With the move to the new apartment on the horizon, Emily and I are faced with a novel dilemma we haven't had in ages: buying new furniture. With a real dining room to joyfully use for dinner parties, potlucks, game nights, arm wrestling and just about anything else we've been missing out on hosting, we've started our hunt for the perfect dining room set.

In all likelihood, we'll be finding an affordable vintage era set from a flea market, Craigslist or at the Rose Bowl Flea Market if luck strikes right. But during this honeymoon phase of pre-move scheming, we've been allowing ourselves the luxury of window shopping online from a variety of sources, including those in the realm of "not too likely, bub".

If price and geography wasn't an issue (and they are), we sure wouldn't mind the Socrates Table from Graf, a Japanese furniture company which merges subtle Japanese craft with the recognizable details of Midcentury aesthetics (example: look at the overhead view of the Socrates Table with the chairs in place; the design from above is very much like a classic Japanese design motif). The matching Kata Arm Chair can be used individually or paired into a cozy two-seater or facing in opposite direction into a conversation chair formation!

Other favorites from the Graf line include their Work wagon, the library furniture inspired Baco cabinet, the stackable Bau-Dana storage units, and the 3/6 Sofa Bench Collection. The Graf collection is minimal, but never bare in character. But for now, the search goes on…