Posts Tagged ‘interior design’

Today I’m sharing more of the antique pieces in my house.  This is the main piece in my foyer.  We bought it after a long and fruitless search for a small armoire to use as a coat closet.

Antique Hall Stand

This is so much better than a regular boring armoire!  It has a cabinet for storing winter items likes scarves and gloves during off seasons.  We also dump our shoes here in the brass-lined shoe trays.   Plus, it has fantastic details: giant hooks, interesting carvings, antiqued (i.e. chippy) mirror:

Hall Stand Detail

We were told the piece came from an old church in Europe. The carvings on the posts are two saints with Italian names: Antonius and Nicolai. The date on the shield at the top is 1573.  I doubt the piece itself is that old because of the large mirror.  They weren’t producing mirrors like that in 1573!  If it did come from a church, I would guess it was a custom piece and the date refers to the time the church was established or some other important date to the church.  Regardless, it definitely has some history to it, though I have no way of knowing exactly what it is. I just thought it was an interesting piece.  Here are more of the carvings; these are on the cabinet door:

Hall Stand Carvings

Also, check out those heavy-duty brass hinges and the key plate.  They definitely built things to last back then.  The mirror is pegged into the base cabinet.  Yes, you can lift that mirror to remove it from the base, which is great.  Otherwise, I would have been unable to get this thing into the house.  It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve made that mistake, though.  I almost didn’t get a table I bought on Craigslist into the house.  :-\ But that’s another story for another time…

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Another mistake would be not entering my dress giveaway.  One lucky reader will get to win a lovely dress from Shabby Apple. Update your casual wardrobe with their Da Vinci dress!

Da Vinci Dress - Shabby Apple

And don’t forget you can save 10% when you use my discount code.  Just click the link to Shabby Apple in my sidebar and use the code childfreechic10off!

CODE: childfreechic10off

I recently received a new Pottery Barn catalog, and I was surprised to see them using 1) glass wall shelves and 2) shelves as a bar. Here’s one of the photos they used to market their glass shelves:

Pottery Barn's Glass Shelf Bar

It’s quite a change for Pottery Barn.  They are usually trying to sell their line of bar cabinets or bar carts:

Pottery Barn Modine Bar

Don’t get me wrong.  I think bar carts and cabinets are very stylish if you have room for them.  I would love nothing more than to have a chic vintage bar cart somewhere in my home.  However, I don’t have the floor space to add a bar cart or cabinet.  It’s not a big deal, though.  I had some extra wall space, so I added shelving and turned an under-utilized area into a well-stocked bar.  I did it with cafe shelves from Ballard Designs!

My Bar - Cafe Shelves

I admit that this style of open bar might not be for everyone.  If you have children, you probably don’t want to display liquor and glassware where little hands can reach them.  However, I don’t have such problems.  If you’re like me and don’t have children and have dining area without a lot of free floor space, using wall shelves as a bar might just be the ticket.

The glass shelves are in my kitchen, holding my dinnerware and drinking glasses.  I like the openness one gets with glass shelving, particularly in small or confined areas like my kitchen.

Open Glass Shelves - My Kitchen

So, if you don’t have room for a fancy bar setup, whether it’s for liquor or an in-home coffee station, don’t fret! See if you can use some type of wall shelving and make it work.  Small spaces can still be chic!