I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pendant lamp to go over our dining room table for about a year or so. I’ve always loved the look of capiz shell and have been drooling over the recent offerings available in Viva Terra, Target, etc. but they have been way out of my price range, or rather, I can’t justify spending that much money for a frou froo lamp. I’m a big believer that good taste doesn’t have to break the bank. Finally, after forgetting about it for awhile I came across  a smaller version of this lamp on sale at West Elm for about $50. Score! It’s lovely, but it took about an hour to unwrap each string of fragile shells. Guess I won’t be moving it anytime soon.

At our house we are on the search for the perfect dining room chairs. It has proved to be an elusive task as Ben and I are both pretty picky, don’t like to spend a lot of money on things unless they are timeless, and prefer to buy things used. We did however spot these beauties in the West Elm catalog and despite the fact that they don’t totally fit the above criteria, are the frontrunners. Now, does anyone have a couple hundred dollars to spare?