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wayfair

Kitchen Table Dilemma

July 17, 2017 by Natalie 7 Comments

Four months in and I feel like I should be done decorating but I’m not. The living room took up so much of my time when we first moved in, but since that’s all finished I’ve been concentrating my efforts on the bedroom. The bedroom is pretty much finished besides a few pieces. I want a full-length mirror (something like this or this), some more decorative objects for the mantel, and I had my heart set on wallpapering one wall, but I think I’m going to hold off on that for right now. I also moved from a tiny apartment to a much larger duplex so I had to acquire some larger pieces (like my couch) which added up fast.

Now that I’m recouping from all my purchases for the living room and my new bedroom furniture, I’m on the market for a larger kitchen table. My old kitchen was tiny and I couldn’t really afford anything larger than a two seat bistro table. We moved in our West Elm Tripod Table just to hold us over until we could upgrade. I’ve been looking for weeks but I can’t come to a final decision. I thought I would turn to you guys for some advice. Also, how cute are Bowie and I? He’s the love of my life.

Here he is eating my popsicle. I mean pupsicle.

This kitchen is definitely larger than our last one. My old one was shaped like a long rectangle and this one is still eat-in but is shaped more like a larger square. The counters are on one wall, and on the opposite is a fireplace/mantel and my mid-century china cabinet. I really wanted a marble top table to give me another surface for photographing drinks on, but also because I love the look. I was pretty much set with this one from West Elm, but of course, it’s no longer available. I emailed them to see if it was coming back in stock but they assured me that it wasn’t. It’s unfortunate because it was a really nice match to the wood of my china cabinet plus the wood counter tops and gave me the top surface that I desired.

Photo from Homepolish Photo from Homepolish

This got me to rethink my original choice of wanting a round table. Maybe a square or a rectangular table would fit in this space more? I could have one side on the wall between the windows and have it come out into the room parallel with the counters. If I had company over, I could easily pull it out into the center of the room to make more space for an extra seat.

Then I thought, what about an expandable table? I have only found two that I really like, both from West Elm. This one seems like the best of both worlds. It’s round and seats up to four and expands to seat six. It’s from the West Elm x Fishs Eddy collaboration and has a white laminate top. So I can have a round or long table, but not marble which is what I think I really want.

This one is the Modern Expandable Table also from West Elm. I love the angled wood legs and pecan finish but I’m on the fence about the white lacquer top. The tripod table I have is white lacquer too and the scratches it gets from normal use drives me insane. I polish it all the time so I don’t see the scratches because I have OCD about it. I like the look and functionality of this table but I’m not 100% positive about purchasing another lacquered table. They look cool and sleek until they get a little worn in and then they just look dull and messy.

I really love this round marble table on Wayfair. It has the white marble top that I’ve been dreaming about and the polished gold legs make it look super luxurious. It says it fits up to six comfortably but I’m not sure. The thing with buying a table like this is Friendsgiving or any other holiday might be limited to four or a tight six guest list. I also really like the ghost chairs that the table is paired with in this photo. They are on my list as a chair option because I love how they take up no space visually, but we will get to that later! It all depends on what table I decide to go with.

This is the rectangular version of the last table above also from Wayfair. White marble top and polished gold legs. It would be in the center of the room going long ways parallel between the counter wall and mantel wall. I’m dreaming about the tablescape possibilities already!

This is another one from West Elm and a complete show stopper! I love this one so much. It’s called the Silhouette Pedestal Dining Table. White marble, very dramatic gold base, and seats up to four. I might have to cut my guest list down permanently.

Or should I just stick to the good old classic Saarinen Tulip table? High gloss white and marble are both options. Decisions, decisions.

I’d love for you to chime in and tell me what your favorites are. I really need help narrowing it down. You can check out my board over on Pinterest as well to see what other goodies I find!

Cheers to Monday! Hopefully, I find a table for my happy hour cocktails to land on. 😉

xo – Natalie

Filed Under: Design, Home Decor Tagged With: dining tables, Home Decor, interior design, kitchen, kitchen tables, wayfair, west elm

Bar Cart Essentials

December 21, 2016 by Natalie Leave a Comment

I did a little holiday decorating last week and decided to spruce up the bar cart in the studio. I bought a bunch of branches for props for shooting Christmas drinks, but they look wonderful as a garland on the cart and smelled super festive! I put all my favorite spirits that I couldn’t imagine (living) drinking without, and some basic bar tools for your Holiday Bar Cart Essentials.

For the holidays, especially when you will be entertaining, pick a few higher end spirits for your cart. I would say try to have 1 of each spirit, that way there’s something for everyone. Vodka, Gin, Bourbon, Rye, Rum, Cognac or Brandy, Scotch, Tequila, and then have sweet and dry vermouth on hand (but keep that in the fridge), an aperitif (like Aperol or Campari), and most definitely include an Amaro. Having Amaro on hand is crucial for drinking after meals, it settles your stomach and helps you digest. If you don’t drink bitters regularly start making it a tradition, I love Averna and Cynar! While we’re on the subject of bitters, basics here are good too. Have Angostura, Orange, and Peychaud’s, these are cocktail basics. If you’re making something special that requires different bitters like chocolate or cardamom, make sure you have those too! Having Ango on hand is crucial for those Manhattans and Old Fashioneds. Have a few bottles of soda, and tonic on hand for simple mixed drinks as well.

  1. Home Decorators Collection Eliza 2-Shelf Bar Cart in Gold (Home Depot $249.00)
  2. Polka Dot Ice Bucket by Mr. Ice Bucket (Wayfair $48.99)
  3. Premium Julep Strainer in Gold (Cocktail Kingdom $21.95)
  4. Octagon Coasters in white Behr & Co. $49.95
  5. Oh Joy! Pink Ombre Glass and Rose Gold Cocktail Shaker Pink (Target on sale 16.99)
  6. Leopold Jigger (Cocktail Kingdom $28.95)
  7. Skull Barspoon in Gold (Cocktail Kingdom $31.95)
  8. Yarai Mixing Glass (Cocktail Kingdom $39.95)
  9. Cherry Striped Paper Straws – 25 count (Target $7.39)
  10. Liquor Decanters Love & Victory $50.00

Here are some of my favorite carts to inspire you while you’re getting ready this week for the big Holiday Weekend. Would love to hear from you and what you’re making for Christmas and what some of the favorite things on your bar cart are. Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Filed Under: Entertaining, Holiday Cocktails, Home Decor Tagged With: bar cart, bar cart essentials, cocktail kingdom, easy entertaining, home bartending, Home Decor, home depot, Love & Victory, oh joy, target, target style, wayfair

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My name is Natalie Jacob and I'm a bartender, author and beverage + creative consultant drinking, honky tonkin and making a home in Nashville, TN. Learn more ->

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