A Fine Place to Dine...

This is the first area of the apartment that is more or less complete. Well, for now anyway. The space is smaller than my old dining area, but I like it as much if not more. Instead of the rather crowded, double shelves from before; I used only one shelf and turned it on its side.

The old dining area

Then I hung two IKEA shelves on the wall. IKEA had discontinued the wine glass racks so I had to search elsewhere. Luckily Bed Bath and Beyond had them in stock. They just fit the width of the shelf, so we had to do a little bit of improvising to get them to work properly. I’m happy with the result though. I finally have a home for my wine glasses and assorted other barware. I also used the same sconces that had been in my dining area before, but put placemats behind them to emphasize them on the accented wall. I hadn’t been as happy with my accent wall previously, but with everything in place, I’m really pleased with the outcome.

Finally, my glasses have a place to hang.

I need to add something to the soffett, but have yet to decide what to put there. Possibly some plates, or mirrors. Time will tell.

View from the livingroom

The main thing I’m pleased with is the light fixture.We quickly removed the old one (our old landlord was thrilled with it in place of where the ceiling fan had been. We’ll have to buy something cheap when we move, but I’m okay with that). The placement was a little odd as well. If our table had been put right against the wall, than the fixture would have been directly above the table. However, with the table out where it is, the light was above one of the chairs. It was also too low, I'm not overly tall and managed to hit my head on it, which put it directly in Josh's face.

Reminder, here's the original light

That was nothing that a cheap ceiling hook couldn't fix though. Now it's the height we want, and in the proper location. I found the replacement fixture at Lowe’s for under $60. They had some with 5 – 7 lights, but decided due to the size of the apartment, to keep it smaller. The three lights make a big difference. One light in the old fixture just didn’t cut it. Since we are partially underground, lighting is going to be a big concern of mine. So this is the dining area so far. I have something fun planned for my huge floor to ceiling closet doors, but I need to find bulk magnet sheets first!

The new light, just where we want it.