The Pink Elephant: Take a seat...finally!

Sometimes I can be extremely tempted by instant gratification, but in this case, I'm glad my budget mandated patience. 6+ months after purchasing the chair frames, they are finally functional. Josh is as thrilled as I am -- which naturally isn't always the case when it comes to decorating milestones. Holiday dinners in the dining room, here we come!

Some might wonder why I picked two different fabrics when all eight chairs are actually identical. Well I arrived at this decision partly because of budget and partly because although I love color, for items requiring lots of fabric (couch, drapes, etc.) I've found I'm happier when I stick neutral and then add in pops of color (pillows, art, accessories). Due to the style of the chair they each required 1.5 yards of fabric. As I mentioned in a previous post the gray was $15 / yd from Mill Outlet. The Schumacher Babe's Tweed was a bit more of a splurge, but I did find it 40% off through L.A. Design Center (highly recommend them!).

I'm so thrilled with how both varieties turned out -- thanks again to my friends at Best Custom Upholstery (Quick PSA for Raleigh friends: Did you know they moved? Now they are located near the corner of Trawick Rd. and Stonybrook Dr. on Stonybrook)

The majority of the time the two tweed chairs will reside on either side of my buffet in the windows. When we do have 8 dinner guests I'll pull them up opposite and they can act as the "head" chairs.

Of course my Herend wedding china will add a pop of color. I finally bought a few of the gold ruffle Vietri chargers from Quintessentials this weekend -- such a good price point for their elegance. Thanks to one of my besties, Kathryn, for telling me about them and graciously encouraging me to copy her.

Next priority is art work to add some color and personality to the room. I'm thinking a pair to go on either side of the door to butler's pantry. An inspiration post to come soon on that topic. A chandelier is also on the wish list. Again, I will try to be patient to make sure I invest in something I'll love for decades (while of course also trying to find a deal).

For now we will just have to enjoy the view into my favorite room in the house.

In other news, Josh and I spend hours almost every Sunday working in our yard. It's become our little ritual Sunday afternoon and our hard work (mostly Josh's) is paying off. We are enjoying roses and camellias in bloom around our yard, so I cut a few to enjoy inside this week. My sweet grandfather would be so proud.

Saturday night we headed downtown to one of the Ottos' best family friends' daughter's wedding.

Besides a pair of maternity jeans, I haven't purchased anything maternity. I'm trying to find loser clothing that I can wear again post-baby. Saturday I rocked Anthropologie's Joyeux Dress. I'm hoping to still fit in it over the holidays and possibly for a wedding in January (wishful thinking?!). Can't believe it's less than 4 months to my due date.

How sweet are these pictures of the father-daugher dance and parents of the bride?