We are deep into weekend two of brickwork over here. It turns out that the whole brick installation process is pretty time-consuming. Who would have guessed? Probably everyone. Ronan hopes to be done with the brick by the end of the day and then we will be ready for a beer to move onto the next project.  That means it is time to make some more decisions!

As we mentioned in the last post, in this poll we will be asking all of you to determine what happens on both sides of the bump-out.  Thanks so much to everyone who reached out through comments, messages, pins, and texts to offer suggestions. We loved them and think we have narrowed the choices down to two very good options. We have a feeling that this poll isn’t going to be as evenly divided as our last poll was, but we have certainly seen people miss the mark on pre-poll predictions in the past, haven’t we?

The Competitors:

Option #1

The Original Plan: Staying Low

Everything about this one is pretty simple.  It will be completed fairly quickly and not require a ton of materials.  If you like quick results, this is the one for you.  Think of it as the classic and cool, understated option, as opposed to option #2 which is much bigger and bolder.  This one looks good without putting in too much effort. In option #1 we will build low shelves on either side of the bump-out.  We picture using the top of the shelves as a buffet/serving area when we have friends and family over for meals and the rest of the shelves for storage and display purposes.  While we don’t have a perfect photograph of this choice, we think it is pretty easy to picture. Just look at the photo of our stove area and bump-out that was taken last weekend (above) as well as our photo of shelves that were built into our living room in our last home (below).  Combine those pictures in your head and you’ve got it (hopefully you mentally removed the toys and tv too, because those will not be making their way into the dining room.)  Above the shelves we would be left with quite a bit of wall space, but we are confident our readers would have lots of suggestions on how to fill those spaces.

Option #2

Changing It Up: Going High

This plan will take longer, require more materials, and make much more of a statement.  This plan turns it’s nose up on the understated look. This one spends a lot more time, effort, and money getting ready, but feels that it is all worth it in the end. People notice this one.  Option #2 involves cabinets on the bottom for storage and shelving all the way up to the ceiling.  Pinterest loves this option.  One example that we really like is pictured below.  Like Option #1, we think this option is really easy to picture working in our dining room and will end up looking beautiful.

Image from Philip Miller Furniture.  Check out Philip Miller’s YouTube channel  by clicking here!

So, there are the two choices.  Like last time, the poll will be open for 24 hours after it is posted.  Don’t forget to vote for whichever option you personally like more, not the option that you assume we like more/would rather you choose.  Remember, it isn’t about us! It’s about making this house as beautiful as we can afford to  possible!