apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Do I really need two coats of paint? I'm redoing my dining room and bedroom (red and yellow, respectively). In the dining room, I can see why I need another coat, you can see the spots where the strokes overlap. But for the yellow, I primed the wall and put on one coat and it looks completely uniform. I also like the color now and I don't want it to be much darker if I do a second coat. Are there any reasons, other than aesthetic, for using a second coat of paint?

If one coat gets you the true color you want then it's fine in my (limited) experience. I used a light beigey-khaki in my bed/bath and one coat was sufficient. If it's going over another light color you're often ok with just one coat.
Now I have a question... I finally ordered the table I've been lusting after since I was a kid. The Saarinen marble 54" pedestal table with a white base. Now I need help with chairs. The ones I really want are the Cherner in a combo of side and arm, but the price just kills me. I'll spend more on the chairs than I did on the table... which I really can't do right now. Are there any almost-as-good options for a fraction of the price? What do you think of the Bertoia wire side chairs with it? A friend is selling a set of 6 chrome and I could get them for about $750 for all (no pads, but I can have some made). My concern is that it may be too "cold" of a combo. I also have the platner coffee table (inherited from grandparents) in my living room which is kind if a shared space/greatroom with my dining room. Too much wire?? I need help.

I don't know if this is the place to do it but I have a random question...
I'd like to buy furniture from antique stores and I'm sure I could haggle my way to a lower price but how to I do this?

How much lower than the marked price should I go? I do I even word myself...I need to sound confident.

Plus, I really don't know what furniture is worth but I'm just aiming for a lower price. Any tips?

Well I finally painted my kitchen backsplash red :)
I went with an eggshell finish, and I am thrilled with it!
Thanks to all of you for your advice.

Next up is undercabinet lighting...

Have any of you installed this yourselves? If so, what type do you recommend, and can they be installed with a plug so I don't have to mess with the electrical wiring?

Mies' Farnsworth House in country western video:

http://music.aol.com/video/dont-blink/kenny-chesney/1960750

I bought this table:

http://www.doorstorefurniture.com/star_dine.html

But not the matching chairs, since they don't really do anything for me. Does anyone have suggestions for what might look good? I was thinking something with a small footprint, like these chairs in brown:

http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODf457&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1FRNDCB&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1F

but also wonder whether something more padded would be more comfortable, in which case I'd probably leave two at the table and two elsewhere in the living room for extra seating when not using the table (my dining space is in the living room, and tight).

Thanks in advance!

Sweet Pea:

Bring a friend who can/does haggle with you. Ask them to do it for you and learn from them. Everyone has one friend who always gets "great deals" and loves the pursuit of a deal.

My tips...
1. be respectful of the goods - don't talk the item down - but don't glow with praise either.
2. simply ask "can you give me a better price on this item". No big goofy smile. The less you talk - the better. If the price is fair - take it. If it's not a price you're comfortable with, pass on it. They are in business to make money - not new bff's. That said, if they think you will be a long time customer they may offer great future tips.
3. arm yourself with education. If you're searching for a particular item, know the going rate.

how exciting lizb, my name is liz b, too!
scuse me, had to be a 3rd grader for a minute.

Lo, there was a good question about this years ago (its how I was introduced to AT, I googled chairs for saarinen tulip table!)
Here's the link (i'm not too good at linking)

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/062805/good-questions/good-question-chairs-for-saarinen-table-003104

My own solution so far is weird, just provençal style chairs painted gray, not at all designish but looks great. However, I am saving for some eames eiffel chairs, but the ones with the wooden (not metal) legs.

http://vitra.com/products/home/dining_room_chairs/eames_plastic_sidechair/default.asp?lang=il_en

My dining room:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93704471@N00/303656488/

Sweet Pea,
My buddy I Love Upstate makes sense. I'm not good at bargaining people down because I don't like when it happens to me (I buy these things and refurbish them, then sell them myself). I feel uncomfortable, but the last antiques fair I went to, I had a friend with me who was shocked that I didn't haggle. I put him to work for me and the vendors didn't seem to mind. I still won't do it myself, but I'll always try to grab a friend who can.

My mom won't haggle. I had to jump in for her at the Paris Flea Market (Clignancourt) b/c she thinks it's like cheating someone. I was like "this is how a flea market works, he said make him an offer!"

My sister didn't haggle when she bought a new car. I wanted to smack her! LOL

what's the name of that dutch designed round table with the chairs that fit into the apron of the table?

I'm not sure if it's appropriate to post this here, but I have two of the Isaac Mizrahi "Ship Lights" (discussed here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/good-questions-where-is-the-missing-ship-light-004675) that I don't need anymore. I live in Indianapolis and probably will either list them on Craigslist or drop them by Goodwill, but I thought I would mention their availability here first in case someone who missed an opportunity to purchase them is interested. (I wasn't sure if I should list them in the Chicago AT classifieds since shipping likely will be involved and most of those ads seem to require local pick-up only.) If anyone is interested, e-mail me at wendy at iquest dot net and maybe we can work something out. Thanks!

Hmmm...link didn't work. Just search for "Mizrahi" or "Ship Light" if you need a pic. ; )

Can anybody help me finding a ressource for this table and chairs set :http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2357/1580552258_549fcfaf87_b.jpg

And for this chair: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2091/1579661417_883aec162d_b.jpg

I live in Montréal, Québec so keep that in mind :)
It's for my Dad, who came back from a trip to France with new deco ideas and asked for my help!

I can think of atleast 2 friends who'd make for great haggling companions. I think I'll take them along!
I'll go low but not ridiculously low. And I'll do some pricing research before going.
Thanks for the tips!!!

Sarah1083, we just painted a room in a pale blue color -- there was a violet or something there before we got here, and previous color seemed to act as a great base because for the first time in my life I didn't see the need to paint a second coat. We used Benjamin Moore's eggshell latex like always so I can only guess it was the color underneath that helped us out with the coverage.

Having said that, I have no scientific evidence to back this up but I wonder if two coats of paint might hold up better to washing (crayon) or better protection against scratches (minature plastic horse and/or cow).

Sofia -
Those chairs look great with the table... and so will the eiffel chairs!!