We have a dining table!!!!! (insert the cheesy smiling emoji) I almost wasn’t sure that this day would come. While we’ve had some romantic dinners standing at my old kitchen island, or sitting on MG’s couch eating off of his coffee table, the idea of getting to sit down for dinner together is the most welcome change that I’m fully embracing.

I’m so excited that this finally happened, but let me tell you it was not that easy. There were several hurdles we had to jump over along the way and some really key pieces that we discovered that made this possible. The first hurdle was the convincing of necessity. As most New Yorkers would agree, we haven’t historically been very good about cooking or eating at home. And by very good… I mean we never did. Having a nice kitchen and space to eat was very high on our list of things we looked for in our apartment search. Some may think that a dining table isn’t totally necessary, but being able to have friends over for dinner and actually have a place to sit was really important to me.

Part of the convincing was largely dependent upon proving that it would work in our space. Our living is big enough for the two of us, but it’s not huge. We wanted a couch and are actually eventually moving some chairs into this space by the window so we were looking for a table that was narrow enough to seat our company comfortably, but that also wouldn’t take up a ton of space on a day to day basis. After a lot of late night searching I stumbled upon this extendable dining table that has a hidden leaf that stores underneath the table. It turned out to be the perfect size and just about the only table that we would be able to make work!

Next were the chairs, which was the easiest part of the whole process. MG has become a huge World Market fan after I took him to the store in Chelsea and we spotted the chairs, our rug, and some other decorative pieces in about 15 minutes – any guy’s dream, right? I’ve had my eye on this style for a long time now and after seeing them in person at a few stores and actually sitting in them, we thought they would be the perfect style for the space! I love the gray/natural color and they were even more beautiful in person.

I had brought most of our dishes and silverware with me and also scooped these up last year at World Market. If you’re looking for simple plates with just a touch of detail, these Nantucket plates are absolutely perfect. We paired them with some hammered silverware that also adds a bit of texture and interest to the table and some chambray napkins to add a little pop of color.

The living room is coming along the quickest thus far, and between our pasta dinners and cozy nights watching Netflix on our temporary couch is where we’ve been spending the most time. We also picked up this beautiful (and perfectly sized) natural braided basket to hold all of our blankets. I love nothing more than cuddling up with a comfy blanket after a long day, especially with winter around the corner! The basket is a great accent and with colorful blankets spilling out can act as a decorative piece. There are more goodies in the Nomad collection that we loved, including this cozy gray throw.

Our couch and chairs should be coming soon and I can’t wait to see the living room really come together! If you’ve moved you know it takes some time to get everything picked out and assembled. We’re still on the hunt for a bedroom rug and some lighting. Any suggestions?

SHOP THE POST

TABLE: Yumanmod extendable dining table • CHAIRS: Gray dining chairs with rattan seats c/o • PLATES: Nantucket plates • SILVERWARE: Hammered forks and knives • NAPKINS: Chambray napkin with fringe • PLACEMATS: Light tan placemats • VASE: Faceted gem vase c/o • RUG: Ivory sweater wool rug • BASKET: Natural braided basket • THROW: Talma tasseled throw c/o