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The Evolving House: Dining Room Table Conundrum

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hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

I’ve mentioned it before… we love to have people over.  One thing we loved about our new house from the start, was the large dining room.  However, we soon realized that to buy a BIG table you need a BIG budget.  We shopped and shopped and eventually settled on a table with all the style we wanted, a decent price tag, but we compromised on the size. 
About a week after getting the table I had buyer’s regret and tried to return it.  No, soup… 7 day return policy.  We kept it another month or so and finally I decided to call it a loss and sell it on Craig’s list. Today we sold it to an awesome family and I’m left with this… back to square one…
 Here are a few tables that I love, sans the pricetags…
 Pottery Barn
 Pottery Barn
 Restoration Hardware
Restoration Hardware
Although, these tables still aren’t long enough for me.  I think I need to give the Duggars a call, because I want something like this… (okay, maybe not that long!)
The next idea was to purchase a conference table.  Yup, you read it correctly. A super modern approach with an awesome price. 
While is option is still “on the table” (sorry,couldn’t resist!) I’m not totally sold.  So, here’s my most recent plan…
I’m making a Dining Room Table!
Thanks to  Ana White’s blog post I really think I might be able to pull this off! This is a table that another reader made herself and it was her first woodworking project as well.  She blogged about it here, and the best part is that the total cost was under $200! Amazing!
These plans look simple enough right??? 

Thankfully, I have some talented people in my life that I will definitely be talking to for advice and instruction along the way.  I am so excited to get started and plan on starting it this weekend! I also think I might go with these chairs from Better Homes and Gardens because they’re only $39.99 each and I want about 14 of them!

So, am I crazy?  Have you ever attempted something totally outside of your comfort zone? 

The comments +

  1. Courtney Milbery says:

    My first thought when I was reading this post was that you should make it. I have not taken on a project like that…yet. I would though! I think it could be the best way to get what you want at the price you want. Looking forward to seeing the finished product!

  2. Becky says:

    Love the idea!!! We are looking to knock down a wall and make our dining room bigger and thus would need a bigger table to fill the space.. so I will certainly be watching you and your table making..so make sure you update us! 🙂

  3. Thanks for the encouragement Becky and Courtney! I guess I’m the Guinnea Pig! I did make a few phone calls this morning and was somewhat encouraged to really think about if I would be okay with imperfection… not the awesome kind, but the “it might not turn out great kind” to which I replied, of course I’ll get it perfect! ha! I’ll keep you posted!
    -Mon

  4. Thanks for the encouragement Becky and Courtney! I guess I’m the Guinnea Pig! I did make a few phone calls this morning and was somewhat encouraged to really think about if I would be okay with imperfection… not the awesome kind, but the “it might not turn out great kind” to which I replied, of course I’ll get it perfect! ha! I’ll keep you posted!
    -Mon

  5. lori says:

    totally sounds like something I would decided to do, buy all the supplies, start… and never finish 🙂 but I haven’t started any projects THAT big yet. Good luck, I’m sure it will turn out awesome. And I totally think its worth it because I have never seen a table that I actually love and have thought about Dave making us one… but we both have the start/finish problem 🙂 can’t wait to see it.

  6. kim h. says:

    Bryce just made a picnic table for Noa for our back yard out of only trash-picked wood. He’s never made anything like it, and it took him 10 minutes! You can do it, I believe in you! 🙂

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