House Tour #2 - Part 1

Since this is a tour of my house, I broke it up in a few parts. Part 1 is the dining room, kitchen, and laundry room. The dining room is an open concept space. It is open to a walkway area, the foyer, and an office/library. I recently found the slipcovers on line at http://www.customcoverings.com/ . They come in a variety of colors.

The antique candlesticks are from Bolivia. The green Tole bowl is just the beginning of my Tole collection.

The table is early American and was one of our first antique purchases. The brass candlesticks are also early American. The red vase is Limoges, a gift from my grandmother.

I also collect Japanese jewelry boxes. Some day I will dedicate a post to these lovely little boxes. This is just a peek. The watercolor is an original by artist - Jorge Fernandini

The kitchen was renovated about 10 years ago. I still love it.

I designed all of the cabinets and had a carpenter make them in his shop. I love the glass fronted cabinet doors. The extra large drawers are wonderful and soooo much better than just having doors on the lower cabinets.

I collect Tole trays. I was obsessed at one time, but am slowly recovering. I papered the backs of the upper cabinets with grass cloth for more texture and depth.

The window seat is one of my favorite things about the kitchen.

Not the best photo, but the bookcase is perfect for cookbooks and, of course, more Tole trays.

I also collect dishes. Some of the sets were inherited, others were purchased. Lately, I have been using them for simple meals.

Looooove my dishes....For years, I had brown and white transferware hanging on my dining room wall, now I actually use it.

I recently found the Emma Bridgewater CHEESE platter on line at http://www.joannehudson.com/ . The PURE BUTTER platters are very difficult to find now.

I keep everything handy on this little elevated tray from Pottery Barn - salt, pepper, sugar, toothpicks, etc.
The laundry room connects to the kitchen so I continued with the Tole trays in this area as well.

My next project is to re-do the window valance and paint in this room. I just have to find the right fabric and color. Another Pottery Barn buy - the giant chalk board.

That's it for now...my real life is calling!

Old Made New Again

My brother and sister-in-law recently moved in to my grandparent's old home in East Texas. The home was built by my grandparents in 1960 and it is where my mother and uncle were raised. They did some renovating, with my uncle's help, and really freshened up the place. These photos were taken just after moving in. I will do an update when they are completely settled.



Originally, the kitchen cabinets were stained and did not have the glass inserts. They kept the original hardware which is neat because it is back in style again. The area to the right was not part of the original kitchen, but held a wood burning stove and a couple of small pantries. It is now a useful area with a dishwasher and a second sink. The brick floors and the Dutch doors are original to the home.

I love the black and white wallpaper that my sister-in-law chose for this area.


A tiny fridge was once in the recess on the left. Now it houses a pantry and a microwave.


I like the glass fronted cabinet doors. The original doors were re-fitted with the glass inserts instead of buying new doors. All of the cabinets are solid wood so it would have been a shame to throw them out for new plywood or particle board cabinets.

I thought this was a cute way to display old photographs, postcards, or Christmas cards during the holidays.

My grandmother never had a dishwasher. The newly installed dishwasher really updated the kitchen. I love the open shelves in this area.

Through the Dutch doors is an entry area for the back door. My sister-in-law painted the walls black to show off her B & W photos. This also ties into the black and white wallpaper in the kitchen.

She hung this old dollhouse on the wall above the washer and dryer in the laundry room to use as storage. I can't wait to see how she accessorizes this piece!

I will update this post as they progress with the decorating. So far they are off to a great start!