#300!

I can't believe this is post number 300. I didn't know I had that much to say, and I never dreamed anyone other than my friend Paula would read it. So, to thank you all for reading, I thought I'd show you 5 of my favorite things in my house (besides, of course, my kitchen). The hard part was deciding whether to show interesting architectural details from my 80 year old house, or things I've put in to accent those wonderful architectural features. So, you're getting some of both. I hope you enjoy this little visit to my world.

First: the front door. They actually made the woodwork for this house on site! Geez-o-man, I can't imagine carpenters so talented that they made this stuff!

Next: the front room. I met the daughter of the couple who built this house, and she said her mother just loved windows. It's evident here. I redid this room about 5 years ago, because it was boring. These two chairs are tiny; my husband got them when his grandmother was moved to the rest home. I would guess they date from when she was a bride in 1905 or so. I found the little table somewhere, and the lamp came from Hancock Fabric. The drapes came from Penney's, and I used an extra pair to make the swags and jabots which top them. When I was done, my dearly beloved wanted to know why I had stolen Grammy's living room decor.

This is the only thing I have from any of my family. This was my grandfather's desk. It was a wreck when my grandmother gave it to me for my 15th birthday. I had it stripped and refinished. It has a herd of adorable pigeonholes inside the drop front. I love this desk.

These were bookcases in the living room. About 10 years ago, I decided that they would look better as something else, had the shelves removed, and wallpapered the back to match the lower half of the room, which I was also rewallpapering. I had the pretty antique prints in the left case, and the reproduction in the right section looking for homes, and here they were. Isn't this lamp wonderful? I found it last spring, and thought it made the whole setup.
Last, my grand piano. No, I don't play. Neither does anyone else. But I love having a piano, and some day I may learn. So my dearly beloved found this very inexpensively at an estate sale, and bought it for me. Behind the piano is a tiny staircase going upstairs. Under the stairs is a short closet, in which reside a vacuum cleaner and carpet shampooer. There's a light in the closet! I couldn't believe it when I discovered that - they installed a light in a tiny, short closed when they built this place! Notice the handrail and balusters - made here, too! These are across the living room from the bookcases above. In both cases, the interesting architecture dictated how I furnished these areas.
I hope you've enjoyed your visit to my little world. Thank you for reading!