Taking a Shine to Silver

A couple of weeks ago, inspired by Joan over at For the Love of a House, I pulled out several of my silver pieces and polished them up, ready to display them around my house.  All in the name of lightening and brightening.  I couldn't for the life of me remember why I'd had them stashed away in drawers and cabinets for so long, especially when I saw the impact they made as decorative accessories.

You've already spied a few of them on my bookcase makeover:



But I found some fabulous homes for a few other pieces, too...

Favorite silver tray on my coffee table...

Silver tea box on family room console table...

 Remember this flea market find?  On my antique desk that does double duty as a sofa end table...

Favorite pitcher and another small tray in my foyer.  The book on the tray is the history of Lakemont, Georgia and Lake Rabun where my husband and I got married.  Painting is by my great-grandmother.

If you've not already checked out Joan's blog on her restoration of a New Hampshire farmhouse, you are missing out!  Head over there and let her know I sent you...she's got fabulous posts on her collection of hotel silver, too.

So how about you?  Any silver pieces lurking around that you can polish up and display? 

Family Room Bookcase-- Done!

My journey to refresh in our family room continues with our built in bookcases.  Several years ago, I painted all the woodwork in this room white-- best thing I've ever done.  It probably is almost time to repaint but I'm determined to wait a bit longer before taking this on (think dog/kids).  Somewhere along the way, I had filled the shelves with darker items (?)-- lots of wood accents, dark book jackets, pottery pieces, some of my husband's duck decoys-- so I knew much of that would need to go.

I simply took EVERYTHING OFF and gave the entire bookcase a good dusting (I can't blame this on my cleaning lady because I only have her in periodically-- I totally own how horrible this was!).  Then I went through what had previously resided on the shelves and pulled out the handful of lighter pieces and books that could return.  I then visited my spread of freshly polished silver pieces on the dining room table and pulled out a few pieces that I thought might work.  Next up-- shop the house.  I found framed photos in silver tone frames, a framed watercolor by my great-grandmother, and a bit of greenery.

I started with the shelves on the right, because they are in the darkest corner of the room and that is where I wanted the most light reflected.  After a couple of hours of shifting and tweaking, here is the finished product.

You probably recognize my flea market blue decanter (love this piece!).  The tall ship watercolor is by my great-grandmother.  I think it needs a stand to elevate it just a teeny bit.  I kept a few ducks and my husband's humidor but I like them much better where they are now.  The little red urn (a Southern Living at HOME piece) will be made into a lamp this weekend.  There's a plug right behind the abstract print so, yet some more light will be shed on this corner.

You can see where a few of my silver pieces ended up.  This corner was perpetually cluttered and dark, but I love the more open feel and light reflective quality.  You'll notice, too, that in doing so, I could add back in a few of my darker accessories.

Love these silver bowls as bookends.

You might recognize the Willow House Terrace Accent plates here, too.  They come in a set of four and I used two of them on the sconces over my mantle.  I love now having them on the other side of the room, as well.

And again-- the finished (for now) product! 

I say for now, because I've been known to keep tweaking and changing things. :)  The best part about this redo?  It was virtually free.

Do you have bookcases that are in need of a makeover?

Happy Decorating!  Happy Friday!

Willow House and Southern Living at HOME products are available through me.  Visit my website to shop online.

Mad for Metallics

My quest to lighten and brighten my family room has taken on new lustre.  Metallics have been around for awhile, but lately they are catching my eye more than ever. 

Here's my family room challenge: it's not a very large room with only your average 9 foot ceilings.  It gets nice morning light, but can be quite dim in the afternoon hours.  I have a large chocolate brown suede sofa that is terribly comfortable and cozy, but makes the space seem even darker during our short winter afternoons.  I have several wood pieces as well: coffee table, antique writing desk, media stand.

My solution?  More reflective accessories-- i.e. metallics!

I'm off to a great start with my new Ballards mirror.  It's large for the space, but it catches lots of light and with because it's virtually frameless it seems even more expansive.  I added some silver balls and my sweet little metallic deer.  Love my new mantlescape.

Loved it so much, I thought about incorporating even more metallics in the room.  I don't think I could go this far with a silver table.




Kirsten Grove via hgtv.com

 But I do like this look from One Kings Lane...

Truth be told, I'm not really in the market for a new table in the family room, but I was fascinated by all the options in metallics and how you can mix different metallics within the same room or even the same vignette.  It's the accessories that I need, right?

Like these mercury glass candlesticks from Pottery Barn. *Confession-- I have two on back order*  I got them on sale right after Christmas and will have fun finding a dark little corner for these to brighten.



photo by Erika Powell via hgtv.com



How about this simple idea?  Spray paint an ordinary wreath to have an extraordinary accessory.  This would be just as lovely in front of a powder room mirror as it is over this cooktop or on a front door.  Budget-friendly... I like it!

Even more budget-friendly?  Shop around your home.  When I did, I was amazed at what I found.  I have a sideboard full of silver-- in need of polishing admittedly -- but there for the taking.  Why wasn't I using all these pieces anyway?  I had, for some reason, relegated my silver to the dining room. I probably stored them away, tired of polishing on a semi-annual basis, only to have them sit in our little-used dining room unappreciated. 

My newly inspired self said, "Nonsense!"  and I got busy polishing. My grandmother not only displayed her silver pieces, but she used her silver every day.  I could hear her in my ear: "If you use it everyday, it will never need polishing."  And wouldn't these little-used pieces be the perfect accents for my dim little family room?  I didn't think so before, but I've been... enlightened.

I'll post some pictures in the next few days where my silver pieces have landed.  In the meantime, I drew further inspiration from Joan over at For the Love of a House.  I'm not sure how I found her blog, but her entry way and now her kitchen have drawn me in.  She also has some wonderful posts on her collection of hotel silver.  Click over there and see if you find yourself inspired to pull out your silver. :)

Happy Decorating!