What I'm Loving Now

I have a folder on my desktop labeled "interiors". Every time I come across a picture of a beautiful room, antique, or piece of furniture, I tuck it away in that folder. Sometimes if I'm low on inspiration, or just feeling down in the dumps, I'll flip through it, and will inevitably feel better as a result. Today I thought I'd share with you some of the things I've added recently. There's no unifying theme other than that each of these pictures made me pause and say "wow".

In other news I sanded the most MOST fantastic solid cherry Queen Anne style Harden dining table yesterday. I was a trooper as it was nasty cold out and it took 2hours to do the table and two leaves. Worth it though. Wait till you see the finished result. :-)

This couch is up on craigslist right now. I love the sunny yellow vintage upholstery. Would be gorgeous in a neutral living room.

Another craigslist piece, this antique desk. Just the kind of thing I want in my workshop. All the drawers and counter space would make it ever so useful. 

Everything about this room is really lovely, but the best part is the painted floors. In the early 19th century there was much more decorative floor painting like this. I think it's a trend that should come back. 

The most beautiful living room with pops of orange to unify the space.

This glass door cupboard is gorgeous. I definitely want to try this paint combination
next time I have a hutch in my clutches

Cheeky antique theater sign. Stunning.

And here's a wonderful secretary with a delicious paint surface.
The muted robin's egg blue with the dove gray is just outstanding/ 

This giant vintage circus poster is irresistible. Such a bold way to add color to a room.

When I saw this pair of antique tufted chairs I gasped. They sold at auction recently. 

A spectacular collection of antique ironstone is perfection on a little green shelf. 

sooooooo many delicious shades of green here. 

I think we can all agree this is the most incredible shower ever. 

And finally a beautiful living room space. Such a lovely fireplace.
This looks like such a blissful place to sit and sip a cup of tea. 

Tour the Kitchen

I gave our kitchen a good cleaning on Sunday before we hosted Easter. It was looking quite lovely on Monday morning with the sun streaming in, so I thought I'd take some photos to show you. The space was once two rooms, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny bedroom. I knocked down the wall that divided the two rooms, we put in new floors, painted the walls, and added an island. The cabinets are all antiques, probably installed in the 1930s or 40s. We love them. They add so much character and charm to the space. When we bought the house they had linoleum glued down as counter tops. Obviously we had to re-do that. Every now and then we'll give the boxes themselves a fresh coat of paint, too.

It's rainy and cold out now but this morning the sun was out and I saw a rainbow on my way in. Spring is a funny season.

New Acquisitions and Flea Market Finds

Of course there was a flea market on Easter Sunday! And of course, I didn't miss it! I did have to go a little later than my usual 8am arrival though, as the husband couldn't be roused from bed before 9am. He usually works about 12hours on Sundays, and since this was a rare Sunday off for him, I quelled my flea market excitement to allow him a little extra shut eye. Even with getting there late, there was still plenty of goodies to be had! Here's what I got, along with other things I picked up over the week.
It's absolutely spectacular weather here. Our forsythia, daffodils, and magnolia are all blooming. This is my favorite time of year and I'm just giddy with it all!

First, the husband picked up a cat jacket for Oliver. Oliver was luke warm on the idea. 

This gorgeous vintage purse that I'm just obsessed with. $5. Shut up. 

I got a wonderful vintage Harden cherry dining set on Saturday. I think I'll keep the chairs for myself, and pair the table with another set of six Queen Anne chairs I've been using. 

Love the lines of the table. I plan to start this project tonight.

I was over the moon for this antique landscape painting. It so nicely matches the one I got last weekend- and it was only $8. Insane. 

$10 for the pair of these vintage mersman side tables. I've going to refinish them and put them on either side of our leather sofa in the guest house. 

This stunning antique bowl was $8. It compliments the one I got last weekend perfectly.

and I used them both for the Easter luncheon spread I did on Sunday afternoon. 

And here are my two antique paintings together. I'd swear they're by the same artist. I bought them from different vendors but judging by the age to the stretchers on the reverse, they were done about 1900. One has the word "Fagan" written on the back stretcher. Don't they look smashing together!!

An Oak Farmhouse Dining Set

This was such a fun set to work on. Oak is a lovely material, and this set was one of those diamond in the rough situations, just begging for a new look. Before and afters below. Happy Friday!

*Before*

And After!

And with the leaf in