Monday, November 27, 2017

Hutch! Hutch! Hooray! (and HELP!)

I have a huge respect for those of you who read my blog. Respect, and tremendous appreciation. I find all of you to be a caring, clever, creative, and artistic group, each one with his or her own sense of style, many of whom express that style through personal blogs. Because I have such a high regard for each and every one of you, as well as an admiration for the things that you do in your own homes, I'm asking for your help.

I went out on a limb, as I tend to do more often than I care to admit, and bought a piece of furniture, sight unseen. Well, I saw it in the catalog, immediately fell in love with it, and I knew absolutely that it was what I wanted because it managed to replicate a scrapbook full of pictures that I have pinned over the past 10 years. I even saw something similar in Mycroft’s kitchen in an episode of "Elementary."

I knew when I saw this that it was the piece. It was what I wanted. It was what I needed. It was what I had pined for. It was also on sale, a BIG sale, which is why I bought it. It will be arriving next week, and I want your help in decorating it.

Here it is (although I bought one that is black), in all its glory, 75 inches high, by 112 inches wide, by 18 inches deep. I am desperately (as you can well imagine, dish collector that I am) in need of the additional storage space, but I want it to be pretty as well, and I want to be able to change it up with the seasons. As a consequence of this purchase, a lot of things had to be carried downstairs (thank you number two son!), including my baker’s rack, a piece that has been with me for more than thirty years -- historically the first thing that I decorate every holiday season -- so there was a bit of melancholy in carting it out of the room.
The wall on which the baker’s rack stood also held a Windsor bench, a large picture, a bamboo screen, and my menu man. It was just way too busy for me, and a wall that had perplexed me from the day I moved into this house nearly six years ago.

So, tell me what you think. What would you do with a hutch like this? What would you put on top? What would you put in the cabinets with the glass doors? What would you put on the shelves? What would you put in the center bar area? You tell me, and I'll show you what I eventually do. Is it a deal?

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6 comments:

Christine @ Rustic-Refined said...

Oh the fun of styling a new piece. I love it! I'd start right in the middle. the buffet top. You might be using that to hold your serving pieces come Christmas dinner. Once you do that, everything else will fall into place. One thing I like to do is grab my favorite dishes and put half on one side, the other half on the opposite side. That keeps balance and symmetry going.

Good luck and have fun!

Alycia Nichols said...

You're killin' me, Smalls!!!!!!!!! You KNOW I want this hutch! You KNOW I am lusting for it as I sit here typing! My life would never be the same again!!! That being said, you are going to have THE best time styling that sucker!!!!! Take your time with it. Add a few pieces, walk away, come back later and tweak. If it takes 4 weeks, it takes 4 weeks. Just take your time and let the novelty of it pair up slowly with the utilitarian side. You've got some beautiful dishes and accessories. Just think of how you would style a table and go from there. I agree with Christine: start in the middle (like you would a centerpiece) and work your way out. Don't be afraid to layer within each compartment, and go crazy with texture. Whether you stick to a single color palette or mix it up is up to you. Take cues from the styling in the photo. It's looking pretty great! I just know that when you are finished with this, it is going to be SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have fun!

Sandra Lee said...

This is a big job here but so much fun. I agree with Alycia take your time mulling over ideas and I'm looking forward to the reveal. I'm also going to show this to Santa and tell him that I've been a good girl. Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story and we hope you will join us again next week.

Ann @ Corner of Plaid and Paisley said...

I am loving this hutch!!! KInd of envious of your new purchase!!! You will really enjoy decorating and changing it up with the holidays. I store a lot of my dishes on my open shelves by just stacking sets as I would do a plate stack, start with a set of 4 or 6 dinner plates, then 4 to 6 salad plates then either dessert plates or bowls, all in colors for the season. I look forward to seeing what you do with this gorgeous piece!! I always said, it's better than a new car!!!

Chloianna said...

I cannot describe the jealousy.....To have a room big enough to house this is but a dream.I love the way it's styled in the example but I believe that is just a jumping off spot to find your own way. I would use the center as a bar and go from there. Providing you need a bar, of course. It's gorgeous!

sandy said...

wow it is beautiful in that pic and i can't wait to see what you do. My first thought was just about any of your beautiful pieces and parts of your table settings. But if I think of anything else I'll mention it. I would love to see a zebra statue on one of the shelves (I love zebras). I'll tell u what if I find the perfect little zebra somewhere in my "thrifting" I will mail it to you.