Thursday, March 25, 2010

other people's kitchens


With a doily factory full of sewing to do, as-yet-unplanted flower pots outside and an overall lack of interest in the nearly life-size dust bunnies which are now shadowing me around the house, this seems like the ideal time to take a break and explore some more of Karen's home. You know, where things are tidy and neat and vintage.

The Kitchen
This is the photo that started it all. Karen sent it to show me where she was using some pillows I made for her, never suspecting I'd end up driving a virtual tour bus through her home. Everybody wave at Karen as we go by!

I love the vintage details in Karen's kitchen including these cookie jars and canisters and I can only imagine how much fun she had finding all the right pieces -- the hunt is half the fun, isn't it? The cherry canisters are my favorites although the Nestle hot chocolate tin is a close second. Did you notice the chicken wire in place of panels on the cabinet doors?

Here's Karen's vintage tablecloth stash, stored where she can enjoy them even when they're not in use. She uses hers and I use mine too. If you look closely, you can see all of the switchplates have been covered with vintage wallpaper.

The Laundry
Even Karen's laundry room has been thoughtfully filled with vintage finds, from vintage canisters stacked high on the cabinet tops to the tiny vintage porcelain plate hanging over the framed cover of a vintage Good Housekeeping magazine.

More vintage prints and magazine covers and one of Karen's 27(!!) embroidered vintage samplers, all of which are on display throughout her house.


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The Hoosier Nook
And now, please take a deep breath because we are headed to see The-Hoosier-That-Was-That-Color-When-She-Bought-It. I know! Can you believe it? Lucky Karen!

This little nook was originally destined to become a computer work area until that fateful day when Karen came across this Hoosier cabinet which just happened to fit into the space perfectly ... size-wise and style-wise.


Proving inspiration is everywhere, Karen got the idea for this hankie jar from an eBay seller who told the story of her grandmother who kept a jar of hankies by her front door so visitors could choose one as a gift when they left. Karen's hankies are from her Granny too but they're staying put for now.

While waiting to be hung, framed pieces of vintage fabric sit above a vintage coat rack from an old school. They may have to wait a while longer because they look good right where they are.
 
One more sampler
 
Thanks for joining the tour today and please watch your step as you exit the bus.
 
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All photos were taken by our industrious homeowner and vintage collector, Karen. She has been into vintage for about 5 years.

Her ebay seller i.d. is PIESAFE.
 
Kitchen curtains are vintage and were altered to fit.
Found at the International Collectibles and Antiques Show in Charlotte, NC.

Laundry room rug from The Land of Nod.

Laundry room curtain is a shower curtain from Anthropologie.


Karen soaks her vintage samplers in Restoration, available at The Stitchery.

Vintage wallpaper from eBay store Rosies Vintage Stuff.
Wallpaper is decoupaged onto switch plate covers by etsy shop Fondue

Yellow cuckoo clock in Hoosier Nook is from Urban Outfitters.



 


18 comments:

  1. I absolutely gasped when I saw these pictures. Oh my goodness gracious!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm trying not to drool. All that red! All those beautiful tablecloths..That green popping here and there...

    Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Enjoy your sewing and I'm off to visit her now,,lol

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  2. Sweeeeeeeet!! I have a lot of the same things, but the don't look nearly as good....Thanks for the inspiration, girls!

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  3. Sheesh. I don't think I can come up with anything more articulate than that. There are about 150 ideas in this post alone that I'd like to steal, I mean, that are very inspiring.

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  4. Oh my, I thought I was hooked on Teresa's house at Meadowbrook farm. Karen's is a close second. I love her house! So much neat vintage goodies

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  5. Oh my I am drooling, absolutely drooling!! If you saw my kitchen photos a while back I have a red and green theme upstairs and red and aqua downstairs. (Yes I have 2 kitchens - long story) Anyway, every thing you showed from Karen's house I so want. Please pass on to Karen that she did a great job. I also liked how you listed resources at the end. Good job. The tour was a great way to start my day.

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  6. I am in love with this kitchen! I have to go back and enlarge the photos for more detail. She has such a fabulous style. Thanks so much for sharing them with us!

    xo
    Claudia

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  7. lip-smacking eyeball yum-yum.

    And now, I'm off to cover every single switch cover in my house with giddy giddy joy.

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  8. Wow. Truly. So many fun ideas. Love the hanky jar, love the laundry room (mine has nada in the decorating department), love the framed fabric. And, cute pins in your first photo. Do you think that my "pinning is a waste of time" philosophy is in any way contributing to my "seams are never straight" sewing issues? Just wondering.

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  9. What an incredible home! Love, love, love the canisters and the wallpaper switchplates! And of course, your pillows are a beautiful touch. :-)

    I'll be seeing that gorgeous kitchen in my dreams. My ridiculously tiny kitchen is seriously cramping my style. LOL
    Thanks for the tour!

    Kimberly

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  10. Oh! Karen's house is swoon worthy. That hoosier cabinet is a dream come true. I love, love Karen's style. Thank you for sharing!!

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  11. LOVE her place! Every single thing about it. I'm gonna visit her site. I would be in the market for things like that!
    Brenda

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  12. OK...I can breathe now! OMG!!!!!!!! This is so prefect!!!! Thank you Amy for showing us this, and I am on my way over to see her! I am going to do a nook like that, that is where your pillows are going.....:) I will get with you soon on those, but I do really want to get on the list, OK? :) Sandy

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  13. I love love love this house! What an inspiration! I love the tablecloths. I love the artwork. I love the cannisters. I just love it all.

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  14. What everyone said above -- ditto:)

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  15. I absolutely LOVE your blog! I'm going to put it in my favs! Thanks! ♥

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  16. Absolutely Fabulous...I love your pictures of this charming "vintage" kitchen...the hanky jar...brilliant!!Thank you to Lavender Dreamer above ...as I found your beautiful blog through her beautiful blog...isn't it amazing how everything connects...so many lovely "finds".
    I'm adding you to my list.
    Cheers :)
    Debbie @ Sweet Dreams and Memories

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  17. Thanks for the tour! What a deal, when you use a friends house you don't have to kill your own dust bunnies. I have to remember this! Long live the dust bunnies!

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  18. Fabulous!!

    http://ilovecollecting10.blogspot.com/2010/02/tin-kitchen-canisters.html

    http://ilovecollecting10.blogspot.com/

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