3 eating scenarios and a project

i love a good dining area. this is an important home location. this is the place we eat, break bread, chat, entertain with food and drink and sometimes even have serious discussions about homework and reality tv. a good dining room always catches my eye, not as much as a good living room, but close. anna spiro's dining room is amazing. so fresh, happy and inviting. not an ounce of pretense...except for the boobies...maybe a crumb of pretense there. and i love a good boob. in any case...i would be extremely pleased to eat here every day.

here's another that pleases me. it's small and cozy, modern and rustic with that crazy reclaimed wood table. and i am a H U G E fan of a metallic light fixture. and hello swan chair, would you like to make out? this area is small, eat in perfection.

and this space is just a big excuse for a party! i mean, the space itself seems like one of those basement kitchens in a giant english estate. the table looks like the biggest drafting table ever and paired with the loooooong bench and jacobsen chairs what's not to love. it's great and i want to have a long, leisurely lunch here and then go on a fox hunt. tally-ho!

and this next pic is what i want to do to my fireplace wall. and that is paper it.
this is my fireplace. yes, i KNOW it's dark as donkey balls in here. and the wall is gray. ralph lauren forde abbey to be precise. i struggle constantly to find that perfect piece of something special to hang above the fireplace. i went to the scott antique market and looked at giant gilt mirrors a la jenny lyons' fireplace mantle but there was nothing there under 1200 dollars that was the appropriate size. and that's what i really want. but i cannot afford such a thing. so i thought why not paper it like the photo above? what are your thoughts? any paper suggestions? i don't need a lot just enough to do this one wall. the tiles are kind of pinkish coral, a lot like puke actually. but this is a rental and i cannot control the tiles. but i will paper the hell out of this wall and never look back.

images anna spiro, ??, melanie acevedo, probably dti and then me