House Beautiful

Tag Archive for 'calico corners'

Favorite Thing Friday: My Dining Room

We jabber a lot on Fridays about all the pretty baubles & threads & what-nots we’re lusting over.  But…  how’s that little quote go?

So today I thought it’d be fun to rap about one of my favorite things I’ve already got: the happiest of happy, cozy dining rooms.  It’s taken a little while, a little trial & error, and a lot of layering things I love over time…  but isn’t that what a space you love should be?  Collected and curated?  I really am breaking my arm patting myself on the back here… what a hooker.  Whatever.  Almost everything in this room has either sentimental value, was sourced from a thrift store or Craigslist, or is a refurbished antique.  Here are s’more bits from the room:

Super sentimental stuff on the wall: Old family photos of my parents and grandparents around the dinner table…  a gigantic spoon that I scooped up antiquing with my Nanny…  a framed copy of “La vie est faite de petits bonheurs” (Life is full of little pleasures)…

And, hand-written directions to my favorite restaurant in Florence (Il Latini) scribbled by an obliging shopkeeper when my college bestie and I were trying to find it again on our 2nd trip to Italy.

Mix & Match seating was a must for me.  I generally want to ralph when I see a fully matched dining set.  This isn’t Rooms-to-Go, yo.  Linen Settee is from World Market (on sale right now for $299! #stealing).  Tufted chairs are from Nest in Chicago – I finally snapped them up after months of pressing my nose against the glass and drooling over them.  Louis XIV chairs are sommuh my favorite refurbished antiques.

Ikat Pillows: The navy throw pillow covers are from Interwoven… she has some pretty great stuff in the form of kanthas, ikats and otomi textiles for great prices.  I also follow her on Intstagram for daily updates and sale alerts.

Framed Mia Beach Photography & Vintage Dresser: I remember the day I saw this dresser at Habitat for Humanity in Mt. Pleasant, SC with a $125 sticker on it.  I literally lunged for it and carried it out the door… à la that 2 lb. weiner dog from the Grinch carrying a 875 lb. bag of toys.   It took a little elbow grease to clean it up, but I love it.  Such a great piece.  The old barnwood frame was about $16 from the Broadway Antique Mall in Muncie, IN, and the photo is my very oldest friend Mia‘s little boy frolicking through a field.  She was sweet enough to send me a copy.  It makes me so happy every time I look at it.

Louis XIV caned dining chairs: I picked these up at an antique store in Charleston, SC about 8 years ago…  at the time, they were a yellow-y bone color covered in mauve velvet.  Wuf.  They’ve seen a few cans of spray paint since then, but I finally ended up with a few coats of rose gold spray paint and the most delicious charcoal grey velvet from Calico Corners.  Big thanks to Begley Upholstery on High Street for doing such a bang-up job on these.  I love a good DIY, but some things you gotta leave to the experts.

Vitrine of antique flutes, coupes & tumblers: Muffie Faith, who owns ESD in Charleston, inspired this collection.  I saw candy-colored glasses perched in her kitchen window about 7 years ago and thought it was the greatest thing I’d ever seen (remember this post?).  So, every time I’m in a thrift store, I sprint to the glassware section, and there is ALWAYS something delicious there.  This collection makes parties and holidays REALLY, really fun.

And look how amazing these bad boys are…  I think they were 50 cents each. Where’s the karate chop emoticon??

Here’s my newest addition:  A $20 buffet from Goodwill.

I ended up painting the outside cream, and the inside is this color.  #bangbangbang

What’s your favorite room in your house?  Or your favorite thrifty score?  Shoot it over to us – we wanna see!!

Have a great weekend, Campers!

Holiday Staycation

THIS is what it looked like in Columbus for the long 4th of July weekend.  Mmm hmm.

Which meant no basking by the pool (sniff)…  no sunny BBQ’s (double sniff)…  no fireworks (who wants to post-up 3 hours early in the rain?)… and no sunkissed tans (sigh).  But alas…  we made of the best of it shopping, cooking, eating and partying our way through the 4th.  Here she blows in pics (!)  Good recs ahead…

SCORED THIS GEM

at the local Goodwill for $3.99.  Have you scoured yours lately?

MENTALLY REDESIGNED THE BEDROOM

FABRIC SHOPPED

at Calico Corners with my new Fairy Godmother (what up, Sandra!)… and loved Swaying Palms Aloe (left) and Vari (right).

DELIBERATED ON WHERE TO USE SAID FABRIC…

…perhaps the swaying palms print as throw pillows on our all-white bed (???)  Or better yet, on me, Rose & Blanche’s Lanai.

FOUND THIS AT CALICO ONLINE WHEN I GOT HOME

and would absolutely d-i-e to make long, dreamy drapes out of it.  $100/yard is steep though when you need a whopping 10 yards.  That’s a flight to Europe, yo.

HIT UP A HOUSE PARTY

on Wednesday night and Snoopy-McSnapped a pic of this VERY cool wedding invite on the host’s fridge.  Unconventional but super fun and super sweet.

RAINY-DAY-SHOPPED

at Easton with my main squeeze and stumbled on these steals:

Petal Cutout Tee – $78 | H&M skinny jeans – $39.95 | Tracy Reese heels ($64 and sold out)

Perfect Summer Wedges at Aldo – $70

Anthro top by Lil – $23 (similar to shown here) | H&M Skinnies in Black – $29 and SUPER SLIMMING/AMAZING – go get them NOW, in umpteen colors | H&M Grey Denim Button-Up on Hot & Sleepy Arm Candy Matt – $29.  It’s this one, but in the store they have it in grey.

Mila Cap Toe Leather Ballet Flats – got mine on crazy 4th of July super sale for about $30

UNWOUND POST-SHOPPING WITH A STIFF CUCUMBER GIMLET

at local hotspot Ocean Club.  This place is my *official* Columbus fave.  Requested the live jazz man play “You Are the Sun” (Lionel Richie) and then sang along WAY, way too loudly from our perch at the bar.  #whoops

(Appetizer recs: Surf & Turf with Scallops + Short Ribs, Goat Cheese Ravioli, and by all means, Oysters on the Half Shell.  Best Oysters I’ve ever had, and that is no lie.)

NURSED GIMLET HANGOVER WITH HOMEMADE MINI-QUICHES

Loose recipe: chop up whatever veggies you have handy (I did sun dried tomatoes, zucchini and spinach) into a ramekin…  whisk together 2 eggs, a splash of 1/2 and 1/2, some chopped herbs (I used rosemary this time), and a dash of salt & pepper…  then grate whatever cheese you have handy (I used Pecorino Romano) into the egg mixture and pour over the veggies in the ramekin.  Bake on 375 degrees for about 20-30 min with foil on top, then about 20 more with foil off.  (Bake time depends on the size of the ramekin, so you’ll have to watch ‘er.)  Cool about 10 min and serve.

WATCHED MOVIES WITH FUZZY

…who hides under the coffee table when it rains.

WHOOPED IT UP AT LINDEY’S

…another local fave (Appetizer rec: Beef Carpaccio | Dinner rec: Grouper | Vino rec: Peregrine ‘Mohua’ Sauvignon Blanc)

RENDEZVOUS’D AT THE PEARL

with Matt’s mom (aka Sunny D) + her beau-friend afterward.  Great, hustly-bustly atmosphere at the bar…  great service…  very see-and-be-scene-y right now…  and feels kinda south-uhn.  (App rec: House Smoked Salmon)

I especially loved the photo bomb selfie our adorable, Kate-Winslet-lookalike bartender took.  Bahhahaa.

GARDENED MY FACE OFF

…and pruned more mint than Heinz has pickles.  Discovered new uses for it by: a) Freezing it in ice cubs for cocktails and iced tea, b) Toss it into a Watermelon & Heirloom Tomato salad with basil and feta, c) Make Mint Pesto…  who knew?

FOUND ANOTHER GOOD SAUVIGNON BLANC

at Whole Foods for about $10.99.  How often do you try a good wine you like and then forget what it is?  Had to share.

The weather aside, it was dee-lightful to sleep in, see some good friends and putts around all weekend.  Hope you guys got some good down-time in, too!

Is it Friday again yet?