It is so much fun getting to change what's on the kitchen shelves that RH and his brother built for me when we moved here to Home Hill, almost my favorite thing to do in the house.
I think a January refresh is my favorite since by then I'm more than ready to take down any Christmas items. But this year when I saw the picture I posted at the top of my blog post of December 30th, I was really ready to make a big change. I liked it the day after Thanksgiving when I put my snowmen mugs and old ornaments and a wire Christmas tree on the shelves but I cringed when I looked at what I published here the end of December.
Why couldn't I see that it was far too cluttered?
Now, I will never be a minimalist but when I went into my kitchen on New Year's Day 2021, even I knew that all that was just too much.
While I could never style the shelves as minimally as on the Pinterest pin I had RH copy my shelves from shown in the printed out picture below, maybe I could shop my cabinets for something I'd like better. So I took everything off the bottom shelf and washed it and RH did the same with the top shelf and I began all over.
I found lots of white and cream colored dishes in my cupboards and tried out different arrangements for several days. I even eliminated some things from the pot rack.
I had some old U.S.A. cereal bowls and copied another favorite Pinterest pin, putting three on the top shelf that were too crazed for food use.
The only thing I bought to change the shelves was this doily from eBay for under $10 and I think it looks pretty under the bowls, with an old platter from RH's mother behind them.
The other cereal bowls that we use all the time went on the lower shelf along with two old chop plates that we use all the time and a stack of gorgeous Italian plates shaped like some sort of spiny sea creature that I rarely use. Someday they will be passed on to family, but only to someone who has the patience to hand wash them.
I put my truffle pig on the shelf too because he's so cute that I never could stand to use him as a cutting board.
An old blue bowl went on the top shelf in front of a special platter that I bought for my mother one day in Blowing Rock, North Carolina when she picked it up and said she needed a pretty platter.
It's Royal Doulton's Countess pattern and later on in life my mother returned it to me when her hostessing large family parties had ended. I know there will come a day when I'll be doing the same thing with this platter and so many other pieces of favorite china.
I'm enjoying this new lighter look in my kitchen and it led to me going through my cupboards and deciding there were lots of things I no longer needed. It was fun to have a grandson say that he wanted all my drip-edge brownware McCoy and come by for them and I can see that there will be more favorite things to pass on in the future.
I'm in a rare decluttering mood this winter.
Are you?
NEVER seen that James Beard book !!! Yay, a joy ahead.
ReplyDeleteMade his Cassoulette, The New James Beard, before Christmas for lunch with friends. Discovered late January, leftovers from the freezer were the true MAGIC.
Who knew the freezer could be the best cook in the house.
Yep, like all your changes. All.
Oh the cow. A dear friend, gone too long, raised cattle. Always love seeing a hint of COW.
Am behind with you. Your OUTBUILDING. Amazing. Wish there was a better word. And, you're not done making the interior even more useful.
Love you Dewena. Happy 2020.
Garden & Be Well, XOT
Tara, James Beard Delights and Prejudices is a favorite of mine, the autobiography of his early life learning to cook from the Chinese cook in the hotel his mother ran. I think Abebooks has the original 1964 edition that I have. You might also enjoy his Love and Kisses and a Halo of Truffles that is his letters of 12 years to Helen Evans Brown, a West Coast cook and cookbook author. I've been frantically searching for that book this morning since reading your comment. How could I have misplaced that wonderful book? It will drive me crazy until I find it! I think that James Beard had such a teacher's heart and it comes across in his cookbooks. And you are so right about the freezer during this time of food shortages in the grocery stores and our limited time shopping. A main reason we were so happy to put a second one in RH's new workshop. And he thanks you for your nice comment about his outbuilding! Love you, too, Tara!
DeleteLovely! And always so fun to reimagine and redecorate with items we already own and love.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maudie, and so nice to see you here! I love your name!
DeleteLooking good! I find that I can't really see my decor until I photograph it and study the photo. Photos are also my main source of inspiration; I look at old photos on my blog to remind me what is stored in the basement that needs to come up to freshen the decor. And, just as you have done, I study Pinterest photos for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI spent time in our basement yesterday culling items to be tossed or donated. I lost sleep last night second guessing myself on a few items that had been put in the garbage or taken to the local thrift shop. Sigh.
Thanks for sharing your refreshed look. I'm heading to the basement again today. Wish me luck!
Brenda, that probably is good advice, to photograph a problem area. And I've second guessed myself many times after donating. I even regret some things I sold in yard sales many decades ago! Isn't that silly? Good luck in the basement today!
DeleteYou have styled these shelves beautifully! Definitely Pinterest worthy. :-) And how lucky you are to have such a handy husband that he can build you such nice shelves (and a lot more). Those spiny plates add just the right texture and dimension to your shelves. I have never seen plates like those. The beautiful doily adds a touch of softness to the entire vignette. Nicely done! The James Beard cookbook looks interesting, too...what a beautiful cover.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I have purged so far this year is books. I just sold 150 of them on FB Marketplace. It felt good. And they went to a good home...I had a nice conversation with the woman I sold them to. She was buying the books for her teenage daughter who was an avid reader.
xoxo
Thank you so much, Melanie! And I know I'm lucky to have this project-loving husband of mine! I should show a picture of the top of those plates sometime, probably haven't in a long time. They are perfect for a salad, especially for a seafood salad. Yay, I'm so glad you found a lovely buyer for that huge stack of books! Her daughter has such a treat ahead, reading them. You did a really good thing!
DeleteDear, dear Dewena, your shelves, your home...beautifully curated from a lifetime of joy and family. I am constantly changing my décor according to the seasons and it's fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for visiting my blog. That song hits us where we are at and just know, you are not alone in those moments of sadness. Each of us has a story about how this entire year has changed us. Be well, sing and sing and keep going...
I hope anyone who sees this will visit your post and listen to that song. It was so uplifting for such a time as this!
DeleteIt's so much fun to restyle the shelves! I've got glass-fronted cupboards so I like to choose terra-cotta and blue dishes to feature. I really like your salt and peppers shakers. We've been given quite a few dachshund gifts. The latest a raincoat for my birthday It is covered with happy dachshunds. Perfect for dog-walking!
ReplyDeleteOh I'd love to see your raincoat with happy dachshunds! I bet you get some smiles when out with her!
DeleteTell me more about the little cow I see. It is so cute.
ReplyDeleteI love the dachshund hound salt and pepper shakers too.
I really like how your shelving turned out, well done.
We just completed painting our boys room and making it into a guest room. I still have some decorating to do in the guest room.
This last week we started a new project, our boys playroom/ school room. I did purge some of the old projects, that was hard to do, I did get very sad. We are going to try and sell some books. The painting started this week, my husband is painting while I get to read blogs. ;-) He enjoys painting and has a certain way he likes to do it, so I am happy to get him things he needs, while he paints.
Carla, I've had that little cow for so many decades. She always went with the Gingerbread Village I put out at Christmas but now she stands year round in my kitchen. I do love her.
DeleteAnd I love what you've done in your new guest room! I can imagine how hard it must be clearing out their school room. I hope you kept some things for future grandchildren to see someday. I bet you did!
Dewena, your 'Winter 2021' arrangement could easily grace the cover of any best selling decorating magazine, it is SO charming and pretty!!
ReplyDeleteMy eye was immediately drawn to the mix of smoky blues and fresh creams, and the touches of tree bark brown in both the adorable truffle pig cutting board and your treasured James Beard autobiography.
The variety of shapes and sizes, materials and textures in your crockery keeps the eye moving and searching for more. The delicate, crocheted doily provides cozy softness, while the chandelier - the one permanent fixture, and a favourite item of mine in your kitchen - adds a whimsical air to the rows of functional wares!
Like you, I am in a decluttering mood, too and my own kitchen shelving is calling for a redo that is long overdue! In the meantime, I will study and keep coming back to your delightful display of bric-à-brac, for beautiful inspiration!
Thank you for sharing!!
Poppy xx
P.S. Your Christmas 2020 was NOT cringe worthy! It was pretty and festive and cozy!
Thank you so much, Poppy! You know that I was ready to call in your help on it. But taking everything off and having a blank slate did help. I don't see how your shelves could be improved--they are iconic in blogland--but I know you'll have fun playing around with them, and that's what it's all about!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteyes! RH is a keeper for sure.
ReplyDeleteand your open shelves are just beautiful. and I would never use the pig board either. he likes it there. I remember my mother crocheting the pineapple pattern like the one in the picture! it brought back good memories.
I love the freshness of it all. and it's Still You!
and the Christmas photo was also lovely with my Favorite color of aqua. unusual and beautiful! xoxo
I feel a little foolish for not using him as a cutting board, Tam, because I've wanted a wooden one for a long time. I need to search for a plain one I won't mind using. I didn't know that was a pineapple pattern! I remember aunts who had doilies but I never paid attention to them back then. Thank you, Tam!
DeleteYour shelves look very nice, Dewena. It's a good feeling to go through cupboards and closets every now and then and give away things we no longer need or want. So glad your grandson appreciated your brown dishes. When I recently moved, I also went through things and gave stuff away, but kept things that were close to my heart. Your pig cutting board is so cute. And I really like RH's mother's old platter. The doily you found on eBay is really pretty. It was fun to see all your treasures on your shelves and the things that mean a lot to you. : )
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Sheri, I just found your comment, I'm so sorry! But thank you so much for your sweet comment. I'm glad that you are so happily settled in your new home and have unpacked your treasures!
DeleteDon't you love when you get things 'where' and 'how' you always wanted them to be. I'm guilty of leaving things the same. My mom's home was the same as the day I got married (1968) and the day she died in 1984. YIKES. Lovely things with a history always a favorite of mine, too.! Hugs, Sandi
ReplyDeleteAnd that is such a danger the older I get! Although I admit that what I generally want now is less around me, not so much different things. Our favorites tend to stay our favorites, right?
DeleteLove how you restyled your shelves. Sometimes taking things out and putting up some new will make a big difference. Looks great. Happy Weekend. xoxo
ReplyDeleteThat is so true! It's only when I take everything off a table that it suddenly becomes clearer what should go back on it. Happy Sunday to you, Kris!
DeleteRestyling shelves can be a very pleasant way to spend some time. Your new look is very pretty. Those spiny plates are striking and unique. Now that I'm home most of the time, I intend to go through my cupboards and sort things out.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lorrie, and again, congratulations on your retirement! It is such an exciting thing!
DeleteIt is always a treat to visit you and I love what you've done, the look is very pretty. You inspire me to keep on whittling down 'stuff'. Have a great upcoming week ~ FlowerLady
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Lorraine! I constantly need inspiration for that.
DeleteHello and Happy New Year!! Your shelves are beautiful, before and after. I adore that little pig, but that doily makes my heart sing. My mom had so many around the house from my grandmother. I need to go find some.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kim! It's good to know that women today are rescuing the doilies made by grandmothers from the past.
DeleteShelves are so challenging for me. I have so many treasures and I know a large percentage of pieces on my shelves simply can't be put to use. Lately I'm walking that thin line of keep and toss.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the pretty platter on your top shelf right away. It's beautiful. I feel like I've seen it before.
Everything looks lovely. Stylish, cozy, and filled with treasures!
Jane😘
They are for me, too, Jane! And that platter may be familiar to you because I believe they were featured on the cover of Martha Stewart's gorgeous big book, Entertaining. I gave my copy away to my daughter a decade or so ago but if I remember correctly, Martha was setting the table with them on the cover. I have three plates of Countess too and they're so pretty at Christmas.
DeleteGood morning, Dewena. I so wish I could get in a "decluttering mood." Perhaps, you could wish it my way. We have an old corner cupboard in the dining room and it is full. I just shut the doors. Your kitchen shelves are lovely and I am sure you are enjoying having things at reach and where you can enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteYour little Dachshund salt and pepper shakers are so sweet. At, least I think they are salt and peppers. And I am most interested in the James Beard book, I would imagine it is a good cook book. I always enjoy reading about him, I think he was a character.
Wishing you a great week - stay well!
Thank you, Sandra! They are elegant little salt and peppers, given to me by a sweet daughter-in-law. The James Beard book does have recipes and cooking tips in it but it is more of an autobiography of his early life. I do admire him ever since watching him on tv back in my early married days of learning to cook.
DeleteSandra, it is much easier for me to declutter in the kitchen but when I look at my china cabinet I can't imagine getting rid of a single piece in it, even though it would look so much more "styled" if I did. Maybe next month?
Oh, I wrote a comment here, but I guess it was eaten up. Your shelves look very nice, Dewena. It's always a good feeling to clean and give away things that we don't need or use any more. It's nice that your grandson wanted your brown dishes. The old platter is so pretty, I really like that. Your truffle pig is cute, and it reminds me of a cutting board that my son made in school that I still have. The vintage doily is a nice touch. It's so nice to have your shelves arranged just the way you like them displaying your treasured items, Dewena.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Quite, quite beautiful and appealing. I'm glad I can enjoy them in your delicious pictures and not have to clean and arrange them in my house!
ReplyDeleteI have a few things other than books on open shelves and I just don't take the time to clean them often enough. Thank you for displaying and curating the kitchen beauty, Dewena!
Your shelves look so neat and comfortable and accessible, dear Dewena. Must make cooking all the more appealing.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo