House Tour ~ Breakfast Nook

I thought I might share a few pics of the breakfast nook today.  My favorite French cafe chairs surround the table.  It's nice that this pretty scene greets me each morning since, I'm sorry to say, I am not a morning person.  It kind of helps ease me into the day.

 

It's a simple spot ~ but so comfy and inviting.  The light comes pouring in during the day.  The farm style table is a flea market find. 

The handwritten recipes, worn with age, were given to me by Nana and are a real treasure.  I framed them up in simple black frames and attached ribbon to them to add a little more presence.  Read more about this project here.

 

When we first moved here all of the cabinets were stained ~ but over time the stain had yellowed badly.  They really dated the house, so I decided instead of going with typical white cabinets, to do something a little different and paint them black.  The built-in originally had glass covered doors on it, but during the paint process we took them down.  I liked the open shelving so much, I opted to leave the doors off which makes for easier access to the dishes.

*Note ~ always keep your eyes peeled for others castoffs on garbage day.  The floor lamp was a freebie ~ found curbside on trash day.  A couple of coats of spray paint covered over the dingy brass lamp and now here it rests in the nook's corner.  The stool at the end of the cabinet - was something my neighbor, Pam, no longer wanted and I was happy to find.  The vintage rug is courtesy of my friend Barb :) ~ something she chose to part with when she moved to her current home.  Thanks to my friend, Amanda, for all the great photos.  See more of Amanda's beautiful photography here.  And thank you for stopping by ~ I hope your week is filled with good things.  

White ~ Always the Perfect Choice

Light, bright, clean and white!

The absence of color is soothing to me. It’s not that I don’t like color; I just like the absence of it a little more. In this technology driven age, where there is an overabundance of visual stimulation, I find myself craving the simplicity of a neutral environment. I eagerly anticipate entering my home, and settling into my calming retreat.

My love of white extends beyond the design of my home, its art and accessories and extends to my choice of dishware as well. Over time, I have accumulated quite the motley collection of wonderful old ironstone and restaurant ware. I thought I might share a few of my favorite pieces with you:

I run across hodgepodge pieces like these gravy boats and pitchers at thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets and rarely pay more than a dollar for any of them.

I like the beauty and simplicity of old restaurant ware. It is solid and has stood the test of time. I can only imagine some of the conversations that were overheard by these dishes down through the years.

I enjoy serving meals off of these wonderful oval restaurant plates.

Papa’s favorite cereal bowl; he also loved to eat Fritos or cornbread with buttermilk from these.

The beautiful soup tureen was given to me by mom, affectionately called Mimi.

The hobnail milk glasses were a gift from my sister-in-law, Datha. The tablecloth a dreamy purchase from Anthropologie's clearance table.

I love setting a table with white dishes; the presentation of any food against the white backdrop makes it look all the yummier! For me, white is always the perfect choice.