Pretty for a change!

Enough of the demo and ice storm pics, I can't take any more!! Dan found a memory-card with photos from our previous house and I can't tell you how nice it was to see 'pretty' again! You have to understand that 99.897% of everything we own is still (almost one year later) in the original moving boxes. To put it mildly... we sooooo miss our treasures! Imagine all of your favorite antiques and accessories packed away and only a memory... until now! Here are some photos of our old house....

Entry with antique urns filled with giant liriope at front door. Vintage alabaster chandelier we found at the Paris Flea Market.




An antique mirror rests on an 18th c. flame-mahogany chest of drawers with original hardware, marble urn made into lamp with parchment shade; 18th c. Italian gilt candlesticks found at the Paris Flea Market. Dan brought the tulips home from a trip to Seattle- he stopped at Pike Place Market.

Dining room with my first set of American antique herbariums. I have a photograph of the woman who made these which is very special since unless your antiques come from relatives, you don't have any idea who owned them before you. I had these framed with old wavy antique glass. When we found the chandelier it had 197 huge crystals dripping from it, much too much for my tastes- took me two days to take them all off. I now use them to decorate a Christmas tree using only lots of white lights and the crystal prism drops. Centerpiece is a piece of forestwood we found on a back road in Colorado.



Living Room looking through entry into dining room.



Living Room



Living Room. Sofa has cushions made from 18th and 19th c. tapestries. Coffee table, chair (which is one of a pair) and commode we found in France. French door was actually an old window, a curb-side requisition.



My second collection of antique herbariums! They are American and pressed by LuLu M. Cowan in 1889! I actually have 23 more, but this was as many as I could tastefully display!! I love this collection- I can't tell you how happy they make my heart!



Collection of antique tortoiseshell boxes, mercury glass globe vase, antique Santos, and Victorian iron piece turned into lamp.



Antique Italian mirror. Pair of lamps found in Paris. Birds were Christmas gifts one year- one pair from my mother one from my sister, neither knowing they were giving the same gift! I love having four of them. They are standing in real bird seed!



Oil Painting was another curb-side requisition! One man's trash...



Antique Italian case piece filled with found objects.



A close up of the Italian case piece. This pair of herbariums belongs to the grouping in the dining room. Pair of 18th c. vellum books. Antique bronze candelabrum with purple, clear and smoked taupe crystals.



Antique tortoiseshell frames. The top two we found at the Paris Flea Market and the bottom one in Jackson, MS.



Antique gilt Italian pricket, a hotel silver tray and a demijohn bottle turned lamp all on an antique marble top and teak outdoor cafe table from Singapore.

My kitchen! Island was an antique piece found at an estate sale and we topped it with a piece of honed granite. Basket under the island was another curb-side find.

Antique iron French chandelier. Chalkboard 'Menu 'board made from old mirror frame. Case piece was made by Dan as a birthday present. I design, he builds! It is filled with my collections of white ironstone, green yelloware, hotel silver, and my cookbooks. Note Ella in the lower right hand corner of the photo looking up at purple 'Dumbo' sitting on the counter- I think we were getting ready to leave on a road trip!



Close-up of case piece. The hotel champagne bucket on the bottom shelf is my favorite champagne bucket- it is from the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel, 1924.



Kitchen dining table with hotel silver flatware in antique celery glasses, and an antique English ironstone ham stand used as a candle holder. The platter is one of my most prized hotel silver pieces, I actually have a pair of these beauties which I found separately. It is from the Biltmore Hotel, circa 1913 and measures 27 1/2"!






Kitchen at night.



Den







Master bedroom. Antique Italian starburst mirror over bed. It was once gilded, but now only slight remnants of gold remain. Headboard is brown velvet, skirt is natural linen and duvet cover is quilted cotton. Chair is suede with a mink pillow.



Master bedroom- antique French commode found in Atlanta at the Scott show. On top is a collection of French processional crosses, most we brought back from France. Their stands were made out of old glazed terra-cotta pieces and old alabaster pieces.






The cup is a coin silver mint julep cup made by a New Orleans maker. We found this cup in a small antiques shop marked "brass cup" for $5! Before we moved I always had it filled with flowers on my bed side table. I thank Carolyne Roehm for making it okay to use mini carnations! I'm not a big fan of the large ones, but I think the white minis are sweet, smell great and last forever!



Study. French door with frosted glass is one of a pair (other one is just to the left of the chest) and are closet doors.

Guest bedroom



Guest bedroom. Curtain rod is a bamboo piece that I tortoised. Painting from the South of France- it hangs from an antique chain and nail head. Mink pillow made from vintage muff.