I recently moved a chest in front of the stairs in our great room which meant I needed to style this piece with them in mind. Only one new item was bought for the piece.
It's a Royal Stafford and I love it because of the sheep in the scene.
I thought it would look nice centered between these two little lambs.
So.... this plate reminded me that I have three plates with a winter scene on each that I hadn't quite known where to place.
I decided to add them here following the line of the stairs.
A close up of one of the plates.
This basket is just an old container which had a plant in it that bit the dust a long time ago. I removed the straw lining and plastic clips that held it in and added my collection of string and spools from old Gibson Mill. Speaking of the spools of thread...I once had someone ask me why I bought them. I explained they came from a mill in Concord that is now an antique mall and I really liked the local history they brought to our home. I got a blank stare and "But your family is from the mountains. I don't get why you are decorating with string." I then said, "Uh, okay, they match our ivory sofa." I was joking but it made her feel much better about the whole thing.
My bird lamp (I love them too even though none of my family are birds... well we do have a few tough old birds in the family tree) were placed on books to add a little height. The top book is my all time favorite.
I like the look of the black in the books, basket and plate against the iron spindles in the staircase.
I also like this piece with this chair.
I think the area at the bottom of the staircase looks a little cozier now for the winter season.
Stories from the heart
- Stories from the heart
Think twice before you throw something away — it could be made into something even cooler. There are plenty of ways you can upcycle something old into something useful and entirely unrecognizable. Here are some of the best new uses for old things.
