What Ana Does

I think I finally got it right! After using this table at a local restaurant, I just knew it was the perfect solution for our kitchen. It has the classic butcher block top, super smooth, and black legs that matched my chairs. It's longer, but less-wide than our last table and it is heavier, so it stays exactly in place. And did I mention the top is smooth?  (Or old one was uneven.) Notice the two coordinating butcher block tops. Ideal!  And the black trestle base. Modern meets traditional. Perfect for my kitchen.  As with most butcher block, I'm assuming the top will mellow with age, being less vibrant like the counters. I also love the idea that, in the distant future, I could sand and refinish that top -- making it last a long time. Lastly, the spot at the end of the table is ideal for plants and other projects I'm working on and don't want to pack away. I can imagine moving my puzzle board here next winter, so I can puzzle while cooking and watching movies in the fam...

Let me tell you how much I dislike our kitchen table and for how many years I've been trying to make peace with it.  It all started in 2019 when it was time to replace our round Crate & Barrel table that we loved but was now falling to pieces ( post here with photos ). In that year, I ordered four kitchen tables, two from Pottery Barn that I returned ( here's another post about saga ). Then ordered a cheap Target table when the one I really wanted was back-ordered ( details here ). Then the one I wanted arrived and it wasn't the farmhouse table of my dreams but a rustic table with an uneven top. So I settled.  You can't even imagine the teasing from my family about ordering that many kitchen tables. It was relentless. So I gave up.  We moved into our new house and that "kitchen table I settled for" moved along with us. (Incidentally, the Target one did too and lives in our basement, getting used for Thanksgiving.)  Summer 2021 - Right After We Moved In Las...

So, the saga continues. I didn't like how the Pottery Barn table was holding up. It was already full of glass rings and the veneer top was pulling up in a corner. So I sent it back. After another exhaustive search, I found a second Pottery Barn table that's solid wood and looks like it will hold up a bit better. And was a better size. And I could exchange for the one I returned. The downside: it's on back-ordered until August! And I can't live without a kitchen table until August. Especially with all of us home ALL THE TIME. The solution: I bought a very inexpensive table from Target that I could get delivered in just a few days. It's actually really nice for a $250 table. And it's heavier than I thought it would be, so it will do until August. (Though, at 60" it's a foot too small for all of us to fit.) Yeah ... the kitchen table story continues ... Related lists: - The last post about the kitchen table when I THOUGHT I was do...

It took a few years and hours and hours of time looking through furniture websites and comparing prices and materials ( post here to prove my dedication ),  I FINALLY decided on this Reed Pottery Barn table (using coupons and gift cards). Here's the BEFORE image: And here's the new rectangle table, with some crazy kids... The new shape is really interesting in the space. We've always had the round table here. But we're getting used to it. And it chunky, and heavy, and modern ... but that top might be a veneer and I'm a little unhappy with it ... the white table was a veneer too, I guess, so it's not much different. And yes, these pictures make my floor look just awful. UGH. I'm not sure we're ready for a full gut job on this kitchen, as much as it really really needs it. But if quarantine continues much longer, I may end up using one of the DIYers I follow how-tos and PAINT THAT HIDEOUS FLOOR. What do you think?

We've owned our Crate and Barrel kitchen table since the year Leah was born ... that's 13 years. It's a white pedestal table and we've moved it from New Jersey to Illinois and Illinois to France and back. We've had infants learn to eat at this table, big family dinners, I've created all kinds of crafts, colored a million pictures. And scrubbed it a million times. I even successfully removed hot pink nail polish from it. It's been all things to us and it will always have a special place in our hearts. But ... the time has come to replace it. It's stained and chipped and doesn't ever look clean anymore. It wobbles when the leaf is in. Wayfair Valerie table has long been a favorite. It's got this rustic, slightly modern with a little traditional in the legs. And the driftwood color is a gorgeous neutral. But I really like this Pier 1 table, as well . I like the idea of legs under the table, so it's easier to push in chairs and no...