So my latest obsession has become finding the perfect dining room table for our new house. Our floor plan (to be posted soon) is quite open. The kitchen flows directly into the dining room which flows directly into the great room/living room. We want cooking, dining and living to blend together into general communal activity. At least that is the idea. Our dining room table will also be one of the first pieces of furniture to greet you when you walk in from the mud room. So I want it to make a statement. It needs to capture the essence of our home...the duality of natural and industrial elements, the seamless integration of wood and steel, the intricate balance of indigenous and foreign, man-made materials, the heart and soul of a modern farmhouse. I want a long, family-style farmhouse table that echoes the past but that has a modern profile. It will be our piece de resistance. Okay, that's a lot of pressure to put on a little dining room table. But those are my goals. I've found lots of inspiration online. Here are some of my favorites along with their sources. Please feel free to add your own in the comments section! *Companies marked with an [*] are committed to green furniture design including using wood that is from sustainably managed forests or that is recycled and/or low-VOC stains. Check out their websites for more information. Sundance Great Falls Table Sundance Holcombe Table Bruce Marsh Designs* Style Garage (featured in June issue of Canadian House & Home Magazine) Michelle Kaufmann's Green + Wired Smart Home at Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Pictures from Apartment Therapy Hudson Furniture* Renzo Piano table Hudson Furniture* Matteo Thun Celerina table Blake Dollahite House Pictures from Design Sponge Online