Our first NEW purchase for the house just arrived 👀

It’s been 5 months since we moved in. And besides wallpaper, I’ve only purchased vintage items from FB marketplace or antique shops. Here’s a quick list (but I know there are more):

• Curved twin headboards for Sloane’s room

• A gorgeous slatted midcentury loveseat that’s currently in our bedroom

• Agate table from antique store

• Woven leather club chair

• Vintage pendant for Sloane’s closet

• A dining table + matching set of chairs (see below)

I knew the dining chairs were too traditional for my liking (plus I didn’t want a set that matches the table — too predictable), so I quickly sold those. As for our existing dining chairs? They’re literally falling apart. And no, I will not show them to you. So after stalking FB marketplace for months for chairs that were cool and interesting and soft and durable, I decided to finally make the big purchase.

Our dining room sits between the front door (and stairwell leading to our bedrooms) and our kitchen, so we pass through it every single day. I always knew the front hallway wallpaper would be a hugely important piece of the puzzle. I’ve spent a long time debating what to do here and only recently landed on this Danika Herrick-designed, small-scale paper by Spoonflower. I love that it feels fresh and playful, but not too wild for a classic home.

I then decided I wanted green dining chairs, and so the hunt began. I actually purchased these first but cancelled my order because they wouldn’t arrive until mid-March and since I have no way to test them out beforehand, I wanted to read on reviews to help give a sense of comfort. They’re certainly very cool and current, but I wasn’t sold on comfort—especially for the very squirmy diners in my house. And because they’re new, there are no reviews. These, however, were ready to ship, have comfortable arms, solid reviews, and I love their modern shape. They also sit low enough to be pushed under the table—a measurement I always insisted my client’s triple check before purchasing dining chairs.

Throughout this house, my goal is to make classic design choices on the bones of the home and then funk it up with art and furniture. And as a former Crate & Barrel/CB2 employee, I can vouch for the quality of their products, and I love how these chairs look with our new-old vintage dining table. Did I think they would look more olive in person? Yes. They sell a “mink” option and these feel a bit too mink and a bit less olive (order samples when possible people!). But am I still happy? Yes. I have a few ideas for pulling out more of the green in them.

ALSO! I realized after exactly one night of having these chairs that I didn’t trust my kids to eat on them without more protection. And so I have a trick up my sleeve that I’ll be sharing soon about how I’m solving this dilemma.