Our Postal Sorter Gets A Fun “Re-Do”

So.

Last spring, I thought I’d combine a home office with our dining room.

 I was inspired by this room in designer Allison Kandler’s California home:

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Isn’t it great?  Those built-ins are so awesome!

Instead of $$ built-ins at our house,

my plans involved my beloved 1920’s postal sorter.

Here it is, serving as our entertainment center in our old house:

Sadly, the office thing never really clicked,

which I guess explains why there are no photos.

Every time I looked at it was a drag, so finally, I opted to re-do.

(Don’t you LOVE the re-do?)

Yes, I spent all day + was semi-deliriously happy to do so!

I just shopped the house + added a lot of kitchen stuff.

A few of my favorite cookbooks with Hoosier glass canisters:

Just for fun, I added pretty pumpkins from our porch.

I think this space needs an autumnal branch in a vase, too.  Later today?

I’ve opted to display my vintage platters in stacks.

They’ve been patiently waiting to be hung on a wall,

’cause I love that sort of thing but can’t commit yet.

Next, I opted to display a collection of glass items up on top.

Who knew? — I had so much of it?

How beautiful it will all be, after I’ve shoved holiday greenery among the sparkly glass!

Meanwhile, here are a few close ups:

One of the perks of having tall ceilings is that I can go up with my displays!

Next on my re-do agenda:  the top of our sorter in the living room!

Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, please “like” my Facebook page, where I share fun design inspiration,

including this fab, new hotel in NYC.

https://www.facebook.com/Red-Bird-Vintage-Home-290942574609/

My Groovy Postal Sorter’s Groovy Re-Do

After spending countless hours on Pinterest,

swooning at, among other things, 12’s of epic shelf stylings . . .

. . . I decided it was the perfect moment to re-do my old postal sorter.

Okay, so  maybe the moment wasn’t perfect,

as you can see, the sun was definitely not shining.

Oops!

Let’s continue anyway, shall we?

Here’s my pair of vintage corbels that I bought last summer:

I considered adding my pair of black urns, but I stopped myself.

 Is less really more?

While we ponder that cosmic query, here are more groovies:

I tried to keep the the theme “old” + “white”.

HA!  Like me!  Old + white!

Okay.

Let’s see how I did.

Look at this silhouette that I made.

That’s our grandson + a photo frame from Pottery Barn!

Next we have a framed photo of my family,

snapped on the porch of our grandparents’ house,

way back in the summer of ’60.

I am on the bottom step, at left, with my sister Kathy holding Lisa.

I’ve chosen to display a couple of snowmen in a salt cellar,

with epsom salt filling in for snow.

You can’t tell, but the white snowman is actually a window scraper.

Our dad owned a Standard Oil gas station in the 50’s,

+ I s’poze this was a give-a-way to his best customers.

I’ll have to take another photo to share with the class.

Meanwhile, here’s my favorite of all my glass containers:

It’s a wonderfully heavy canister from Pottery Barn.

Since I love baseball so much, I’ve filled it with old baseballs.

I love that slender beaker because it’s glass + red — 2 things I love!

This vintage wooden tray (below) formerly displayed smalls in my old booth:

These days it displays my Kay redware plate (Workshop of David T. Smith),

my most precious photo of my sons,

+ a GOOD plate from Diane Keaton’s old collection at Bed, Bath + Beyond.

Quick query:

Does that penny rug runner scream “Granny Chic” or just plain granny?

While we ponder that question, let’s view this bowl,

one of my favorites:

Isn’t it wonderful?

It’s Fioriware, from Zanesville, Ohio,

from their “Gingham” collection.

Okay.

 In addition to displaying a whole lot o’ my stuff . . .

. . . my postal sorter also serves as our home office.

That explains the printer (at lower left),

+ this wonderful Dachshund tape dispenser!

How cute!

It was given to me by my niece + her awesome 4 children!

Here’s my sister, Kathy (a.k.a. Nana) with one of her grands:

No fair!  She looks like she’s 20!

Thanks for viewing; as always, it means a lot.

Ch Ch Changes With My Old Postal Sorter

Yesterdee we were as bizzy as 2 beez.

We moved my huge postal sorter from our current living room,

where it loyally served as a media center + display piece:

Now it’s parked in our Dutch colonial’s dining room,

where it is being pressed into service

as a home office + display piece:

Wait.  What?

You exchanged the sorter’s original base

with our beloved pine farmhouse table? you ask?

Has the world gone mad?

No — the table works best for my home office hopes + dreams.

See?  It provides space for sitting + working.

I may or may not keep that vintage rolling stool there.

Stay tuned.

But where will you dine? you might be asking now.

Please.

We’ll park it on the couch, as always — HA!

But seriously.  If we do have guests,

we’ll enjoy our meals on this round table that we already had:

Does it not look like it was made for that window bay?

I think so!

Isn’t it great when a plan comes together?

Let have one more look-see.

Please notice my vintage blue library ladder,

which is very groovy, too:

Its pretty pale blue plays very nicely

with the pale blue of our ceiling, don’tcha think?

Now let’s look just a tad bit beyond —

into our adjoining living room.

There’s our new chair from IKEA:

It’s their gray chenille  EKENA chair:

Its combination of traditional + modern style

fits very nicely in our décor.

Plus, that chenille fabric should wear like iron.

Its tweedy gray color not only complements our décor —

it will not show any black pet hair!

We’re placing yet another vintage sorter of mine

on that blank wall behind the chair:

I can’t wait to fill its shelves + cubbies with all my books + ‘stuff’!

Fingers crossed we can move it today!

Stay tuned, of course,

but first, just one more look:

There’s my old easel, displaying my oil painting

of my sister, Kathy, + our late friend, Cindee.

I painted this back in my graduate school era (’78)

at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.

TY, as always, for viewing!