There is very little counter space at my new place so I got a bar I could double as a prep station. It also holds our everyday dishes and has come in handy for storage. We got it at the Pottery Barn where they’ve got a good selection of these bars. Some are more ornate than others and all are very well detailed. You pay a hefty sum for one of these, close to $2000 but I think it’s one of those things that will age well with your home. I find that I’m shying away from modern/minimalistic furniture and finding the appeal in more rustic countryside pieces. I’m totally in love with Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware.
The beer bottle opener on this bar sealed the deal for Ryan who was pretty un-enthusiastic about the bars and the price tag.
This desk, part of the Flatiron Collection, was bought at Restoration Hardware. The re-claimed wood is antique and is from the Netherlands. In its former life, it served as a door. There are alot of holes and deep grooves in it from it’s previous life and from normal wear and tear. Rather than detailing it I cut and pasted the details from the website below:
The pairing of antique solid reclaimed elm doors and cast metal achieves the “form meets function” industrial appeal of Flatiron.
- Handcrafted of antique reclaimed elm doors and cast metal
- Reclaimed elm tabletop is hand-selected, planed, sanded and unfinished, with the patina of reclaimed wood
- Tabletop may have holes from hinges or door knob given its previous life as an antique door
- Welded, riveted solid steel frame stands on caster wheels and is supported by structural cross bracing
- By their nature, unsealed salvaged wood planks may be somewhat uneven, and may cup or bow slightly over time, further enhancing their rustic one-of-a-kind character; cracks may be present
- This item is artisan crafted with meticulous care. Given its handmade and hand-finished nature, variations in the wood or metal work are to be expected and celebrated. Each item is unique and no two are exactly alike. Quantities are limited.
One of the things we talk about in Communication studies is the throw-away society we’ve formed. Instead of mending our shoes at the cobbler, we buy a new pair. If something breaks, we toss it out and replace it because it’s become cheaper to replace than have someone repair it. Seldom do things get renewed lives and it’s gotten me thinking about that as a consumer. When we were picking out furnishings the first time around 5 years ago, we would get cheap furniture with a temporal purpose. After moving and throwing away so much of what we had accumulated over 5 years, I started to really think about what I could do to prevent that stressful and wasteful experience again.
When I buy things now – clothing, housewares and furniture – I think of it’s use life and if I will find value in it enough to maintain and appreciate it, as it
ages and appreciates itself. Things that last a long/lifetime like Le Creuset dutch ovens, heavy and well constructed saucepans and restaurant grade porcelain dishes appeal to me because as they age, they’ll be seasoned, develop patina and in the case of cookware – work better than they did when they were purchased. I’ve gone through many flimsy baking tools for example baking sheets and once I finally threw out my last flimsy sheet, decided to invest in one with a solid aluminum construction with a rolled lip. They can cost up to twice as much but their use life is exponentially more than the flimsy version wasting less of my time buying new ones, and the landfill from the countless ones I’ve gone through.
ages and appreciates itself. Things that last a long/lifetime like Le Creuset dutch ovens, heavy and well constructed saucepans and restaurant grade porcelain dishes appeal to me because as they age, they’ll be seasoned, develop patina and in the case of cookware – work better than they did when they were purchased. I’ve gone through many flimsy baking tools for example baking sheets and once I finally threw out my last flimsy sheet, decided to invest in one with a solid aluminum construction with a rolled lip. They can cost up to twice as much but their use life is exponentially more than the flimsy version wasting less of my time buying new ones, and the landfill from the countless ones I’ve gone through.
Here’s what I made this weekend: spinach and mushroom quiche and soft pretzels. Pie crusts from scratch are time consuming and messy so I made double batches and stored some extra dough in the freezer for pies later on this week.
The mildly nomadic life of May Hen... 
Transforming your tables and chair into something more efficient than before makes them more useful than before. Putting casters let you have movable tables to help you serve foods.