Well, I have gotten in a ton of trouble for not participating the past few weeks in Kelly's "Show us where you live" home tour. If I had a dollar for every email or blog post I've gotten asking me when I will be participating again or why I'm not participating now, I'd be rich. We've been so incredibly busy, were out of town over Mother's Day weekend, and have just had the hectic chaos and craziness of trying to pack and head South for the summer. Therefore, I really have had zero time to participate. However, better late than never, eh? Kelly did dining rooms this past Friday so because I already had some photos of our dining room taken earlier, I thought I'd throw a few of them together today - on this rainy day in Indiana - with a couple of new ones. So welcome...the first three shots are of our entry way/foyer...
Immediately to the right after entering our front door and then thru these glass pocket doors (shown above) is our formal not so formal dining room. Oh and as a side note (because I always get asked this...) the carpet on the floor is not a rug. It's actually carpet built into the hardwood floor. It is not movable.
First, I don't consider this dining room a "formal" dining room. I'm not real big into showey formal dining rooms. Meaning, I don't like buying expensive formal dishes that sit - unused - on a formal dining table - just for looks. I'm not big into spending a ton of money of dishes or good china. Quite frankly, I don't understand it but that is just my personal opinion. If people have good china, they rarely use it. It's typically stored away somewhere or in a buffet cabinet left untouched. I'm all about cheap, bargains, and functionable. My Dad and Cathy gave me some family china that was handed down from Cathy's grandmother. I absolutely treasure and adore it. Guess where it is, in our butlers galley behind glass cabinets. I'd never use it because I'd be scared to. Therefore, as far as our personal things, we purchased everything you see in this room either from Ballard Designs (dishes), Crate and Barrel (napkin rings), Home goods (place mats, napkins, and table runner), and Target (floral arrangements). I have yet to find the right side board table or hutch for under my mirror in here as of yet but I'm hopeful that I will. I'm looking for just the right antique, beat up, old, and green piece. We are still on the hunt but I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is out there. Next...if you remember from our kitchen tour, the shot below is the butler's galley that leads into either the kitchen (left) or the formal dining room (right).
I was going for a simple, non-formal, Bombay-esque, style in this room. The window treatments had a tinge of browns and greens in them so I just decided to run with that idea.
All of you know my obsession with animal prints - mainly zebra. When I saw these dishes, I knew I had to have them. I also bought two separate sets so that I could mix and match the colors rather than go with just the carmel brown or just the apple green. I thought it would be more exciting if I spiced it up a bit with two different color combo's. I used a chrome colored plate charger under each setting with chrome napkin rings because the lighting fixtures are all done in a shiny chrome design. I was trying to tie that in somehow with the Bombay-esque feel.
Don't ask me how apples (shown below) came to be in the Bombay-esque theme. I'm guessing it was just the green that jumped out at me. I knew it would match the dinnerware. Notice how I don't call it "china" because it isn't china? They are just insignificant but oh so ROCKIN' zebra plates.
The floral arrangements from Tar-jay (below) are just there to lighten up all the green a bit as well as the dark decor from the bamboo runner and table itself.
I will have to say that the bamboo table runner is probably my favorite accent piece to the whole table. Definitely bombay-esque. :) Somehow it all ties back to my love for the beach. I'm sure you figured all that out by now though. Hee hee!
Below you will see the mirror. It sits in between to lights - one set on the right and one set on the left. The sideboard or buffet table will eventually go right underneath this mirror. I just haven't found the perfect piece yet though. Stay tuned...it's out there. I'm going for an old vs. new look and definitely want an antique style buffet table underneath that mirror. I want it ugly and beat up. Totally distressed!
Below is just one of our extra chairs for the table. We keep them in the corner near the window treatments should we need seating for 6 instead of four. There is a leaf that goes in the table should we need it. Again, notice the brown, cream, and green in the window treatments?
We've only sat at this table and eaten in this room a handful of times. We normally eat at the vanilla white table in the hearth/kitchen area or at the island in the kitchen itself. So, this room is generally for when guests are here. It's been fun sharing again like usual. All of the dining rooms on Kelly's home tour are sure to be a beautiful sight. I unfortunately, have not had the time to get on there and peruse the tour yet but I plan to soon. You should go have a looksie for yourselves and take part in the fun as well. Click HERE for Kelly's tour. Thanks again for always hosting this Kelly. It's great fun!
xoxoxo, Angie
PS...Check back here on the blog tomorrow for a guest blogger surprise. YAY! :)
Kelly, over at Kelly's Korner Blog, started a "show us where you live" blog party. This week, we are to post images of our kitchen area. If you are like me and love to drive around and look at homes - especially when they open up the interiors of them - then you will love this blog tour. It gives you the ability to get ideas and see inside the homes of hundreds of homes. Should you have a blog and want to participate, feel free. Post photos of your kitchen and then link your blog from Kelly's. I took these shots really early this morning (well most of them anyhow - some were take on a different day - months earlier) and therefore the quality of the images is poor due to the lack early morning lighting. I hope you can still make out the jist of it all though.
I'm bringing you into our kitchen from the outer hallway. It leads from the garage, into our mudroom, and then into this hall.
This is a pass thru hall that leads directly either into our kitchen, off to our laundry room, or upstairs. Since we are showing images of kitchens, we will be heading straight into the kitchen itself.
Our "This house believes" sign - shown below - is one of my most favorite things we own. It's actually a cabinet door that has been painted and an old cross applied to it. The open door there on the left leads into the butlers pantry. More on that in a sec...
And into the kitchen we go...bad lighting and all...
For some reason, the lights look gold and yellow in here with the time of day it was. All of our lighting fixtures are actually silver.
In the glass cabinets, I keep a lot of beach style dishes. Dishes to do with the sea, starfish, etc. Some are white, some are blue. The closed off glass pocket door you see in the picture below is actually where I like to hide from the kids when on the phone. I can shut the door and make calls when I need quiet. There is a desk and more cabinets/draws in there.
This is a view (below) from the kitchen looking back into the hallway where we started. It leads to the mudroom, or upstairs, to the garage, to the laundry room, and also to the butlers pantry.
This is a breeze way area that leads from our kitchen into our formal dining room - below.
And below we have the formal dining room. We still need a buffet table for the far left wall in here. Unfortunately, I have yet to find the exact piece I'm looking for.
Below...looking at the breeze way hutch from our main foyer hallway/Part of the entry way. The dishes I have in these glass cabinets are my Step-Moms grandmothers dishes. They go beautifully in here. My Dad and Cathy gave them to us when we first moved into this house. They knew that they'd look perfect in that spot and they do! Very sentimental dishes to me. I treasure them each time I walk by them.
And back to the kitchen...
Next up -back to the butlers pantry (below). Normally this door stays open unless we are having company over. If people are here, I close it.
All of our pantry food items go in here on these shelves. I also keep lunch boxes, baking supplies, (not that I use them), etc. in here.
Again, below...we are back to the kitchen over looking the hearth room and the great room. I am one that doesn't care for things sitting around on my counter tops. I like to have open and clean space. Wide open areas. No clutter aloud.
Below, this is the hearth room. It's where the kids spend most of their time when I'm in the kitchen.
Looking back into the kitchen from the eat in dining area off the kitchen. Truthfully, we rarely use this vanilla table. Because we are a family of four, we fit perfectly at the counter stools in front of the sink when eating.
I love the striped rug under the vanilla table. Definitely gives off that beachy vibe that I soooooo love!
Below we have a view from our guest bath hallway looking around the corner of the kitchen into the heart and formal great room.
Below, I'm standing on the left side of the great room looking into the kitchen. Our great room is another favorite area of my house. I've tried to give it a very seaside vibe. It's a work in progress.
Remember that coffee table book I told you I got a couple of weeks ago? Well, it goes in here...
And there you have it...the kitchen and surrounding areas. I think many of you have seen our kitchen before but I don't think I've ever shown the view from our great room and such. I can't remember for sure. Either way, thanks to Kelly for a fun set of home tours. I've had a blast looking at everyone's kitchen pictures. You should check them out too. Click HERE to see all who are participating. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday. Brent just picked up lunch at 'Noodles' restaurant for us so we are off to chow down.
