Wednesday, August 30, 2006

dining fever

Every year around my birthday, I am hit with two different, yet equally strong urges. One is to down a couple of margaritas ... stat! The other is to redecorate my apartment. Ever since moving into my itty-bitty Manhattan studio last year, I've been riding the bell-shaped curve of decorating enthusiasm and now, with yet another birthday come and gone, I'm back on the design bandwagon. This month's obsession? My blah dining table and chairs. Right now, I have a mission-style, Crate & Barrel extension table and two matching chairs that my old roommate and I bought years ago while living in Brooklyn. Loved it then. Loathe it now! For one thing, it's just not my style. (Too traditional and the wood is a couple shades too light.) And second, the two-chair handicap means that dinner parties are out of the question. And why buy more chairs for a table set I hate anyway? So, I'm thinking about getting a couple of uber-cute Umbra OH chairs to go around the table! Sigh, I love that Karim Rashid. Even his Dirt Devil Kone vacuum design is cute! (Okay, yes, it looks a little like a dunce cap, but I'm still swooning.)




But back to the chairs ... I am in love with the color and shape and think they'll add some modern flair to the traditional table. Plus, they're oh-so comfy for plastic and pretty affordable -- only $49 at the Container Store. (FYI, I'm cheap.) And the best part? They're stackable -- perfect for the space-deprived New Yorker. I've been wanting to add some pink elements into the space, so I'm thinking two light pink and two fuchsia chairs ought to do the trick. I'll have to measure to make sure they fit around the table, and that they're high enough to actually eat comfortably, but I'm loving the look for now. Fingers crossed!

Tonight, I'm going to the US Open with some friends -- can't wait! It's my favorite sporting event in NYC and I wait for it every year! We're supposed to see Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova play, so it should be a fun night. Stay tuned!

xxx