The Look for Less: Ballard Design's Emerson Kitchen -- the End!

Tonight I'm finishing up the Emerson kitchen.  Yep, you guessed it.  I saved the most difficult for last -- finding a suitable table and chairs for $899 or less (en suite) or $499 for the table and $229 for a pair of chairs (X2).

Here's a final look at the inspiration table and chairs:

The table is "Augusta" and the chairs are "Provence" dining chairs.  Buying en suite ($899 for table and four chairs) would save the buyer $58 over buying the table and four chairs separately. 

When I started this challenge (it really wasn't SO long ago, was it?), the table came in three finishes:  black, white, and deep walnut.  Now, it is only available in white and black!  Geez Louise!  The Provence dining chairs are still listed as being available in black, deep walnut and white.  Also, there is a back order on the black finish table and the white finish chairs, LOL!  So, with that in mind -- yes, darlings, I've been shopping!!!

I did a lot of shopping, but I wasn't very satified with the vast majority of the expandable (or "with leaf") pedestal tables I found.  I didn't like the pedestal on most of them compared to the lovely slim and shapely lines of the Augusta table's pedestal and feet!

As I had already settled upon Ikea's Hemnes glass door cabinet with four drawers in a black-brown finish ($365!!!! and also available in white and grey-brown which is a taupe-looking color), I decided to see if Ikea had any expandable pedestal tables that might serve as a good and less expensive substitute for Ballard Design's August dining table.  I found this nice table:

This is the Liatorp table.  It is priced at a modest $279 but only comes in this white finish.  It is approximately 42" in diameter and has an extension leaf that stores underneath the table when not in use, that extends the table to approximately 61" and can seat six.  The top is made of MDF and the assorted parts are solid birch. 

I'm  not crazy about the pedestal, but it is a slender pedestal, not a big fat clunky-looking thing, and the feet are okay - they look large enough to stablize the table even when the leaf is in use.  I also was disappointed that the table was not offered in brown-black (to go with the Hemnes cabinet).

But...if one wanted to buy the Hemnes cabinet in white, then this white table would be a great buy.  It's got a nice apron on it so doesn't look chintzy as some less expensive pedestal tables are wont to do. 

And, sticking with Ikea for the moment as I went to look for dining chairs, I found this great little chair for $59 each:

It's the Ingolf chair.  Yes, I know, it does not have the same kind of back shape as Ballard's Provence dining chair, but I feel it has the same feeling/spirit -- and the price is right!  Nearly half less for two Ingolf chairs than a pair of the Provence chairs...  The Ingolf chair comes in three finishes:  white, brown-black, and "antique stain", which appears to have a finish similar to light wood with a few coats of medium toned varnish on it -- hard to describe -- a lightish tan maybe???

But, knowing that not everyone is a fan of Ikea, and keeping in mind that white sure was not the color of the inspiration table and chairs, I continued my search for a suitable table and chairs.

I absolutely adore this table from Target:

Ooooh, looking at this table's shapely pedestal and feet just makes me all tingly inside.  This is the Embassy dining table.  I love the color combo of black with cherry.  Unfortunately, this table is NOT extendable.  But I didn't disqualify it because of that, because at 48" diameter, it could seat five comfortably and squeeze in six with the right-sized (i.e., not too wide) chairs. It's on sale right now (available online only) for $279, regular price is $358. 

I found these chairs at Wayfair, that are only $102.10 for a pair:

This is the Winsome Basics Ladder Back Chair in antique walnut.  This chair is also available in a light oak finish.  I selected this chair as a potential because it has a Provencal vibe with the ladder back and curved top rail.

Guess what I found just tonight - on clearance at Ballard Designs!  Yep, the Rudolph Pedestal Table and a beauty he is!

A very nicely shaped but thicker pedestal than Augusta and the Embassy, but check out the detail on the feet - that extra "ribbing" (not sure what to call it).  This table was priced at $699 but is on clearance for $399.  It is available in black and chestnut (chestnut shown above).  Rudolph is 48" diameter (6" larger than the Augusta without the leaf added), and 66" with the leaf added, so you're getting more table without adding the leaf for $100 less the Augusta if you opt for the Rudolph table.  But I doubt it will be around for long! 

Price comparison of the tables:

Inspiration table Augusta:  $499 (42" plus 14" leaf extension)
Liatorp:  $279 (42" plus 14" leaf extension -- comes in white finish only): $499 - $279 = $220 (44%)
Embassy: $279 (48" diameter, no leaf extension, comes in cherry finish with black pedestal base only): $499 - $279 = $220  (44%)
Rudolph:  $399 on clearance (48" and 66" with leaf extension): $499 - $399 = $100  (20%)

Price comparison of the chairs:

Inspiration Provence chairs (pair): $229
Ingolf chair ($59 x2) = $118: $229 - $118 = $111 (48%)'
Winsome Basics Ladder Back chair (pair) $103 (rounded up): $229 - $103 = $126 (55%)

Frankly, I keep changing my mind about what would look best with what!  Right now, I'm thinking that because of the great amount of money I'd save with my other selections, I would select the inspiration chairs (Provence dining chairs) from Ballard Designs at $229 x 2 for four chairs in black; I would select the Embassy table (no leaf), with its cherry top and black pedestal for $279 (48" diameter) on sale at Target and  sacrifice a leaf exension; alternatively, I would select the Rudolph table in chestnut on clearance at Ballard Designs for $399 (also 48" diameter) with the leaf extension.  And the Hemnes cabinet I love from Ikea, at $365.  (I'm thinking of this wonderful cabinet for my den/library, when the budget allows, if it is still available then...).  As for the chandy, I really like the World Imports Colchester Collection 6-light at $140.26.  For the rug, I would go with the Heights Area Rug from Home Decorators ($440). 

Breaking it all down:

Ballard Designs Emerson kitchen:

Paulette Server:  $1,099
Arturo 6-light Chandy:  $349
Augusta 42" table with extension plus 4 Provence Chairs: $899
Emerson rug (estimated price point $600)
TOTAL:   $2,947

Jan's Look for Less:

Hemnes cabinet from Ikea:  $365
Colchester 6-light Chandy: $140.26
Embassy 48" table (no extension): $279 on sale OR
Rudolph 48" table (with extension): $399 on clearance
Four Ballard Designs Provence Chairs: $458
Heights Area Rug: $440
TOTAL:  $1,682.26; $2,947 - $1682.26 = $1,264.74 (42.9%)
OR $1,802.26 (higher total includes price differential for the Rudolph table): $2,947 - $1,802.26 = $1,144.74 (38.8%)

The Look for Less: Ballard Design's Emerson Kitchen

Shopping for a look for less area rug:

Tonight I went online shopping for an area rug as part of the Ballard Design's Emerson Kitchen challenge.  I do not have a full image of the Emerson area rug because, wouldn't you know it, except for the runner, Ballard Designs is entirely out of stock of the Emerson rug!  I also have no idea of what sizes it came in or what the prices were.  So I guestimated since it was hand-hooked 100% wool (made in India) the size I'd need -- around 7x9 so one's chair would not "fall" off the rug when dining at the kitchen/dinette table -- would run between $500 to $700 and I selected the mid price of $600 as a budget point.

But then I got to thinking hmmmm, would I really want to have a 100% wool rug in an area where food would be eaten (and no doubt spilled and/or crumbs brushed off the table top) regularly plus there will be a lot of foot traffic from and to the kitchen through the dinette into the family room (and to the garage service door that is in the near corner of that room), not to mention that my dinette area hosts the sliding door to the deck!  So I selected a few of wool and synthetic, at varying price points.

The thing about rugs is that what appeals is so subjective!  I have a picture of the Emerson rug, yes, but to find one like it for a better price -- not so easy.  I have a color description:  DARK CHOCOLATE, PEWTER AND BUTTERSCOTCH.  As you know, there are almost always many more colors used in such rugs that are not mentioned in the description!   It's got a cotton canvas backing.  I looked at it several times online in close-up.  It's a floral pattern rug that could be classed as traditional, or transitional, and it's got a medium to dark brown background, grey, and varying shades of beige and tan. I think the photograph of the rug, above, from the Ballard Designs website, is misleading, because when I first saw it I thought the rug background was GREY, not brown!  I was surprised to read it was brown, actually!  Overall, the rug appears very neutral, but without being able to see just the rug alone and in close-up -- well -- who knows! 

Here are my choices. They came from Home Decorators Online!  I looked at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target, and Overstock.com as well, but did not find any rugs that appealed to me within the price ranges I was looking for.  I also have to say that overall, Home Decorators Online had, in my estimation, prettier rugs, although out of the price range when shipping costs were added. 

And the winner is - ding ding ding ding ding:

This is the Heights Area Rug from Home Decorators.  I selected the larger size, 6'7" x 9'6" at a price of  $440.  I didn't think the smaller size, 5'3" x 7'3", would work well with a round table and four chairs.  The price for the larger size is $440; for the latter size, $269.  Shipping charges are $57 for the larger size and $34 for the smaller size.  It's color is "Dark Brown," but in close-up you can see varying shades and tones of beige/cream, tan, what appears to be a light rust color, and grey.  I thought this rug most closely looks like the inspiration rug in both design and color.  The Heights area rug is a machine-woven synthetic, in contrast to the Emerson rug's hand-hooked 100% wool.  Price differential:  Emerson ($600  price point ) -  Heights larger area rug ($440 +$57 shipping) = $103.

My other selection is:

the Finn area rug, in the 7'10" x 10' size!  It it priced at a meager $239 for that size plus $31 for standard shipping, a total of $270.  It is a synthetic machine-made rug.  As you can see, it is more colorful that the Heights Area Rug, but similar in design spirit to both the Emerson inspiration and Amboise II rugs.  Finn's border looks light blue, definitely not the "butterscotch" color of the Emerson border), and the rusty-colored tones in the floral field are pronounced and totally absent in the Emerson.  But it would be hard to beat this price for this size of rug.  Price differential:   Emerson ($600 price point) - Finn ($270) = $330.  Soooo --

Price differential between:
Emerson inspiration rug and Heights:  17% savings for Heights.
Emerson inspiration rug and Finn:  55% savings for Finn. 

The Look for Less: Ballard Design's Emerson Kitchen

I next shopped for a chandelier but I have to tell you, I didn't spend much time on this because I thought right from the get-go that finding a similarly sized chandelier for $349 (plus shipping, whatever that costs) would be very difficult.  And I don't like to send a lot of time on these challenges.  That's why they're challenges.  I mean, if I shop for months and months in advance, what's the challenge in that?  LOL!

This is the inspiration chandelier from Ballard Designs:

The Arturo chandelier costs $349.  It is 27 3/4" tall (from ceiling to bottom of rim) and 32" diameter, sizeable!  The wood frame (you can see it is finished in a rustic looking brown) is 2 3/8" tall.  There are six frosted glass pillars set inside what appears to be wrought iron or black-finished metal "arms."  The glass sleeves are 5 1/8" tall.  The chandelier comes with three 12" extension rods and two 6" extension rods.  The only thing I do not understand in the description is this:   "Cord 10'L & black."  What cord? Are they talking about a cord that plugs into an outlet?  I envisioned this as being hard-wired into the ceiling to replace the existing hanging light fixture.  So -- would need to be clarified.

I was surprised by what I came up with:

This is the World Imports Colchester Collection 6-light Iron Chandelier in oil-rubbed bronze finish! (Amazon.com).  The rim is not wood, it is a double circle of metal.  The glass sconces are "tea stained." Dimensions of the glass shades were not given.  It is 24.4" tall and approximately 28.5" diameter.  So, it's a little shorter and a little smaller than the Arturo chandy, but the price is $140.26.  Nearly a 60% savings off the cost of the inspiration chandy, and not sacrificing much in terms of size.

Maybe you don't like the "smudgy" look of the "tea stained" glass finish on the World Imports Colchester chandy.  A close-up look reveals that it looks like "melted wax!" (I like it).  I found an alternative that appears to have plain white-frosted glass, but at a higher price and smaller size.  This is available at Home Depot:

It is the Hampton Bay Alta Loma 6-Light Dark Ridge Bronze Chandelier.  It is 24 1/4" tall and 24" diameter.  It's base is steel, not iron.  Dimensions of the glass shades were not given.  It has a dark bronze finish (looks nearly black), as you can see, and is priced at $229, about 34% less than the inspiration Arturo chandy.  One does give up quite a bit in diameter, however -- from 32" to 24". 

I present this chandy as an alternative, although it has cloth lamp shades rather than glass:

This is the Royce Lighting RLCH204/6-43 Outdoor 6-Light Chandelier with Beige Weather-Resistant Shades, Dark Wood.  It is described as being made out of wood, but a customer description says she thought it was metal.  In any event, it can be wired as an indoor or outdoor light and has an optional cord to go into an outlet instead of being hard-wired.  The finish is "dark wood" - not very descriptive, LOL!  Dimensions are 17" tall (but 36" hanging chain is included -- not sure what this means unless it's like a swag?) and 26.5" diameter.  The dimensions of the shades are not given.  This chandy is priced at $174.82, roughly one-half the cost of the inspiration Arturo chandy. 

Depending  upon which option you choose, price differential is:

Arturo ($349) - Colchester ($140.26) =  $208.74
Arturo ($349) - Alta Loma ($229) =  $120
Arturo ($349) - Royce Outdoor ($174.82) = $174.18

You have to weigh shipping charges -- the Alta Loma is available at Home Depot, so perhaps  it would be available for pick-up or free delivery to your local Home Depot and then pick-up.  That is certainly a consideration, but of the three alternatives shown, the Alta Loma is the smallest chandy in diameter. 

The Look for Less: Ballard Design's Emerson Kitchen

I've been scouting my favorite sources online to see if I can find lower priced substitutes for the lovely Emerson kitchen:

The price tag for the server ($1,099), chandelier ($349), table and chairs ($899 as a set; table $499, set of two chairs $229), and rug (not priced, out of stock - I estimated between $500-$700 and selected the midpoint $600 for my estimate), is $2,947.00.

Ballard Design's server is the Paulette in a "Tuscan brown" finish.  It's dimensions are 83 3/4" tall, 28" wide, and 18" deep.  The hutch is 12" deep, so 6" shallower than the base.  The server is designed in such a way that two or more units can be pushed closely together with no gaps.  It's a lovely piece of furniture, made out of MDF and "fine veneer" in China -- I could not find a description of the wood used for the "fine veneer."  There is a narrow area on top of the drawer area topped with marble, but notice that the two small drawers at the bottom of the "hutch" part pull out over the marble top. 

I started with looking for the server, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy! The piece is not wide like I would consider a more "traditionally styled" server -- actually a hutch with drawers! And as we know, hutches with drawers are expensive when buying retail, which is how I shop for these "look for less" challenges.  I also looked at secretary/hutch combinations because of their drawers and shelves.  All too expensive! 

But, at Ikea, I found this piece and fell in love with its look and its price:

This is the Hemnes glass-door cabinet, that retails for $365.  It has to be assembled (think party of friends to help) and this is the brown-black finish, much darker than the Tuscan brown of the inspiration Paulette server.  But -- keep the doors off and voila!  Add a marble cutting board on the lowest shelf -- with the savings (see below), you can have one custom-cut to fit if you wish. 

A handy person with the right kind of equipment could, if she wanted to, cut a curved piece of wood to fit inside at the top of the Hemnes cabinet to give the look at the top of the inspiration piece, and add baseboards to give a "legless" look, but I like the design of the piece as it is. It could be modern, it could be cottage/country, it could be traditional. Actually, it is a very smartly designed piece. Kudos to Ikea! 

Hemnes' glass-door cabinet has the following dimensions:  77.5" tall (6" shorter than the Paulette server),  35 3/8" wide (7 3/8" wider than the Paulette server), and 14 5/8" deep, 3 3/8" less deep than the bottom of the Paulette server, but about you make up the difference in the shelves, which do not shrink by 6" above the drawers.  This piece would comfortably fit into my small dinette area and, while wider than the Paulette server, which is not a problem, it is shallower and therefore would leave important floor space/clearance on my one solid wall where it would have to be parked.  That area also serves as a passage way through the dinette into the family room so it is crucial to have enough space to freely walk through and not feel "crowded." 

This Hemnes cabinet comes in white and also grey-brown (which looks like a light taupe color) finishes in addition to the brown-black finish I selected.

I do not know what shipping would run on either piece.  Gross price savings, not including shipping charges (and assembling the Hemnes cabinet) is $1,099 - $365 = $739. 

The Look for Less: Ballard Designs' Emerson Kitchen

Ballard Design's Emerson Kitchen is beautiful, and real.  It's not so grand it would only look good in a big mansion; it's not so humble that it wouldn't look good in a standard dinette area right off a 1990's style kitchen area like mine, separated from the dining area only by a peninsula:

This is the inspiration photo.   It is designed to fit into a smaller area -- like my dinette area, which has a solid wall (with thermostat) on the east side, a large opening to the family room on the south side, the patio door on the west side, and the kitchen separated from the dining area only by a peninsula on the north side and open walkway from a short hall on the east side.  The dinette space is roughly 11 feet  wide (from nearly wall-to-wall entry into the family room on the south to peninsula and walkway into kitchen on the north) x 11 feet 9 inches deep.

My online shopping expedition in the hopes of finding this look for less, will consist of finding less expensive substitutes for:

(1)  The Paulette Server, $1,099

(2)  Arturo 6-Light Round Candelier, $349

(3)  Augusta Five-piece Dining Set (round pedestal table plus chairs), $899

Hmmm, where does the "Emerson" name come from???  Well, lo and behold, it comes from the RUG, which is no longer available.  LOL!  Size and price details are no longer available.  Here is the info available on the rug:

(4)  The deep, rich colors give it a dressy, sophisticated attitude. Weave is tightly done to bring out the fine Persian design. Hand hooked of 100% wool in dark chocolate, pewter and butterscotch. Cotton canvas backed for added durability. Use of a Rug Pad is recommended. 

I can add that it was advertised as imported from India.  I'd much prefer to buy an imported item from India rather than China. 

The description for the rug gave me my color cues because my color take after looking at the inspiration photo was that the rug was DARK GREY or BLACK.  Hmmm, am I now going color-blind ?!?

Left to guess at size and price! I will be looking at 6 or 7 x 9 and 8 x 10.  As it was made out of 100% wool, I estimate the original price would have been between $500 and $700 on the lower range for Ballard Designs. 

I have to say, though, that this room is basically SO devoid of color (all the basic and primary elements many of the acessories are light to mid-tone neutrals, although the wood floor appears to be a darker tone) that just about any saturated (deep) color of rug would not only anchor the table and chairs but also provide the necessary contrast to make the room successful as it was designed for the Ballard Designs website.  That is why the little punches of black, green (from the Christmas foilage) and the "yellowy/goldy" colors stand out so much.  I understand the lesson, but I don't think I would want this particularly decorated room in my house year around!

So, onward to shopping online!