Ya do what ya gotta do

As soon as we had this house under contract, we started filling up a storage unit with the boxes that got packed and ready and the furniture we wouldn't be needing for a month.

I also spent time seeking out the perfect long table for our new dining room.

I found one - an 8 seater - for $200 (I think) and we stashed it in the storage unit as well.  I was so excited that our family could fit around ONE table with non-folding chairs.  Yeah, our dining room used to be that small.  

This is how it used to be.  8 great seats, a little worn, just right for us.

Well, stuff happens.  We beat up on the table and chairs pretty good.  It was old to start with, but we made it look REALLY old in 2 years' time. 

This summer Strider refinished the table top for me.  He did a fantastic job.  The newest problem was the chairs.  Oh boy.  One broke.  Then another.  

See, with 8 chairs we had one to spare, but losing two was no bueno.

I shopped around on the classifieds (because I buy nearly nothing new that I can get used) to find a set of chairs.  But who has 8 matching, wonderful, affordable, black chairs for sale?  

No one.  But wait - how about 4 chairs?  

That's precisely what I did.  I found 4 chairs that I thought would coordinate well enough with our current set, and I bugged the seller enough that she lowered the price into my range just to get me to shut up about it, and now I have an eclectic mix of dining chairs that totally works.

Voila!  Maybe someday I'll recover the seats so they all match.  And maybe I won't.

Wanna know a secret? I think I like it even better than the original matching ones.  Shhh.  AND I still have 2 extra.  Insurance policy.