Reflection

I love reflection in my life. I can barely get enough of it. For example:

The following are my 3 biggest fears in life:

1. Dropping my keys down the crack of an elevator opening.
2. Planning a party and no one showing up.
3. Something scratching or breaking my beautiful, reflective, mirrored dining room table.

The following is my single biggest regret in life:

1. Not purchasing the protection plan on said mirrored dining room table.

You may be wondering why I purchased a mirrored dining room table WITHOUT THE PROTECTION PLAN!? (deep breath)

Well... Patrick assured me from an economist's standpoint that protection plans are not worth it, and anything that happens to it can be repaired. Anything that happens to it can be repaired. Anything that happens to it can be repaired. Anything that happens to it can be repaired.

This brings me to where the most reflection occurs in our house... Presenting.........

Our Dining Room:

The dining room/hall of mirrors is where we establish the "black and white" theme of our house. I tried not to go too overboard with mirrors and black and white in the rest of the house, but all bets were off in the dining room. I have always loved black and white. It never goes out of style, and it is classic and modern at the same time. I just find brown tones boring; however, in my old age, I am learning to appreciate that they can allow other pieces in your home to stand out--I am ever-evolving. Speaking of reflection, I love how mirrors expand any space and add so much glamour. They also do the coolest things to lighting in a room, depending on how the light bounces off the mirrors.

Below are the details of our dining room. It is probably about 90% done. There many be a rug in its future, but for now I am loving its simplicity.

The aforementioned table was the first piece of furniture we bought for our new house. We saw it and we had to have it. It came from Arhaus.

The chandelier was the second thing we purchased for the house. I knew I wanted a cool, unique chandelier because our house is so open that the dining room is visible for almost the entire first floor. It needed to make a statement. It is black crystal, and I found it on Gilt.com. I love Gilt.com. I'm also obsessed with the mirrored picture frames I found at West Elm. Again, I love anything mirrored.

Louise was obviously flattered that we designed the room around her. 

The chairs are from Ikea, and they were my first and only Ikea purchase. I read a lot of reviews on slipcovered dining chairs, and the consensus was that these are fabulous and a lot for the money. I have to agree. I love how the soften the room against the sharp black and white (wow, that sounded so designer-y). 

The hurricane candle holders are Vera Wang, originally $100 each, but I got them on a flash sale in Rue La La for $22.90 each, thank you very much. The centerpiece bowl was a wedding gift, and I threw some decorative wood pieces in it. I like to have a natural element in every room.  

The butler tray is from West Elm Santa Clause. Cherry blossom branches are always a good idea, and the champagne bottles are from significant moments in Patrick's and my life. 

Every time I walk by the dining room table, I get a little jilt of anxiety, but I try to remind myself that anything that happens to it can be repaired. Anything that happens to it can be repaired, anything that happens to it can be repaired. It's just hard to love something so much that you don't want to see anything bad happen to it. I try to remember that it's important to let the table be a table. Not eating at it will only prevent it from reaching its full glory. Tables are resilient, and I shouldn't let my own worries hold it back. Looking at its beautiful reflective surface makes it all worth it. But, let's be serious...obviously, I haven't eaten a single meal at this table...