emory & grand

Hi - my name is Stephanie. I write about things I like, design, adventures, food and my carriage house that I rent with my fiance, my cat and my dog. I also have a vintage and handmade shop on etsy, check it out.

[emorygrand]

Dining Room Credenza

Ok, so back to the dining room as that has been my most recent obsession in our house, I think mainly because it is freshly painted!  At any rate, in my last dining room post I had mentioned that I would like to use the string shelving system but it is in all honesty wayyyyy to expensive for my budget.  So, I set my radar on trying to find a credenza but even the pieces that I could find online were a minimum of $200 and that didn’t include shipping.  What can I say? - My budget is very, very small. :)

On Monday I went out scouring thrift stores and sales for items for my vintage and handmade shop, MAVIS and I happened to stumble upon a credenza that was are you ready for this? Are you sure? It was $24.99 – I can’t even make something like that up!  It wasn’t exactly what I had imagined but it had good bones and a lot of room for storage and oh, did I mention it was $24.99?  After I found it, the next fifteen minutes went something like this: stare at the credenza, move back a little further and stare again, walk around the store aimlessly, walk back to credenza and stare again.  I repeated these steps several times before I finally asked someone for a tape measure to see if it would fit in my little hatchback.  I must have looked insane, talking to myself while circling and staring at a piece of furniture. 

It is a mid century piece with a wood veneer exterior and Formica-like top.  I would have loved to get a solid wood piece, but that just didn’t happen.  The top drawer is large and has dividers on one side for serving utensils and the bottom three doors slide open and to reveal one large open space with one shelf.  The hardware is in rough shape so I will have to replace or maybe refinish them at some point and one of the sliding doors needs to be tightened up.  The only thing that I did to it once I got it home was clean it thoroughly and also rub a raw walnut on all of the scratches and scuffs.  The oils in the walnut help to hide scratches and marks in wood; it is a really great trick. 

So here she is!  My cat, Brown Paw, thoroughly investigated the piece and I think he approved.  Eventually I would like to address and repair some of the larger marks/scratches, refinish/change the hardware and fix the sliding door.  The image above was taken before I cleaned it up.

Of course after I cleaned it up, I had to put something(s) on top of it but I am sure they will get rearranged again and again.  Not too shabby right?  If you are interested in the randomness on top, they are as follows from left to right:

Beige flower pot from Ikea with a small Norfolk Pine

Two vintage brass deer that were my mothers but I have seen them on etsy frequently

Vintage bright blue screen print I recently bought at an estate sale

The beige piece of pottery is from West Elm but I think it has been discontinued

Tall glass beeker is vintage

Small Pyrex wine country decanter is now for sale in my shop

[emorygrand]

plants, plants and more plants!

OK, so for all of you who know me or have been to any of the places that I have lived over the past few years know that I have a love affair with plants.  I simply adore them.  If I could turn my entire home into a small jungle, I probably would.  I always feel like some kind of greenery can brighten up any room.  Whether it is fresh cut flowers from a farm stand, herbs from the farmers market or some sort of potted plant - - - I will buy them.

I am always using random jelly jars and canisters to hold my plants.  So, it is no surprise that with my love of plants would come my love of containers to put them in!  The latest project that I have been working on has been small wood vessels or planters.  These are the first in what will be a series.  I had imagined these to be natural and modern with a brass or bronze finish.

  If you want some more information about these, I have them listed on my etsy shop, MAVIS. (Just a heads up, they are made to order at the moment and will take one to two weeks to ship but feel free to convo me if you should have any special requests.) I have also been working with other options such as white and persimmon and am excited to try other colors like mint and navy.

[emorygrand]

Dining Room

It has been a little over a week since I painted the dining room and I am so happy that I did!  I could not handle the baby blue paint anymore and the sloppy patching that was done before we moved in.  I painted the walls Behr Gallery White in flat enamel and the trim Behr Ultra Pure white in satin.  Gallery white has a slightly greyish tint to it, which looks nice against the ultra pure white trim and the dark wood floors.

We currently have four mid century dining chairs that I recovered in a light grey wool fabric and an old dining table with a Formica top and black legs.  The table was my grandmothers and as far as I can remember it had been in her basement next to the washer and dryer.   When she remarried and moved she gave quite a bit of furniture away and this table was one of those things.  I would like to eventually get a different table but the size of this one is great and it has a leaf if we should have a swanky dinner party.

Aside from these pieces, I am searching for other items.   Maybe some sort of buffet or credenza for extra storage (we have a small galley kitchen), some wall candy, a rug and maybe a side chair and lamp?  We have three big windows in this room and plants seem to love it in here so I am sure I will find a way to work some greenery in as well as other pops of color.

Here are some thoughts for the space:

1.  String Shelving System would be amazing!  However, I don't think I will be affording it anytime soon and will have to find a compromise.

2.  I love this wool rug by West Elm.

3.  Maidenhair Ferns are so pretty and delicate and a vibrant green color.  The only thing to watch out for is that they are slightly temperamental.  Once you find a place they seem to enjoy, it is best if they remain there - I learned that the hard way. :(

4.  I have been in love with this buffalo print by the Animal Print Shop by Sharon Montrose.

5.  This mini espresso facet vessel by the object enthusiast on etsy is just so perfect.  Emily has some amazing pieces in her shop, so you should probably check it out.

[emorygrand]

Burlington, VT

Above: Red Rocks Park in South Burlington, Vermont.

This past weekend I was surprised with a trip to Vermont by my amazing super hero like boyfriend*.  Just when winter had started to get boring he swooped in and saved the day.

But, lets rewind!  This is how it happened.  At some point last week I decided to paint our dining room.  I woke up one morning and decided I couldn’t take it anymore and that was that.  We live in a small carriage house that while beautiful has many quirks that I would surely change if I owned this place.  The first floor was and still is in some places a mixture of baby blue (why?) and some sort of light yellow color that just looks like dirt.  The dining room gets the most light on the first floor so of course it showed every mark on the walls - yay!

So, on Wednesday morning I started painting and finished later that night.  When I woke up Thursday morning I had found a note saying that I needed to pack some cold weather gear because we were going to Vermont this weekend!  So basically I had just given our dining room a facelift and now we were going on an adventure?  This week was turning out to be a gem!

Burlington has so much to do.  There are a number of hotels directly across from Lake Champlain that are within walking distance to downtown.  Some awesome places we found were:

August First Bakery located in a renovated garage on the corner of Main Street and S. Champlain Street in downtown Burlington.  They have an open and light filled bakery.  It is a comfortable place that is like being at home with plants hanging and shelving filled with books to grab and relax with.

The Burlington Farmer’s Market is also a great stop.  During the winter months it is located indoors in Memorial Auditorium on the corner of South Union and Main Street.  It is full of vendors showcasing locally grown produce, artisan breads, handmade items, maple syrup, and even some locally made spirits.  While there you can pick up some great lunch and take a seat and listen to local bands. 

Above: View of the Adirondacks across Lake Champlain in Red Rocks Park.

Red Rocks Park* located in south Burlington is a great place to go for some fresh air.  There are a number of walking trails and even some overlooks out to Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains.  The photo above is from one of those overlooks.

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill is a great place to grab some locally sourced food and some delicious drinks.  If there is a wait, head down to the basement bar and lounge area.  If you can find a seat, you can grab food here as well, just place your order with the bartender.  The basement has a lodge feel with small bar tables, darts, a fireplace and a great atmosphere.

Of course while we were there we stopped at quite a few places to get some drinks.  Some of those were:

The Red Square - show up early before the crowd gets there and listen to some great jazz.

Nectar’s -listen to some music and order some tater tots.

Radio Bean - order a drink at the bar in the back and let yourself flashback to Reality Bites.

Of course you must be wondering why I brought up the fact that I painted the dining room, right?  Well it could either be that I am obsessed with having a fresh coat of paint in this house or that my short attention span kicked in or both.  So lets go with both.  Seriously, I am like a goldfish with a paint roller - watch out!  But, I will make another post about the dining room later.

*If you were wondering why you saw asterisks next to boyfriend and Red Rocks Park that is because my left hand became a little heavier during this adventure  :)