Small kitchen Outfitted in IKEA

IKEA makes small looks stylishly super in this 1930s cottage.  The space -- roughly 9x10 -- is designed to ensure an inviting and easy flow through the kitchen that on one end leads out to the couple's wonderful fenced-in patio and deck.  Images here show the transition to other rooms as well.  The money the homeowners saved by going with IKEA allowed them to splurge on a few notable furniture pieces.  They figured if they ever wanted to move, they will take the furnishings with them.  No loss there.  A kitchen, however, usually stays (except in France, where owners often do dismantle and pack it up, according to the TV show, House Hunters International).  A viable concern when renovating this charmer centered around not spending more than what they might get back when it is time to sell.  What do you think?  A great, clean and modern look, isn't it?  The moral of this story about the couple who set and kept to a budget:  If there's a will, there's a way.  

 

Our Plum Picks! (Including a Terrific textile sale.)

I've written some about our store, The Green Plum, a home furnishings boutique located in Salida, Colorado. 

But, today, I'd like to share some of my favorite things -- along with the announcement of one spectacular textile sale!

 I admit now to embracing, shamelessly so, a lusciously thick cotton throw found on the bed of a Houston show house during a photo shoot a year or so ago.  Ever since, I've had a thing for Brahms Mount Textiles; the company uses antique shuttle looms at their Maine location to make these 50x72 throws featuring their signature hand-twisted fringe.  Love them!  Of course, I had to have them for our shop. In anticipation of the cooler to colder months ahead (depending on where you are), I've placed our remaining 4 on sale. The thick cotton -- gorgeous, gorgeous!! -- herringbone throws are normally $203.  They're now $179 (which includes complimentary shipping).  One consists of alpaca wool; it is normally $250. We now have it at $190 (complimentary shipping).  Email me if you're interested.  As you can seek, we can't resist a product made from Mother Nature's own recycled materials (the owls, for instance, are made of dried grasses, feathers, acorns, nuts, twigs), and we favor things made from vintage fabrics, such as the large, one-of-a-kind Bolero pillow. It's an art piece that you can back into quite comfortably. J'adore the big French soap cubes. We appreciate natural fibers and materials and always seek out pieces made from renewable resources. We crave the unusual and enjoy anything that invites conversation (like the goat head from Oly Studios).  In the near future, we will launch a re-designed Web site that allows online purchases.  (As a result of reworking the site now, many items we have in store are not currently listed on the Internet.)  ... Hope you'll keep us in mind when shopping for birthdays, holidays and etc.  We'll try to make it fun. Thank you!  (p.s. the cute little bird without the price is $24.)

I'm Over at Camila's "High-heeled Foot in the Door" Today

Hello!

It's Labor Day weekend!  

When I was a kid, it was a fashion faux pas to wear whites and linens after this time period. 

Does that fashion mandate still hold true today?

Goodbye to sunflowers and hummingbirds . . . summertime has ended. I guess it doesn't end officially for a couple more weeks but, in my mind, Labor Day has always signaled a transition to fall. Almost time to don jackets and boots (which I love).

I was THRILLED when Camila (High-Heeled Foot in the Door) invited me to participate in one of her "day-in-the-life posts."  Visit her, if you have the inkling.  I'm such a voyeur at heart (smile), so I've enjoyed knowing about and reading Camila's posts as well as those by her guests.  

I have an interesting post planned (I think so anyway), which will be up in the next couple of days regarding what Galveston is doing with their downed 100-year-old Oaks (a tragic result of last year's Hurricane Ike).  So come back and see me!  

Be safe and have fun this weekend,

-susan