Virginia Woolf argued for the necessity of a room of one’s own in which to work creatively. That prospect sounds deliciously civilized to us! Here, we’re simply trying to carve out a little space to dedicate ourselves to the act of handwritten correspondence. Setting up a writing area in my dining room (yes, I need to double up on how we use space in our house!) has been a thoroughly delightful experience.
I’ve always used this desk as a catch-all place for mail, kids’ schoolwork, magazines and the like. And it was pretty messy. But now, I’m committing myself to using this desk specifically for writing. As Karen said in an earlier post, sometimes you need to physically mark off territory to make a habit out of something. (I’ll just move the messy piles somewhere else).
I’ve found a few things to elevate the job of paying bills and increase the pleasure of sending a quick note to a friend. Here are some vintage stamps from Verde Studio that are unused. You can combine them so that they add up to the current postage rate and send them through the mail. I put them loosely in this adorable double handled cup I found at an antiques store.
This vintage postage scale still works (although the prices are no longer relevant!). I found this on our last trek to the Brimfield Antique Show. My youngest son surprised me this morning by leaving one of his animals on top. I think the rhino definitely belongs here.
There is no longer any ink filling up this inkwell, which I found scavenging around at a flea market. But the feather is an actual pen! In this photo, you can see the back of a postcard by Missive Maven. The front is standing up in the background, a collage she’s done of a swallow carrying an “air mail” ribbon. The Missive Maven is devoted to the art of the handwritten letter and she has a lot of resources to share on the subject!
Here you can see the vintage toast rack I’m using to hold postcards, stationery and envelopes. Behind the post card is a set of personalized stationery made for me by Heidi of Row House 14 . She has some beautiful options for customization and, in keeping with our theme, we think that every desk should house personal letterhead. It’s very civilized, don’t you think?
The final purchase for my re-established writing space was a small collection of vintage airmail envelopes from Red Star Post. I'm saving these for some very special letters. Perhaps ones I’ll write to my sons now, talking about what our lives are like, and then mailing them to them when they are older.
So, a final look at my desk. Front and center is a letterpress thank-you card by Wiley Valentine. We’ve partnered with them on our “Open Letter” project, which you can read about here. We love how they incorporate their intricate designs on the envelopes, letting you know that something very thoughtful is waiting for you on the inside! I hope you are inspired to carve out a writing niche for yourself. Send us a picture if you do!
xoxo Zandra
…at least that’s my new motto. I’ve never had one before but since working on the “Let’s Be Civilized” theme, I’ve come to appreciate the usefulness and purpose of a vanity. I found this one on Craigslist for 40 bucks.
In the past, I’ve always just put my make-up on in the bathroom trying to see through the steamed up mirror, or on my bed while trying not to sit on my eyeliner, or, like I’m currently doing, using a mirror so small I can’t see my whole face at once, on top of my dresser, with horrible lighting. But now:
To transform the Craigslist bargain into something I’d want to actually use, I started with the seat. First I found a sophisticated, feminine, mod-sort-of fabric at The Fabric Place Basement and then chose a lovely jewel-toned green shade to make it pop.
And, after setting up all of my personal affects, I get why women (the ones who could afford it…before there was Craigslist) always had a vanity as part of their dressing spaces. For one thing, having a decently lit, large enough mirror with which to actually see your face is a step toward leaving the house with your lipstick on within the lines of your actual lips.
Secondly, and more importantly, it creates a space for you to center yourself for the day. Now, some might argue that their morning 5k or an hour of power yoga does the trick. But since I’m averse to such activities, I’m going to try the vanity route.
By giving myself a place that’s set aside only for me each morning, I’m making sure I look in the mirror, take stock of how I’m feeling, and mentally go through my list of goals and reasons why I know I can accomplish them. I then put on my make-up, adorn myself with my jewelry, and finish with a spritz of perfume. Now I feel ready to take on the world. Or at least, today’s challenges.
When we say “Let’s Be Civilized,” we’re talking about honoring one’s inner grace and outer beauty, in all it’s forms. Setting up a vanity is quite a civilized way to acknowledge your own presence and potential in the world, don’t you think? We’d love to see photos of YOUR vanities! Please send us an email!
xoxo, Zandra
I love taking a peek into other people's homes. Invited of course! I believe that someone's decor can tell you so much about them, their style of living and what is important to them. I also believe that each piece in your home should tell a story and have a sense of connection to you. I live in New England in a 100+ year old home with loads of character - that's what we choose to call cracked plaster ceilings and sloped floor boards! One of my favorite rooms in our house is our Dining Room...
Our modest floor plan allows for one eating area so this space needs to be as functional as it is charming. However, at the same time we don't like to take ourselves too seriously. So, this dress form collected at the estate sale of a local artist somehow found her home in this space. She always dons a black faux fur capelet and a variety of vintage hats, so she is clearly ready for any dining occasion.
This little corner of the room has very little wall space to spare, but sometimes nooks and crannies can be filled with a collection of small treasures and still make a statement. This collection of Greek Orthodox icons and crosses are a nod to my Greek heritage and each one came into my collection with its own story.
Afternoon sunlight regularly pours into this room and allows for dark solid furniture to stand in contrast. The hutch allows for hidden storage of table linens and tableware underneath while a curated collection of items can cycle through the open shelving.
A closer look at the hutch reveals a few select white ceramic pieces whose shapes I love and get regular use. Above is a collection of inexpensive glassware collected piece by piece at local thrift shops. Each piece on its own is of little value and is rather unimpressive. However, suddenly in a group they become a thoughtful and interesting collection. Currently, they are filled with a variety of found birds nests and handmade book page roses. Their contents can be easily changed for a new look entirely.
Much to my husbands dismay, I have quite the collection of table settings. My favorite however, is this simple Italian made set in creme. A quick change in table runner and cloth napkins is all that is needed for a new effect. These simple brass candlesticks, picked up at the thrift store, received a quick coat of black spray paint, but a pop of color might be more your style.
In a small living space, each corner needs to be thoughtfully utilized. This large oak desk, passed down on my husband's side, is currently Little Yellow Couch central. However, it can easily be cleared off and used as a sideboard when dinner companions arrive.
This last small corner houses another large cabinet containing more table and glassware for just about any occasion. A long repurposed transom window showcases photographs telling our family's story of adoption. Even in a small space, you can display and use the items you love and have meaning to you and at the same time make your guests feel at home.
For our first month of introductions, Karen and I decided to invite you into our homes. You can probably see that my living room is a rather modest space and we often wish it were bigger to accommodate more friends. But, we also happen to love old homes so it’s a trade-off that we’ve decided to live with. My husband and I sort of accidentally began collecting art on our honeymoon when we bought a big wooden fish. We’ve tried to buy a new piece on our anniversaries…although repairing leaky roofs and springing for new plumbing has stood in our way on several occasions. We certainly aren’t hoity-toity collectors or anything. We just buy what we love (and can afford).
This is where you enter the room from the front door. The large painting of our two boys in the room beyond is by a very talented painter, Ruth Scotch, who is also a close friend. She works primarily with a palette knife in oils and her subjects are often candid portraitures. She does commissions like these but her paintings really stand on their own and are bought for their own sake, regardless of who the subject is.
The piece hanging over the red couch is a photograph printed on watercolor paper by Barbara Bowles. It’s a close-up of an old Chevy pick-up truck and we love the abstraction she’s created using the lines and chipped paint as a focal point.
Here you can see the two archways that lead into my dining room. Over 10 years ago I had been looking at antique shops for a barrister’s bookcase because I have this (some would say ridiculous) aversion to dust. I thought that people who first made these were brilliant dust avoiders and kindred spirits. (Since having kids, a lot of things have lost their ick-factor for me, including dust. I still hate cleaning but at least I don’t gag while I do it anymore).
The painting hanging above the bookcase is one of three pieces we own by Alvaro Cardona-Hine. He lives and works in Truchas, NM and we met him at his studio through our dear friends, Catherine Morrison and Charles Tandy. The Tandy-Morrisons are far more advanced in their art collecting and have graciously encouraged us along the way. This painting is of the sun rising over a minaret in Morocco, one of the places on our wanderlust wish list to visit someday.
The collage sitting on the bookcase was the first piece we ever bought on our travels to Santa Fe. It’s by Darlene Olivia McElroy. We chose this one, in part, because of the boy depicted in the center. We had taken our three-month old son with us on this trip and being with him in this beautiful town, doing what we loved, was magical.
This next shot is simply a close-up of some of my globes. I have a small collection that my husband reluctantly has come to see as useful when our kids ask us where their sitters are from. Pete works at Wellesley College and we are fortunate to have a babysitting repository of smart, kind and entertaining young women from all over the world who relieve us of our children from time to time.
I’m using a Huston Biscuit shipping box as a side table. In 1869, my great-great grandfather started the Huston Biscuit Company in Auburn, Maine and I have a couple of these boxes in our home. My favorite advertising campaign was for the Sebago Lunch Biscuit, which apparently was made only with water from Sebago Lake, the “cleanest lake water in the country” according to government chemists.
Here you can see another Cardona-Hine painting called “Three Birds in the Morning.” I think this one is my favorite. The hand-turned wire frame was made by a friend of his who he contacted on our behalf.
This room is where we generally spend time with friends when they come over for cocktails. I wish we had more seating but we make due with the window seat or pulling in chairs from the dining room. Adding the chevron rug (which you can see in the other photos) really pulled the whole room together. When I found our mid-century modern dining room set on Craigslist (one of my best scores EVER), I recovered the chair seats in a black & white pattern that I thought would work with the rug whenever we had to pull the chairs into the living room for extra seating.
Here you can see one of Karen’s sweet surprises she made and left on my front porch. I love these mustard-yellow pom-pom flowers (and some of you may recognize them if you’ve bought our September box)!
xoxo Zandra
