::small house dining room::

Our new house is not a large place.  It's no tiny house, but it is compact.  Around 1900 square feet with three full baths and four bedrooms worked in.  There is no space for a formal rarely used spaces, so we need to utilize our dining space as well as possible.   

I have a dining room table that my father custom built for me about 15 years ago.  It is an heirloom and will be passed down through many generations.  I have no where to keep it besides in my house.  So our dinning area had to work for that table. 

The shape of the dining area leads its self to three different table positions.

1. Pushed against the wall daily use. 

2. Pulled out from the wall for family meals
ADD RED TABLE CLOTH 

3. Table top extender added for large family seating

I want to discuss the table top extender.  With this new house we now live very close to all of my husband Josh's family.  We needed a place that could seat 12 comfortably.  But remember how I said this medium sized table is an heirloom and is never leaving my house?  I had to find a solution.  

I saw this pin and knew it was the solution for us - an extra large table top that just goes right on top of a smaller table top but can be removed when not needed.  I put Josh right to work.  He modified they inspiration pin but the idea is the same - it's a piece of trimmed plywood with a lip attached so you can just lay it over the regular table to make it larger.  Then when not in use we just store it in our barn.  It has worked exactly how I wanted it to.  We borrowed chairs this year but I hope to get some stacking chairs for next year that I can get out for large celebrations. 

It has taken us about six month to agree on a chandelier for our dining space.  I needed it to be fairly thin and long to make visual sense over the table and with its location in the room.  But I needed it to be movable for the three positions that our table utilizes.

We found an antique section of a horse chart that is called a single tree - this one is large for its use and I suspect was for a large draft horse. Josh modified it with wire and two inexpensive light fixtures to become our chandelier. He put three hooks in the ceiling that I plan to paint with ceiling paint that are attached to ceiling beams for strength.  They each are perfectly spaced to accommodate the three possible table placements.   

The location makes it act as a great buffet serving area during parties, like my friends baby shower.