No not Jimmy!

Buffet that is. And before you think I've gone off my rocker I'm talking about my buffet table not the singer. (and just to show my age I actually had to do a google search to remember who Jimmy Buffet really is. Now I want a margarita...)

I didn't start off wanting a buffet table it just kind of happened. See, I have this dresser that I have always hated. Here he is

I know, not hideous just HUGE. Seriously huge, like monstrously huge. You may be asking yourself "why Emily did you buy the dresser if you hated it?" Well, that's just it. I didn't buy it, well, not intentionally. It all goes back to when Daniel and I first moved to Seattle and needed to buy a couch. Being young and naive we went to a random furniture store down in Tuckwilla and picked one we liked. Easy right? WRONG! When they went to deliver said couch they couldn't get it in the door. Fail. So it had to go back. Of course, the store wouldn't give us a refund so here we are will a bunch of store credit in a store filled with over priced showroom items. Thus, the dresser came home with us because it was the right price (it also came with a huge attached mirror). We still laugh/fume about the experience. You live and learn right?

Long story short now it lives in my dining room and it is still huge and black. You may remember from here that I recently found a new dining room table which is also black. Now the room looks like this

Very unbalanced if you ask me. So I have plans to redo the buffet but I'm not sure what I want to do. The dining room feels like a blank slate and I don't want to back myself into a design corner with making it too bold. (Though I will admit I asked my husband if I could paint it orange after seeing this post and he looked at me like I was crazy. He has veto power on all my design ideas so this one was not our style I guess). I spent yesterday looking for inspiration and this is what I came up with

I like the antiqued white with the darker top. I could leave it black and it will match go with the dining room table.

from here

The stripes help it stay a bit more modern but it looks a little kids room to me. Maybe that's just the blue though 

from Here

I'm really digging this one but I worry it is too like the rug in the living room

from Here

I love the huge stencil on this, but it might not emphasize what I want out of this buffet

from Here

So far this is my favorite. I love that it has a design but the design is subtle. I was thinking maybe in creams to match the walls and help that big old dresser blend in a bit..

from Here

I've got this project up next on my list after we come back from our second honeymoon (that's what Daniel calls it). I'm going to wait until after my first stenciling project to see how I feel about starting the second.

** You have got to check out this site for color inspiration! I love it! She takes pictures and comes up with paint pallets to match them. Great for anyone who is struggling with paint choices.

*** I loved this post from House of Fifty about designing on a budget because let's face it, we all have budgets (some are just larger than others)