Thursday, October 8, 2009

An Inspired Hutch Vignette

If you are visiting from Show and Tell Friday, welcome!

In our last house, this hutch sat on the wall in between our kitchen/dining area and our living room. I had plates displayed on it. But in our new house, it is in our living room on the entry wall by our front door. The plates felt out of place in the new spot, so I set out to fill the shelves with other accessories instead.

I went "shopping" in our house, hoping to use all items that we already had. I am really happy with how the first shelf came together.

We received this beautiful Chinese tea set as a wedding gift from dear friends of my husband's parents. I love it and have been wanting to display it, but had a hard time finding the right place for it in our Austin home. I started with the tea set as the inspiration for this shelf, adding a few books under it for height. We received the wooden carved Asian fan as a favor at a friend's wedding and I liked the texture and contrast it added propped up behind the tea set.

This print was painted by Truman's grandfather, who was an artist and art teacher in Hong Kong. I love being able to decorate with items that hold memories or significance. It's a great way to personalize your home and to enjoy keepsakes.

I remembered seeing this idea on the Shabby Nest, using an old paperback book. It is an easy project that adds a lot of texture and character. You simply fold each page in half, tucking the end into the center of the book. As you fold, it fills out, creating a cylinder. I thought the colors and feel fit in well to finish off the shelf.

I am still working on the second shelf. I find I have to live with it for a few days, arranging and re-arranging, until I find a look I am happy with. What are your hints for creating displays on a shelf or table?

7 comments:

Sue said...

Your tea set looks beautiful there. My teen daughter loves asian treasures and has been wanting a set like that!
Blessings~LillySue

Sarah { abeachcottage } said...

love the little tea set, I am looking out for one too!

enjoy show and tell

Sarah

Susan B said...

Your tea set is lovely, and the print is gorgeous. I like how you have displayed your things. Thank you for sharing!

Free Art Printables said...

It looks great and the colors go so well together! It's a cute little tea set.

Brenda Pruitt said...

I love that piece of furniture! I'd have oodles of fun dressing and redressing it too!
Brenda

Cindy said...

It looks great! What a wonderful idea to use it for things other than dishes! That book idea is awesome! Thanks so much for joining in on show and tell!

Abramyan Avenue said...

I love what you did. The accessories look perfect there. I love the Chinese tea set. Thank you so much for sharing! Did Austin get swamped with rain Friday like we did here in San Antonio?