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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Castlery.
If you’ve been around here for some time now, then you know that some of my favorite blog posts are the ones where I review a past purchase or project to showcase how it has held up years later. Here’s my latest “How Do I Like It Now?” blog post! It’s one thing to love a piece when you first get it, but what about two years in? Three years in? That’s when you truly know if it’s a worthwhile purchase or project!
We finished our kitchen almost two years ago and still adore the space. It works so well for our family of four. I designed a breakfast nook for the kitchen because I always loved the look and cozy factor it could bring to a space. Today, I want to dive into that area and break down the good things and the bad things about it.
As you already saw, this blog post is sponsored by Castlery. But that doesn’t mean my review is anything less than honest. I reached out to them to see if they wanted to work together so I could write this post with a big ol’ review of their pieces. They agreed and I think it makes for some really informative content for this community! That is especially true if you are looking for dining room pieces for your own home. So let’s get to it!
The Overall Space
We use this space all day, every day. We eat meals here together as a family and spend lots of time sitting around this table. We even all have our assigned seats and Rory gets upset if you try to sit in a seat that isn’t yours. Ha!
Aesthetically, I adore it! The saturated green walls with the leather bench and walnut table…it’s perfection! Plus, add on a variety of vintage pillows and it truly is the coziest spot. We can also fit a lot of people at this table. I’ve hosted my family for dinners and brunches before and we can get at least eight people around this table. It’s fantastic.
As with any booth setup, there are challenges to getting in and out, when you have a large crowd. But I can easily scoot the table, so people can squeeze in. You’re just not allowed to use the bathroom when you’re wedged in the corner seat. Kidding. Ha!
The Castlery Dining Table (Vincent)
Okay, onto the Castlery dining table which truly is the showpiece of the space. I’m a big fan of Castlery products because their furniture is high quality and built for longevity. This table sees so much action with two young kids and I needed something that would hold up over time. They’re a direct-to-consumer brand which means their prices are more affordable than other furniture stores, with flat rate shipping too. In fact, we’re even getting a few pieces for our basement from Castlery and I can’t wait!
I was originally drawn to the Vincent dining table because of its brown walnut wood. The warm color works well with the open shelves in the kitchen, along with our wood butcher block.
With two young kids, I knew I wanted something with curved edges instead of sharp corners. This table has the softest curved legs and rounded top, without being a round table!
Since buying this table, I’ve gotten many DMs from other moms asking how it has REALLY held up over the years. Here’s a look at the tabletop. Pretty impressive for daily use!
The only area where we have any “damage” is on the edge where Rory used to sit. She would take her fork or spoon and pound it directly into the table. That was a phase that I was happy to see go! And we’ve since purchased this mat for underneath her dinner plate, to protect the wood. Her pounding did leave a few marks on the table, but it was even difficult for me to photograph to show you those indents. No one else would ever be able to tell from looking at our table.
The top is also smooth which makes clean-up really easy. I’ve had other wood tables in the past with more grain to them and they were difficult to clean when crumbs and debris would get in the grooves. On this, I use a warm wet washcloth after meals and it cleans up like a dream!
All in all, I’m a big fan of this Castlery dining table and would recommend it to anyone!
The Castlery Dining Chairs (Carrie)
Okay, onto the dining chairs. When choosing chairs for the space, Finn insisted that we find a fabric seat so it would pass his “butt” test. Two years later, I totally agree! These chairs are incredibly comfortable and we can have leisurely meals where we sit and chat for a long time!
I was originally nervous about keeping the fabric clean, but they have been totally fine. We have the “dark granite” color in the Carrie chair and it HIDES EVERYTHING! My kids are constantly touching these with their sticky fingers and spilling on them and I can take a washcloth and wipe them down at the end of each day. Castlery offers free fabric swatches if you wanted to check out the other colorway in this specific chair. (It’s super pretty!)
The Carrie chair is sold in multiples of two, so we actually have four chairs for this space. We keep the extra chair in the basement and bring it up whenever we have a large crowd.
Creating the Bench Seating
When we ordered our kitchen cabinets (more about that here) we ordered some long and low drawers to build out this bench seating. These deep drawers are fantastic and hold lots of stuff. However, they’re not easy to access with the table legs right there, so we don’t keep anything in here that we need to get to on a daily basis. Instead, these benches house decorative and entertaining items that we reach for occasionally.
The cabinets are from KraftMaid, in the color “cottage”, and we added shoe molding to the base to make it look less like a cabinet and more like a built-in. We also ordered a top for the cabinets so we could rest our cushions right on top. I’ll chat more about my big fail with the cushions next.
What I Would Do Differently
Okay, so I think I chose the best furniture pieces for our dining nook. But, I did make a few mistakes with the bench. The cushions are from Patio Lane and I used a fabric that is used on boats, so it’s been water-resistant and durable. Plus, I love the color, “Capriccio Toast.” However, I made some mistakes with the sizing…
I went with a four-inch cushion with double welting. This ended up being way too tall. I should have made them around two inches thick so that they would be the same height as the chairs. If you sit on the bench, you’re quite a bit taller than the other people in the chairs. Oops! However, Rory does love it because she doesn’t need her booster chair if she ever wants to sit on this side! I discussed this issue in this blog post about some of my kitchen renovation regrets.
I thought the cushions might deflate over time, but they’re still as perky as ever. I don’t really have plans to change them, though, because I love the cushions and it doesn’t seem worth the time, cost, and effort to make them thinner. We will survive!
Paying close attention to the walkway between the kitchen island and the dining room table is something else I wish I would have done. We were very cognizant of the distance between the fridge and the island, and then the island and the sliding back door. However, I didn’t really think about the dining room table. I wish I would have shifted the island over a few inches to make that walkway larger. It can be a little difficult to get in and out if Ellis is sitting in his high chair at the head of the table. Again, a live-and-learn mistake!
The “Real” View
Obviously, these photos showcase the dining nook in its very best light! But here’s a look at the space complete with a booster seat, high chair, and all of the kid stuff that comes along with real life! Just wanted to give you a glimpse into our not-so-perfect world!
Dining Room Sources
Castlery Dining Table // Carrie Chairs // Kitchen Shades // Dinner Bell (similar) // Chandelier // Gold Pulls // KraftMaid cabinets in the Color “Cottage” // Wall Color // Marble Fruit Stand // Vase (thrifted) // Branches & Fall Floral // Black Striped Pillow // Other Pillows (HomeGoods or too old to link) // Jute Area Rug // Cable Knit Throw
I hope you enjoyed this review of our Castlery dining room table and chairs, along with some of the mistakes I made while designing our breakfast nook! I always find it valuable when other creators give honest reviews of spaces in their homes, so we can all learn together.
Casey
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