviously not a he, he’s a she. Given her elegant lines and curvy figure, I don’t know how we ever could have made that mistake. We finally landed on Stella as her new moniker because she’s definitely a stellar addition to the future dining room. Har har. And since we already have Ed (the bed) and Karl (the sectional), I felt like I needed a lady-friend to balance things out.
Update: Everyone’s asking about the paint swatches in the background – but they’re actually really old. Here’s that post for ya.
And here’s the varied carved top that I described more here. It’ll be great for hiding those dings and dents that happen when you live with kiddos. And when you yourself aren’t known to be the most coordinated person in the world. I may have had one or two incidents involving flying salad tongs in the past.
The great thing is that although the top has a nice rough texture – and it’s made of super durable (and sustainable) sheesham wood – that gorgeous hand-carved look isn’t so “dented” (for lack of a better word) that you can’t balance a glass on it or you worry that crumbs will get stuck in the crevices. We’d best describe ’em as nice mild waves.
We also love that the base isn’t as invasive as something with legs (or even a leggy-pedestal) could have been. So once we pull eight apple green upholstered chairs around it, no one will end up straddling a leg throughout the meal. Nice.
Yup, Stella is nothing if not balanced and poised. She instantly created that casual and inviting vibe that we were going for in the future dining room. We centered her right on the giant picture window, which still leaves some room on the other side of the room to create a nice defined entryway so it doesn’t feel like you’re walking right into the middle of a dining room. And once we add our 6′ opening between the kitchen and the future dining room (which we plan to line up with the picture window for some nice balance) and drop a chandelier or pendant over the table we think it’ll really be a huge improvement.
But back to Stella. Her welcoming round shape isn’t too stuffy, but it’s still classic and even luxe looking thanks to the rich-toned wood (we really really wanted a wood toned table over something painted so it could get weathered and loved over the years while wipeable chairs and colorful art and curtains could add some punch and interest around our big round table). And speaking of those chairs, I’m convinced that Stella will look endlessly more fab when we pair her with some fun apple green leather (or faux leather) parsons chairs down the line. I may have mentioned them, oh, seven or eight times. I’m thinking something like this after we build up the ol’ bank balance. I just love the idea of mixed and matched dining furniture so it feels casual and kind of library-esque (thanks to upholstery instead of lots of wooden chairs paired with a similarly toned wood table). Because let’s face it. This room will definitely multitask as a big surface where kids will do crafts and school projects and all that good stuff. At least if we’re lucky, because I painted that quaint little picture in my head and I want it to actually happen.
Anyway, enough soul baring and dream sharing for now. Until we get those green chairs, Stella will just be hanging out in the middle of our future dining room alone. That is once we figure out where those slipper chairs that used to be in the living room will end up. And after we finally craigslist the white slipcovered sofa (we’ll share the link over to our craigslist ad for any interested locals when that day comes). Yes, this is what the room actually looks like these days:
Feel free to have a little caption contest with this awkward setup. My entry would be: “Gary was such a couch potato that he preferred to eat his potatoes on the couch.” Um, yeah I suck at captions. Please come up with something better.
The point is that we’ll get our little furniture smorgasbord straightened up sooner or later. And then our girl Stella will be the true star of the room. Cause she’ll be the only thing in the room. Hah. But somehow I don’t think she’ll mind living it up in there alone. She’s all woman. And she can totally hold her own. Do you know how heavy that chunky wood tabletop is? Let’s just say it took two muscled men about 30 minutes to wrestle it into place. Gotta love a strong (& sexy) femme fatale. Go on with your bad self, Stella.
Psst- Our babyproofing adventures have begun over on BabyCenter. Let’s just say we’re taking baby steps, so you can check out some riveting outlet cover chatter here. Oh and feel free to share your babyproofing tips – we’re total novices to the point of hilarity.
Angela says
Have you guys grabbed a bunch of chairs to see how many you can fit around it? I feel like that would be the first thing I’d do… grab every single chair from everywhere in the house just to see :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yup. The result is staggering. She can probably seat 12-14 people easily. But we think that many chairs will crowd the table on a daily basis (and look cluttered) so we’ll probably go with ordering 8 upholstered parsons chairs and then pull up extra seating in a pinch.
xo,
s
Erin says
I love love Sheesham – gorgeous and typically renewable :) We have two pieces in our home, and they’re both so different looking! Good pick, looks great!
dulcie says
Just curious…what is the thought process on purchasing (and placing) large furniture pieces before you have completed your planned demolition?
YoungHouseLove says
We never believe in doing major things (like demo) before living in a house for at least 6 months. Waiting that long in our last house helped us learn how we live and allowed us to brainstorm a totally new layout that we never would have thought of if we demo’d things right away (we closed off a doorway in our kitchen and gained a whole wall of cabinetry/countertop space and gained an entire third bedroom from the change). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Janis says
Love it! I actually love the way it looks now with the couch and two chairs. I know you’re obviously going to change it but for now it looks great!
Aron says
Was just reading home decorators collection magazine and some some rolled back parsons chairs in kiwi… Thought of you guys :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh we’ll have to check those out!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
I love your blog…your house…your style :)
I am looking for a few different large bottles/vases like the one pictured on your dining room table in this post. What would you call them? Where can you get them? I would love to decorate with 3 different bottles (different sizes) in my living room
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We got that oversized vase from ZGallerie, but we’ve seen similar ones at TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, and Home Goods. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Tabitha says
Who manufactured Stella? She is perfect!!
YoungHouseLove says
She was from a local furniture outlet called The Dump. Not sure of the manufacturer.
xo,
s
naiad says
Sheesham wood is called Teak wood in English… Sheesham is an Urdu/ hindi word.
naiad says
Sorry for my mistake. I’m brainfried and waiting for the weekend.
Sheesham is Rosewood
Sagwan wood is Teak Wood
Both are Hindi/ Urdu names. In India the ceilings of old homes are made completely of wood. This helps in building a sturdy home and keeps the house several degrees cooler in the summer, Well maintained Sheesham lasts several hundred years
22209 says
Hi! Do you have anything between the table and the floor (like felt furniture pads), to protect the floor? I’ve got a similar table and don’t trust the table base on my newly refinished floors .. but since it’s a solid cylindrical base like yours, I’m not sure what I can put underneath that won’t make the table wobbly (it seems like it would need to cover the entire bottom?). I’d love to hear if you’ve solved this problem!
YoungHouseLove says
We don’t have anything on the floors but the good news is that after years of use it’s all good! The floors aren’t scratched, even after we shoved it all around when painting, moving things around, etc. There’s nothing really sharp to gauge them so maybe that’s why?
xo
s
Toni says
Hi, Saw your article in HGTV mag. You had a lovely little home. Reason for my writing, though, is to ask about Stella. Been dreaming of a round table, just like yours. Can you say where you bought it or the manufacturer? I know you got a steal with the floor model, kudos! Imitation is the greatest flattery, right? :) Any info would be very appreciated. Regards.
YoungHouseLove says
I think it was from Havertys or Haynes originally? Hope it helps!
xo
s
Erin @ Dwell & Tell says
I can’t wait to watch the video! I think it’s so special you did that for Clara.
Hey guys, RANDOM but I’m curious where you got the dining room light fixture in House#2? I’ve been reading YHL almost since the beginning but can’t recall a post about this. For some reason I can’t find it on the source list. Maybe I just haven’t had enough coffee and I’m missing it somewhere? :) Thanks in advance! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Erin! That’s from our lighting collection with Shades Of Light. Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/01/shady-business-2/
xo,
s