{dining room lighting inspiration}

Lately I have been spending significant time scouring the internet for a new lighting option for above our dining room table.  We have used my DIY Bubble chandelier above the table for the past 4 years and while I still absolutely love it, it feels like its time for a change (but don't worry it will hopefully find a new home in our entryway!).  I really like the idea of doing a cluster of 3 to 5 pendant lamps grouped over the center of the table - I would especially love this one if I could find a more affordable version or a DIY option.  Here's a few others that have caught my eye as options recently (one or two are purely in the wishlist territory because of the cost, but I'm hoping to find a cheaper alternative):

1.  This Bosonic lightbulb grouping has a similar feel to our bubble chandelier, but with a decidedly more masculine feel to it.

2. I love the thick iron on this prism pendant and the price is approachable so we could potentially do 2 or 3 of these centered along the middle of the table.

3.  This simple sputnik chandelier is a total dream, but it's way out of my price range.  Although I have seen some promising DIY versions that I might be willing to try out. 

4.  Tom Dixon copper pendants in a group of 3 would be a beautiful pop of color paired with our glossy black table and crisp white chairs. 

5. I know this will never really be a viable option because Chris will veto it in less than 2 seconds, but how amazing would an over the top glamorous chandelier look inside an urban loft?!?!

6.  This full sputnik chandelier from Anthropologie would be perfect....if they mark it down by like 90%. 

7.  I like the easy industrial look of these caged pendants from Target and they come in two sizes which could be good for clustering together a big group of them.

8.  Big white globe lights in a grouping have a great mid century modern vibe and pretty much every website I have browsed sells some version of these.  I also particularly like the glass versions from West Elm. 

{an orchid arrangement for the holiday season}

This holiday season is already looking scary busy between hosting our families here in Chicago for Thanksgiving, holiday parties, some travel, lots of work and flying home for Christmas.  While I love to put together fresh arrangements for our dining table (like this one), I decided to take a little work off my plate for the coming weeks by putting together an orchid arrangement that I hope to last well through Christmas morning!

I have always loved the look of 4 or 5 smaller orchids planted in a large footed vase (like this or this) and while we do have the perfect vessel to achieve this look from ZGallerie I have never wanted actually fill it with dirt since we do use it often for champagne bottles at parties.  Last week on a Home Goods trip, I came across this silver metal drink bucket for a mere $29 (similar one here) and knew it would be perfect for making my orchid arrangement vision into reality.

I picked up a few different smaller orchids from my local Trader Joe's (you can also find these at your local flower store or even Home Depot for around $6 to $9 each) and a bag of orchid potting mix.  You will also need to pick up a small pack of stones (or steal them from your neighbor's yard- I won't judge) to allow for drainage at the bottom of the bucket.  I also topped the arrangement with some bright green moss- this part is totally optional, but I do think it brightens the arrangement while also hiding the unattractive orchid roots and weird look of the potting mix!

Whenever I buy orchids for our home they last for at least a month and I am hoping this arrangement will go for even longer.  I love the luxe look of the silver bucket and clean white orchids alone, but if you wanted to make it feel more "holiday" appropriate you could add a simple holiday ribbon around the rim of the bucket tied in a festive bow.  How amazing would this arrangement be as a special gift for a hostess or your family this Thanksgiving?!?

{chicago dining room}

After moving into our new place at the beginning of August, we were able to get most of our rooms set up to our liking and painted within a couple weeks.  The only room that is 99% done is the dining room which is more of a dining "area" since our living room/kitchen/dining room are basically one large space.  I say 99% complete because is any room ever 100% complete?  I feel like I am always tweaking furniture arrangements or adding small decor elements over time, but since our dining area probably won't drastically change any time soon I thought it would be nice to share some photos of it while we work on fully completing the other areas of our new Chicago place...

 {the only new furniture we purchased for our dining room is this pair of bar stools from Ikea.  The kitchen island we had in the loft would not fit in our current layout so we put it in storage back home until we find ourselves with a bigger kitchen layout in the future.}

{Even though we had to give up our beloved island, our new place has this great built in island with an overhang for bar seating convenient to the dining area} 

{So far we have found it useful for setting up appetizers when entertaining in the same way we used to use the previous island.}

{the swan art that used to be in our bedroom seemed to be the perfect size to live on the large blank wall behind our dining table and of course we bought along our bubble chandelier which Chris expertly hard-wired this time around}

{our favorite table and comfy dining chair set up hasn't changed from our last place except that the Pottery Barn rug which we used to use under this table is now being used in our living room.  I am still trying to decide if this space really would benefit from a rug or not.}

 {dinner party set up with the hot pink napkins I picked up in Mexico on our honeymoon}

{my favorite way to have salt & pepper on the table for guests- something about a little spoon feels a million times more chic than an old school shaker or pepper grinder}

{muji's new favorite lookout spot through the large windows alongside the dining table}