Dining Room Improvements
Lately I’ve been making a big effort to improve the decor in the dining room. For months I was focused on a particularly perplexing puzzle—how to fill the eight-inch-high space between the mantelpiece and the large painting (of cows!) hanging above it. I spent many Sunday afternoons scouring dusty, shadowy secondhand stores, measuring various odds and ends and curiosities, but nothing I found was low enough or long enough or narrow enough to fit the spot. Then, when I was wondering if my quest would ever end, I came upon a vintage carved wood platter with a pig’s head, a pig’s tail, and four little pig hoofs. It was just the right size!
But the pig platter wasn’t enough on its own. The scene on the mantelpiece was still way too sparse. Then I found an old Royal Bayreuth figural creamer shaped like a pelican. After days of combing eBay, I found two more. I arranged the three pelican creamers in a row on the pig platter, and they filled the empty space under the cow painting quite nicely. They also echoed the bird motif of three nearby vases, so I gave myself bonus points.
I’ve owned my vintage bar cart for maybe five years, but I’d never styled it because I was worried my cats might jump on it and damage the glassware. Well, about a month ago, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and I loaded up the bar cart with my beloved antique punch bowl and cups, along with a Depression glass pitcher and tumblers that Mom gave me for my birthday decades ago. I’m pleased to report that the cats have been on their best behavior and nothing has been broken . . . yet.
About two years ago, Rob and I bought a narrow antique curio cabinet at Memory Lane Antiques in Tallahassee to fit in the small space between the dining room closet and the door to the hall. The cabinet sat empty for a long time, but now I’ve got it filled with part of my collection of Wedgwood Wild Strawberry. I think this china pattern is so pretty. My Great-Aunt Nancy collected Wild Strawberry, and I can remember seeing it arranged on her dining room table in Winston-Salem when I was a little girl, each piece sprinkled with delicate strawberries, leaves, and flowers and trimmed with a dainty gold stripe.
I’m not quite done with my dining room decorating. Next, I’d like to style the table, which is currently completely bare. I’m dreaming of Toulouse Blue dinnerware and an elaborate centerpiece complete with vintage toleware candelabras.
