WORK IN PROGRESS: OFFICE HUTCH

Last year my mom and I were browsing at one of my favorite salvage yards, Hidden Treasures. Amongst all the antique dining tables, fainting couches, salvaged windows and vintage armchairs, in a dark hidden corner we saw the most ugly beautiful hutch I had ever seen (no exaggeration). It was missing some hardware, chipped in a few spots and worst of all, made from an unattractive dark brown wood veneer. I was instantly attracted to the carvings in the bottom cabinets and the shape of the windows at the top. I didn't care how we would get it home...it belonged in my apartment. The shop owner sold it to me for $30 and even helped carry it out to our van. Mind you, this was after we drove back home to Livermore in our small car to pick up the van and drive back to Hidden Treasures. It was a whirlwind but the hutch made it home safe and sound. I had tucked away a pair of antique knobs that I had found a few weeks before and was so excited because they were a perfect match for the project I was about to tackle. After going back and forth between what color I wanted to paint it, I eventually settled on a cloud gray. It looks very white but it does have a hint of gray which is exactly how I wanted it. The painting process was painstaking because I wanted the finish to be perfect without any brushstrokes, bubbles or drips so needless to say it took me a few days, but when I finished I realized it was worth all the labor. Now the hutch lives in my office (which is also a work in progress) and is waiting to be redecorated. I have started to pick out a few items to put in it including my favorite container that I store receipts in, my Elle Decor and House Beautiful magazines, and a few chosen interior design books. It's a small stack to say the least, but I'm confident it will grow up to be something special one day. The antique mirror is actually from a garage sale last summer and can be used in a variety of ways (to place perfumes on, as a standing bathroom mirror, etc.) and I only recently found the ring holder which is VERY me. I have high hopes and big plans for my office hutch. Luckily the color still matches my office decor so I don't have to repaint it. I definitely need more items in the top portion for depth, color and interest, and am hoping to find them estate sale shopping this summer. Besides bookcases, hutches are so much fun to decorate and the best thing is that they serve a functional and decorative purpose. Win. Win.

“STYROFOAM PLATES, CAFETERIA TABLES. CHARITY REEKS OF CHEAP WINE AND PITY.”

I stand by my claim that it's perfectly acceptable to eat spoonfuls (gobs)of Nutella. I'm spending the weekend at my parent's house because Matt is out of town and I've got a few refurbishing projects that I've been wanting to finish since Christmas. I'm also using my sisters junky, antique PC laptop to type this entry and am afraid that at any minute this will one way or another erase itself, as seems to be the case with anything I attempt to write on a PC. Oh, super swift Mac laptop, how I wish I hadn't accidentally left you at home. One of the reasons I'm most excited about being at home is my weekly Saturday trip to my favorite hole-in-the-wall thrift shop. I am a woman on a mission this weekend as a few weeks ago I found an abandoned plate tier, sans plates. My co-worker and I were making some tea upstairs in the kitchen and we looked over to find a beautiful, discarded plate tier standing next to the trash can. It seemed to be a remnant from a work event and I immediately claimed it as my own. As you can imagine, it was quite fun riding with it back home on the BART train but I didn't mind the inconvenience...I had a vision.

After taking some measurements, I am on the hunt for the perfect three vintage plates to complete this tier. The more colorful and ornate the better as I will be using this in the corner of my kitchen to display pastries, pies and even fruit in the summertime. I frequently find breathtaking antique plates in thrift stores however can't seem to nail down a concept for how to incorporate them into my decor. My mother has some beautiful pieces showcased in her breakfast room hutch and I'm tempted to do the same as soon as my hutch is finished. However, sometimes I find these plates almost too beautiful to hide behind glass, and wish there was a more functional purpose for them. I hope that the thrift store gods are on my side today and that I'll find the perfect new additions to my ever expanding platter collection.