mixing old and new |  When we first moved in, our landlord had draped this table with an old, holey yellow tablecloth that wasn't even the right size for the surface. I promptly removed the cloth, and discovered a beautiful old wooden table with a black leather top and three drawers along the length of one side -- a desk in its former life, no doubt. Our landlord had paired the table with big, clunky pale wooden chairs that neither coordinated with nor really clashed with the table. Now, I've never been a big fan of matchy-matchy sets, but if you're going to go for eclectic, my feeling is that you really have to make it look deliberate. Which is why I ended up swapping the originals with these four black plastic chairs that are as contemporary and sleek as the table is antique and weighty. The chairs take up much less space, and the black actually picks up nicely on the black leather tabletop. Meanwhile the IKEA hanging lamp not only serves a practical purpose but also adds another touch of modern style. Framed black-and-white photographs -- from a photography class I took in college -- add the final accent to the dining area. (Click to see the original space) >