Wow! Your room looks gorgeous- designer appeal.Warm and cozy. Your appraisal sounds perfect and very workable. I know DH and I are the same way. It is better to live within your means and do all the extras, while the equity grows. Congratulations Parma!

Hey Parma, congrats! You are getting a really good deal!

As I mentioned earlier, we are doing a re-fi too on a similarly priced home & going from 5.375% on a 15 yr. to 4.25% on a 10 year. Like you, we won't save on the monthly payment, but will save a lot on interest payments which is something we can both look forward to, yes? My dh did the math, & it's really a substantial savings over the life of the loan. My difference is not as dramatic as yours, but I'm pleased with it. We also put a fair amount down when we bought (50%) so that helps too.

These low interest rates are a positive feature I guess, of the economic downturn. I'm happy for both of us, and all the other folks out there taking advantage of the lower rates.

Parma,
Your room looks beautiful.
Smiles:)

Ditto, your room IS lovely. :)

Thanks everyone.

I really feel sorry for people who want to take out a 20 year mortgage. The rates are higher than for a 30 year. I know it's all tied into bond prices, but that's just weird.

I like it; its really serene. You know how to work with a limited palette.

Parma, your room is gorgeous, but I can't determine the color(furnishings, not wall color). Is it a brown, gray, taupe, gray/brown combo, charcoal? Whatever, it sure looks S-E-X-Y! ;o)

Your room is so beautiful and classy. We did a refi this year too. We got a very low rate. I guess something positive came from this terrible economy.

LOL, Patty!

Had to bring DH in and show him your post. He's beaming to have a S-E-X-Y room.

We just got a new camera and I'm still a lousy shot. The colors are a mix of green, bronzes, golds, some red and bit of blue. Tried to work with a lot of textures and patterns.

Parma - your room is truly beautiful.

Parma: congratulations on getting the loan you want.
Your house is beautiful -- I love all the details. What camera did you get?

PARMA, men, too funny. It will put a smile on his face whenever he goes in the room. LOL. Think he'll tell anyone his LR was described as sexy?? ;o)

And I love your colors! I didn't even think of olive green, which is one of my favorite colors, in clothes, too. ;o)

That is a beautiful room. It is in those muted Flemish tones that are so lovely.

We did a very similar refi in August. We went from year two of a 20-year at 6.25% to a 15-year at 4.625%. The payment actually went down a few dollars and we cut three years off the term of the loan. Doesn't it feel great?We're paying extra on principal and hope to have it paid off in about 7-8 years.

Wow, jakabedy, our loans are almost identical. It will make writing out those monthy checks a bit more palatable.

Bella, the camera is a Canon Power shot. I asked for advice over in Conversations and peoople showed me their pics taken with it. Looked up reviews, too. When I showed DH the new shots of the LR/DR I had taken and stored on Photobucket, he just shook his head and said that he'd take more pics.

I had originally taken them for advice about how to finish the rooms, and put them in a post. For the first time, in years, the pics stretched the page and I don't know why. I didn't have any problems with this pic and did the same things when pasting it.

What I really need help with is the old oak chest to the left of the curved sofa. Everything from the top has got to go. I have an old bronze/brass oil converted to electric double fluted (clear) lamp that was in my family forever. Wondering if it would look weird to put it on that table? I also have two open weave, metallic painted wood, footed platters (hard to describe) that I was thinking of stacking over that same table. The light switches are placed so I really don't have room (or the correct height) to place art there. I want something to add height and correspond to the rest of the room.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: OP

Congrats! I'm so happy it worked out for you! That's a great rate!

Congratulations! Lovely room. What is the paint colour on your wall?

Marip, that pic doesn't show the true color. Everything in that room isn't sepia toned, only about half. It's a mix of warm and cool.

This before pic is more indicative. It's SW Ivoire.

Parma, your home is beautiful. I am wondering if you would share where you found your dining table? I am looking to change my DR table and I've admired yours from your posts. I was showing your home and in particular, your table to DH. He was concerned about using the smaller round, but now that he has seen how well yours works with the space (have similar floor plan) he is now on board.

The S-E-X-Y comment did help things along, well you get the picture - men + sexy = happy.

TIA.

I'm loving your drapes and hardware! Beautiful room!

What a pretty room- it looks very serene. Would you mind sharing details about the light over the dining table? I love it!
TIA

Great news, Parma! I was wondering how it went.

Parma - always loved your style. It's magazine perfect!

Crescent, the chandelier is from Savoy House, the Burgundy collection. I just looked and it appears to be discontinued. :( We love the amber crystals and the antique green finish.

Work in progress, Ha! Men.

The table was a big splurge for us. I don't know how much you were planning to spend, but it's from French Heritage. DH wanted new (men again) but you could acheive a similar look with a round oak table from CL. Ours is ash and has carved edging and a fluted bottom. It comes with a leaf.

Beautiful room! and thanks for sharing about your new and improved loan. I'm going to do some checking on hours today, and see if better rates are available for us.

Thanks Parma! I will check out savoy house to see if there is anything that looks similar. Those amber crystals are beautiful!

parma - Thank you so much for the info. Yes, we are looking to buy new. I contacted French Heritage but am told that they do not sell directly to the general public. Unfortunately, we are not close to the store locations listed on the website. They did tell me that they do make exceptions at times. Fingers crossed!

If my memory serves me (LOL) you located in the Chicago area? I did leave my contact info with the FH rep., hopefully someone will call me back with a solution? Were you able to buy directly from FH?

Go figure, now that I've gotten DH on board, I've hit a major roadblock.

Sorry to be so intrusive, but I love your table and how well it works with the open floor plan.

Wondering if you have any thoughts/suggestions on how to get FH to sell to me directly? I've looked at so many tables, but none have been just right. I keep coming back to your table pics and none that I've seen have gotten my attention in the way yours has. Just love the detail, etc.

Thanks again.

No problem work.

We bought ours at TomsPrice in Wheaton, Il.

I snooped around and saw that Furnitureland South, in NC sells French Heritage. I've never dealt with them, but I know they're a biggie. I'm almost positive they deliver.

You can shoot me an email and I'll tell you the size and finish that we have on ours (comes in many options). We've seen the painted version of the same table and did not like it, at all.

Here is a link that might be useful: FH at FS

Parma, glad the lower appraisal works in your favor. I kind of swallowed hard when I read your first sentence...but then read on. The silver lining! :-)

WIP, a good friend of mine in NY bought a FH piece at a discount from Boyle's. Chances are, even if FH does sell to you, they will charge you full retail. I'd look at one of the NC discounters instead.

parma & amysrq, Thanks for the quick responses. I did a Google search for the table and found a source located about 30 miles from me! Planning to take a ride over the weekend. That also gives me 3 days to continue my search for the best price.

This will be a splurge for us as well. However, I've lived with my current DR table for well over 25 yrs. We purchased the furniture before we were married when furnishing our "new" home. At that time, we were focused on a large table to host holidays and dinner parties. We have definitely gotten our money's worth out of the table, hosting all of the holidays, birthdays and weekend dinner parties over the years. It has defintely served us well, but it is time for a change.

Now I want something a bit more fitting with our current lifestyle. Our decor has changed quite a bit since we purchased our dining room furniture. I am looking to open up that particular space and the Val de Loire table is just perfect. Now on to the chairs...

Also, I have there is a pic of the "painted" table online. I have to say that I like the ash as well as the cherry/mahogany finishes much better for our space.

Good news, WIP.

Just want to be sure we're on the same page.

Ash is the wood used in making my table. Chateau is the finish.

The round table made out of the cherry and mahogany is similar but doesn't have the carved edge (at least on their website).

HTH

Your room is beautiful Parma!!

I also love your new dining table...just gorgeous!
Wonderful detailing with the carving and the base...terrific choice:)

L.