dining nook {reveal}

A week or so ago I mentioned a pending project involving the installation of a pendant light, which I actually completed the very next day but just hadn't gotten to posting.  So here it is.

Before, the nook looked like this:

It seemed a bit haphazard to me and was wanting some dressing-up.  My apartment is blessed with high ceilings but I haven't fully taken advantage of that height, with the exception of the curtains.  I wanted to add a chandelier / pendant of course for the functionality, but also to anchor the dining area and draw attention to the height of the room.  There was a cover plate on the ceiling which I hoped indicated the presence of a live junction box, but was not completely sure.  So we borrowed a ladder from maintenance and took a look.

So far so good.  I had to do a bit of sanding to remove excess paint that had built up around the cover but otherwise the process was quite painless.  After a quick consultation with my dad regarding where to attach what to hook up the light switch, and then with Adam to guesstimate the height, we ended up with this:

Loving it!  I thought the shade's diameter would be too small but actually with the extra height I think it fills the space well.  And the design allows for soft light to come through the shade while actually lighting the table quite brightly.  Overall, a great success!  And probably the most impact for $20 in the apartment so far. 

saturday brunch

Following a Thursday night Burrito Night (which is pretty much every week), the leftovers are repurposed for Saturday brunch!  We just scramble the burrito filling and any leftover rice with eggs + salt + pepper + shredded cheese.  Then hash browns on the side and lots of ketchup.  Delicious!  And super filling to get us through most of the day

dining nook preview

I have been searching for the longest time to find a chandelier / pendant light that is justright for the dining nook.  There are just so many options and so many directions I could take - something more glam like a crystal chandelier, something uber-modern, a little mid-century mod, something kinda traditional.. and on and on.  When I feel indecisive like this I turn to my buddy Photoshop to visualize.  Here are some options:

The one on the left is a craigslist find I have been considering, as well as some urchin looking thing that is a lot prettier up close, and a standard Ikea pendant.  Still no clue.

Well we went out for a walk today and in trying to hide from the swarms of green-clad 20somethings trying to get into all the Boylston bars (happy St. Patty's Day to you all), we ducked into Crate&Barrel.  And in the little sale corner we found this guy:

For $20!  Yesssss.  Not sure if it's exactly what I want for the dining area but it's a great start.  And really, just the pendant cord and mounting plate would cost more than that from most places.  Excited for another project!  And yes, I will also post about the wall mounted tv, which looks AMAZING btw. 

happy pi day!

 

ps. a tv update is coming soon! (once we have power in the Back Bay again)

tiny homes

Although I don't aspire to live in a smaller space than what I currently have, it's always a great reminder (and inspiration) to see what people can do in tiny spaces.  Check out this prototype of small living:

Small rooms and dwellings set the mind on the right path, large ones cause it to go astray.  - Leonardo da Vinci

(if you like this, check out the other example I posted a bit back)