a tale of the dining room lights

Since moving in to my apartment almost two years ago I've been struggling to find a decent and inexpensive lighting solution for the dining room table.

For 6 months I lived with this impromptu option...

And the last 4 months... this DIY mess...

Enter basic, cheap and always classic paper shade from IKEA...

You just can't beat the soft light of a paper shade.  Now I'm a happy camper.  Or diner.  Or whatever.

benching it

While parking the Jeep the other night I noticed this out by the road waiting for the garbage truck: a fully intact and solid curved wood bench.

So naturally I picked it up and lugged it into my apartment.  And following a trip to IKEA and this nifty little equation,

I'm now the proud owner of a pretty stylish bench.  Which lets face it, operates more as a catchall as opposed to seating, but hey, at least the stuff is now off the table top.

what i accomplished this weekend

A cheap and cheerful lighting fixture and a DIY bench.  More to follow.

white & bright

Is there any place filled with more light than David Delfin and Gorka Postigo's Spanish home?  What a great space to wake up to.  And can you spot all the Pez dispensers?

my kind of dining

There isn't anything about this kitchen/eat-in that I don't love - including that basketball.  A great example of mix-and-match perfection.  From RedOnline.