to the max(field)

you know how i feel about things having a collected-over-time feeling (in a nutshell, i adore it). so the maxfield flatware from pottery barn has always made my heart sing. too bad i made its acquaintance after i received every kitchen item under the sun from my wedding registry. if i were to register now, these would be at the very top of my list. the set is comprised of five different place setting styles, and is perfectly mismatched in that timeless, vintage way so many of us strive for in our homes. what i also love about it is that if you eventually inherit flatware pieces or serving pieces from your parents or grandparents, they can mix right in and they make it all that much more authentic.


well since my registry ship has sailed (several years ago at this point), i'm going for the next best thing by collecting mismatched flatware whenever i can find it super cheap. last time i was up in woodstock, i scored an entire basket of old flatware for $1. can't beat that. i recently started polishing it...not easy. i get the whole elbow grease thing now. so i'll do it over time, and one day maybe i'll have a set as lovely as the maxfield.

chairs, cubed

i've been meaning to share this tag sale find with you...i apologize for my cat's rudeness in this picture, but it was the only one i had to show you the profile of the chair. i think i've determined that they're midcentury cube style chairs, probably from the 60's, though if anyone has a better estimate, i'd love to hear it.

i bought them from a woman who appeared to be moving out of a home she'd lived in forever, and these were her dining room chairs at one point. she had six of them, and wanted $6 for the set. yes - $1 each. obvi, i handed over my $6 immediately, afraid she'd realize she was giving away vintage goodness.

as you can see, the seat part of the chair is worn, so at some point, i want to have just the center columns recovered in a cool faux cowhide or something like that. other than that, the chairs are in great shape and in storage waiting for the right moment to use them.

full disclosure: since after i almost gave up while getting just two of the chairs into the car, i knew mitchell would kill me for taking six. i didn't have the heart to ask for my $4 back, so i actually paid a whooping $3 per chair.

my cup of tea

well, we've finally gotten to friday. i am the happiest ever that this long weekend is here. what are your plans? we don't have too much scheduled, and will definitely be finishing the hanging of our gallery wall, sitting outside and spending time with family.

another thing i am for sure doing is organizing my jewelry - a few years ago, i fell in love with the martha idea of using antique teacups for jewelry organization, and i started a collection of pretty english china from antique stores, tag sales, my grandmother's china cabinet (with her blessing, obvi). in our old house, i had it all organized in my vanity, but since we moved, i haven't gotten it together to do it again. well this weekend is it!

i also plan on taking a nap or two, like this. what's in store for you?

photos from martha stewart and country living

chip(pendale) off the old block

no discussion of cane and rattan style furniture is complete without talking about the chippendale-style chair, which i love with the passion of a thousand suns. (that was a nod to the part-chinese style inspiration behind the chippendale chair.)

though they've been around for many, many years (like hundreds), the their updated grandchildren bring modern, graphic charm to many homes of today.

first to understand the roots, here are some older ones (which i'd love to get my hands on and update).

the green one is trying, but it's a little off, still.

i love the modern reproductions and i love that they're often done in vibrant colors (jonathan adler sells them in black, dove and lime green). this use of them almost always finds them in a glossy finish which just elevates the whole look.

they're also especially lovely in white.

then there are some versions that are more regency style, which is always welcome, to my mind.

so many choices, so much gorgeousness! can't you just see one at a desk or vanity, a few around a table with some other chair styles thrown in, even one in a living room as an occasional chair?
chairs in this style are available through jonathan adler and ballard (armchair version here), even west elm has a supermodern version, but none of these options are cheap and i also sort of feel like i'd rather discover this kind of chair...possibly an older one, updated by me for my home. that seems a respectful nod to a chair with such history, for it to have some provenance.

and look how seamlessly they transition from old to new, as demonstrated on the daily uptown country.

watch out estate sales, here i come...

photos from wikimedia, kohl interiors, decorpad (photos 3 and 11), efi costa rica, number four eleven, more ways to waste time, house beautiful, simplified bee (photos 8 and 10), elle decor (photos 9 and 16), the regency furniture, coco cozy, jonathan adler, the dining room chairs (photos 14 and 17), jayson home and garden, pierce martin, uptown country home

cane buy me love

sorry for that atrocious pun. so sorry.

i've been really loving the look of cane and rattan furniture these days...there are so many differet variations on it, and i'm kind of loving them all - some are more tailored and reserved while others are loose and casual. they all, to me, lend a certain chic, whether regency, plantation or island, that i would love in every single room of my home in one way or another.

what i love is how well they all lend themselves to mixing with other styles, as i think these pictures show. i think the trick would be to not overdo it - maybe one piece, two TOPS, in a room.

here are the more tailored, ladylike version that i totally adore. can't you just imagine them at a really luxe island resort?




and then here is a totally different look, but one i also love. especially the thought of one with a really fun upholstery choice for the cushions. also, love the idea of painting them like some of these photos show.




in another form, i'm reminded of french bistro chairs that share some of the same DNA.

so i'm very pleased that pier 1 has some really reasonably priced options that satisfy the same general purposes. here are my favorites.

the casino armchair:



the nirobi armchair and ottoman:



the roxton wing chair:

the temani collection:

the azteca collection:








and the papasan table base, the brown slice side chair, and the anam armchair.






the possibilities are just endless. ENDLESS i tell you.

photos from http://www.traditionalhome.com/, http://www.decorpad.com/, http://www.houseofturquoise.com/, http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/, http://www.smallburst.files.wordpress.com/, http://www.naturallycane.com/, http://www.josephscottage.com/, http://www.absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/, http://www.mattersofstyleblog.com/, http://www.materialgirlsblog.com/, http://www.doseofdesign.blogspot.com/, http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/, http://www.habituallychic.blogspot.com/, all others from www.pier 1.com