• About GH&P
  • Contact Us

Garden, Home & Party

~ My love of gardening, making home comfortable and entertaining friends and family.

Garden, Home & Party

Monthly Archives: April 2013

{Home} Study, Library, Den…a name for a cozy corner?

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Architectural elements, House and Home, Study/Office

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

den, library, study

Things that Inspire recently did a post about studies and libraries and what the technical differences are.  It was fun to read and to see the architectural detailing and furnishings that technically define each room as a den, library, study, etc.  Be sure to visit Holly’s site, you will find plenty of beauty and inspiration.

Since a study, library or den, by most definitions, would be what I describe as my favorite room in the house, I thought I’d share some rooms that I’ve recently pinned and consider cozy and inviting.

Kelly, over at Talk of the House recently shared this room, furnished with black and white checked everything.  I love this room because by using one pattern it feels like a ‘neutral’.  It’s a relaxing room because of the black and white check.

library ideaslibrary, den stylesThe above room could be considered the ‘den’ since it screams cozy to me.  The books, overstuffed sofa and Jack Russell terrier invite me in.  But, since there are bookcases, I suppose I could accept a descriptive of ‘library’ just as easily and family room or den.

The room below would qualify as a study were it not for the fact that it might be a spot within a larger room, maybe a living room.  I see an upholstered chair or sofa just to the right of the desk.  I like the wall gallery above the desk, it gives definition to the space and adds interest, don’t you think?

studyMark D. Sikes deisgnThe warm wood, antique books, hunt scene painting, fireplace and Persian rug are ingredients I consider essential components of a wonderful library and/or den.  There’s a TV so I believe this would most probably qualify as a den. (Mark D. Sikes)

The room below is a favorite because I love being able to see what’s going on outside when I’m reading or working on the computer.  The windows at ceiling level create a tree house ambiance.  I could envision a nap in the alcove, after my work is finished, of course!

library or den(Eric Taylor Photography}

Now this is a study!  I love the French doors and and built-in bookcase.

great library via Cote de Texas{source}

wonderful study{Jennings & Gates: Notes from a Virginia Country House}

library{Splendid Sass}

Splendid Willow 4.16.13{source}

Pottery Barn called this command center.  Looks efficient, doesn’t it?

study{source}

A study with focus.  I know I’d probably not get very much done here…I’d be daydreaming out the window a majority of the time, but I like the simplicity of the space.

Garden, Home and Party cozy corner{source}

Another Mark D. Sikes design.  I love the beams, the book cases, the view and the fireplace…this room seems to have it all (except a television, which might be a good thing).

Mark D. Sikescozy rooms, via slim paley{source}

antique books{source}

Garden, Home and Party, reading roomDo you have a favorite cozy corner in your home?  What do you call it?

{Home} Walk-in beauty and organization

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Architectural elements, House and Home

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

walk-in closets, walk-in pantry

I have had a walk-in pantry and a walk-in closet, once in my life, not in the same place.  I would say that besides a breakfast room, a walk in closet is second on my dream house wish list.  Would it be greedy to wish for a walk-in closet, walk-in pantry and a breakfast room? {As a very good friend used to say, “If you’re going to dream, dream big!”}

So while perusing the ultimate resource for stimulating ideas, Pinterest, I re-pinned a few and thought I share those that had me at the door to their splendor…

I might as well start with the most elaborate of the lot…I’m not sure I have that many pairs of shoes but it would be so nice to see all of your shoe choices with one glance.

black-closet-432x500 via pinterestI would definitely want a chest of drawers in the walk in closet…

2-closet reasons to breathe via design chic{Design Chic}

This is small but I like the quasi vanity at the back of the closet.

3-walk in closet via dream-house - pinterest{Dream House via Pinterest}

Lighting would be crucial, I love the idea of the glass doors keeping things orderly.

4-walk in closet via pinterst via home is where the kelli czakowski{Pinterest}

I know this is a man’s closet, but I like the layout and it would be nice to have my favorite design books at my fingertips.

5-closet 8 via design chic{Design Chic}

A jewelry drawer would be fabulous!

6-drawer for walk in closet, bhg{Better Homes and Gardens}

and finally, to decorate any blank wall in your walk-in closet you could do this…note:  I think I have a Tiffany Bag hanging around, I’d have to ask Chanel and Hermes for a bag! lol

7-walk in closet ideas via If I were a sim with en sarah mcgregor{Pinterest}

There is equal interest in a walk-in pantry for my kitchen, again, it doesn’t have to be huge, but boy, would it be nice…

I love the way this door looks like cabinetry in the kitchen but serves as the door to the walk-in pantry!

8-better homes and gdns.  walk in pantry{Better Homes and Gardens}

A pantry behind a sliding door is very cool, it looks like the ‘fridge is in the pantry, not sure about that feature, wouldn’t that be inconvenient?  Maybe its the back-up refrigerator.

9-organization amy vermillion blog design chic 1.1.13{Design Chic}

This is something we didn’t add when we remodeled our kitchen, and I realize it’s a little off topic as far as walk-in pantries go, but maybe you can imagine this drawer would be located inside a walk-in pantry…10-organization greige via design chic 1.1.13{Griege}

Again, sliding doors, and as you can see this walk-in pantry doesn’t take much space…maybe if we add the breakfast room we can incorporate a space like this.

pinterest{Pinterest}

I’m not sure you can see it well in this image, but there’s a really great door on this pantry with leaded glass.  The pantry is waiting for me to load it with all my stuff.

12-walk in pantry, pinterest{Pinterest}

This one is so well accessorized, it almost looks like a small butler’s pantry.

13-walk in pantry, pinterest 1{Pinterest}

Maybe if I had a bank of cupboards like this I wouldn’t need a walk-in pantry, although there would have to be solid doors, my pantry never seems view-worthy!

14-organization peter callahan caterer design chic 1.13.13{Design Chic}

Do you have a walk-in closet and/or pantry?  Do you consider it one of the major benefits of your home?  [I think I know the answer to that last question, but I’d still love to hear from you]. ♥

I’m visiting the Wow us Wednesday linky party over at Savvy Southern Style.

Victoria is giving away a fabulous trowel for the garden enthusiasts, like me…HERE

{GHP} My Best Find Ever

09 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Antiques, Collections & Accessories, House and Home

≈ 26 Comments

Tags

collections

Show-off-your-favorite-find-Craigslist-yard-sale-trash-day…-what’s-the-one-treasure-you-just-cannot-believe-you-found-Come-link-up-your-best-findWhen Victoria, over at Restoring our 1890 Victorian, invited me to play lead guitar for her Linky party, I was thrilled.  Victoria will be Lead Singer and Danielle of Storypiece will be on drums. 😀  Playing with blog friends is so much fun.  Then reality set in, what was my favorite find?!  I’ve always loved scouring flea markets, antique stores, and thrift stores for treasures.  Since I’m now more mature (read: older) I have amassed a lot of good stuff from these excursions.  So what would win the beauty contest as the best thing I’ve ever found?

I thought and debated with myself…I had recently done a post on homes becoming the scrapbook of your life and figured I could use that post to link my finds.  Then I decided to work on my creativity, “let’s not become lazy where your blog is concerned, Karen!” and I came up with a recurring theme with my inventory of “treasures”…TRAYS, specifically silver trays, but pretty much any tray that strikes my fancy.  Trays have always been a draw for me, as evidenced in my two previous posts on the topic HERE & HERE.

I have been given a couple of trays by family members and a particular favorite tray came from a friend (she found it for me on one of her excursions)…but most of my stash comes from bumping into the odd tray at consignment, antique or thrift stores, the prices have one thing in common, they have been rock bottom for all of the useful benefits they can provide the willing owner (moi).

Bar tray - dining roomBoth the tray above and below belonged to my mother-in-law.  I was honored when she gave them to me a few years before she passed away.

Tray - hutch, QEThis tray (below)  is hammered silver and coincidentally has a B monogram, our last name starts with a B.  Our friends know us well…we love this tray!

English tray and biscuit barrelIMG_0418I bought the larger tray at a flea market last year, but the tray in front is a trophy tray I purchased in 1999 in Oxford, England.  Such a find, and a great reminder of the fun we had as a family while visiting England during Christmas.

trays=kitchentrophy tray=kitchen

This Sheffield tray came from a favorite antique store in San Clemente, Stanford Court.  It was cheap because it was missing a foot {I love footed trays} but a visit to Normandy Metal Finishers remedied that for me for only about the price I paid for the tray.  It remained a bargain…

4-dining-rm-buffet-kb-2_thumb-e1331591539930I’m now using the tray in the reading room.  It holds a couple of antique books, one of the little nests I’ve found in our yard, and an orchid.

IMG_0420

books on tray - libraryThis silver plate was found at a consignment store for $25.  I love the detailing

tray - kitchencloseup tray - kitchenRecently I stumbled upon this little, and I do mean tiny, tray.  I couldn’t resist.  Look at the detailing on this cutie…

tiny tray = barAnother recent find…wait, am I overboard on this collection?  No, can’t be, one can never have too many trays, right?

tray-family room

There’s always a holy grail of trays I’m in search of, the impossible find, and this is it…

inspiring interiors 9.19.12 used{source}

If you know where I can pick up one of these beauties for, oh say, $25 let me know!

Join me over at Victoria’s place…it should be fun finding out what surprise “find” Victoria recently acquired and some of the treasures other collectors have discovered.

Wait until you see what Victoria has to share!  Visit Restoring our 1890 Victorian.

Wait there’s more…I’ve visiting Art@Home for her “My Happy List” party, and Savvy Southern Style for Wow us Wednesdays,  Stop by.

{GHP} It’s all about the packaging

03 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Misc

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

continers

I have always been a  sucker for appreciated pretty packaging.  I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that the item within isn’t always all that I had hoped for but I am drawn to items that are well packaged.

The inspiration for this post came by way of one of my favorite sites,  Heather Bullard ⁄ Lifestyle, in her recent post about some small, wooden boxes she found at Target in their dollar bins.  (Sorry I missed these).  She did an amazing job photographing the boxes filled with eggs from her hens.  I was taken by the beautiful photography (always) but it struck me that something as simple as eggs could look so appealing.  Note:  Heather and her team publish Souvenir magazine.  It’s filled with great ideas.

Heather Bullard 2.26.13Souvenir magazineThat got me thinking about some of the creative packaging you stumble upon while perusing the internet.  Jenny Steffens Hobick, a talented cook hosts an entertaining blog site, created this box of homemade cookies and other goodies.  By placing them in cello bags with pink ribbon and polka dot tissue, the contents look like they could have been packaged by a high-end specialty boutique.  Anyone would be pleased with this sweet package.

jenny steffens hobick 2.14.13Another example of something as simple as a red/purple onion, made to look like art.  I realize none of us would wrap our onions in antique pages from a book or newspaper before use, but you can see how pretty they look. {Helena Bernard Photography via tumblr Love French Bulldogs}

love french bulldogs tumblr Who doesn’t love a French baguette?   This display conveys to me that these are fresh-out-of-the-oven and I can nearly taste the fresh creamery butter and melt-in-your-mouth flavor of a baguette. {source}

tumblr baguettes lookiing for rainbows n the moonlight{source}

Even these little individual pies are tempting, I might want the entire crate of hand pies!

tumblr looking for rainbows in the mirror{source}

Note to self, make some of this vinegar for possible hostess gifts during raspberry season.

Isn’t this bottle with the pop lid stopper cute?

tumblr looking for rainbows in the moonlight1{source}

Don’t you wonder what is within the delicate wrapping of the lace doilies?

tumblr heart french bull{source}

Just in time for Easter, I believe these Mod Podge eggs could be created using the plastic, open-able eggs you can find everywhere right now.  Throw some M&M’s in these and I’m in happyland.

tumblr love french bulldog packaging{source}

The oak barrels used to age wine have always been a favorite, they are usually French oak and I do enjoy a glass of the contents from time to time.

tumblr wine barrels looking for rainbows in the moonlight{source}

Are you drawn to attractive packaging? 

I’m visiting with Ricki Jill over at Art@Home, join me.

Recent Posts: Garden, Home & Party

Homes that welcome the season

A little this and that

The color of autumn

Wall Art Inspiration for our bungalow

Project Design: Outdoor Living Spaces

Enter your email address to subscribe to GH&P and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Instagram




Follow gardenhomeparty on Twitter

Follow on Tumblr

Google Plus

Recent Posts

  • Homes that welcome the season
  • A little this and that
  • The color of autumn
  • Wall Art Inspiration for our bungalow
  • Project Design: Outdoor Living Spaces

Categories

  • Accessories; details
  • Annual WP Report Card
  • Antiques
  • Architects & Builders
  • Architectural elements
  • Autumn
  • Bastille Day
  • Bathroom
  • Bedrooms
  • Christmas
  • Collections & Accessories
  • Cottages
  • Decorating
  • Designer
  • Dessert
  • Dining Room
  • DIY (do it yourself)
  • Drink
  • Easter
  • Entertaining
  • Fall Entertaining and Decorations
  • Family
  • Flowers
  • Food
  • Gardening
  • Gardens
  • Halloween
  • Holiday/Seasonal cooking
  • Holidays
  • House and Home
  • Independence Day
  • Kitchen
  • Maintenance
  • Misc
  • Outdoor living
  • Paint Color
  • Party Planning
  • Personal Information
  • Recipes
  • Renovating
  • Seasons
  • Simple Meals for the Avid Cook
  • Spring
  • St. Patrick's Day
  • Storage/Closets/Pantry
  • Study/Office
  • Summer
  • Thanksgiving
  • Traditions
  • Travel
  • Trends
  • Uncategorized
  • Valentine's Day

Recommended

  • Bastion & Lark
  • Content in a Cottage
  • Cote de Texas
  • French Essence
  • French Kissed
  • Garden, Home and Party
  • Greige Design
  • Heirloom Philosophy
  • Henhurst Interiors
  • In the Fields
  • Jennings & Gates
  • Making Magique
  • Miss Mustard Seed
  • paper{whites}
  • Polished Pebble
  • Providence Ltd Design
  • Restoring our 1890 Victorian
  • Slim Paley
  • Splendid Willow
  • Talk of the House
  • TG Interiors
  • The Adventures of Tartanscot
  • The Enchanted Home
  • The House of Edward
  • The Lady's Life
  • The Pioneer Woman
  • The Polohouse
  • Tone on Tone
  • Trouvais
  • Velvet & Linen

Archives

  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • October 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • October 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007

Top Posts & Pages

  • {Home} Cozy and other adjectives that describe home
  • Living with what you love; age and decorating
  • Knock, knock, who's there?
  • {Home} Adieu Pierre Deux
  • {Home} Mirror, mirror on the wall...
  • {GHP} Summer Heat ~ cool pools
  • Cottage living...Moody cottages
  • About GH&P
  • Homes that welcome the season
  • Toile, my favorite

Subscribe via RSS

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Topics

4th of July accessories antiques Architects & Builders Austin Autumn Barefoot Contessa bathroom bedrooms birthdays blog favorites Blogging blue & white decor books centerpieces chairs Christmas collections cooking cottage cupboards decorating for fall decorating styles designer details of a home do-it-yourself Dogs dream house Easter easy recipe easy recipes Engagement Party English gardens Entertaining fall Family Father's Day Flowers foyer furniture Garden Gardening Halloween hardwood floors holiday home home accessorizing House Beautiful magazine how-to Independence Day interiors Irish Stew kitchens Kooboo chairs library mirrors Mother's Day neutral color palate New Years Eve Organizing Outdoor living paint color Pets in the home plaid recipe recipes Rogers Gardens Spring summer living Table Settings television Texas Thanksgiving Valentine's Day weddings

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Garden, Home & Party
    • Join 749 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Garden, Home & Party
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...