have a seat, on my banquette.

Here is our dining room, as is.

Now, you can see it’s small, though I like the word “cozy”.
{ Notice the gilt frame? }

 

 

When we first toured our now home, I immediately saw banquette seating in the small space, because the benches would push seating to the walls, maximizing both spots at the table and the path to the kitchen.  Also, the benches would serve as additional built-in storage, having either a “toy box” top opening or pull out drawers.  Their cushions and pillows would add softness and texture to the room’s palette and the best part of the whole project?  I foresee it being completely DIY.

Here are a few inspiration images and what I’ll draw from them.

{ I love the expansive built-ins surrounding the alcove seating, creating a pocket of focus.  I love too the…oversized frames, bronze sconces, variety of fabrics, whimsical chandelier, color palette and contrast between the dinner table’s dark wood with the white bench. }

{ The arch above the window seating is soft and cottage-like.  As are the open shelves adjacent, similar to our own.  I love the mixture of neutrals painted on the wall, cabinets and island. }

{ Playful way of hanging cushions, functionally.  Great mixture of country textiles. }

 { A clean, simple way to execute a breakfast nook. }

 

{ A banquette can be simulated by over-scaled upholstered benches, rather than those appearing to fade into the wall.  Seating at the same table can be, maybe should be, different!  And love the roman shades in the background. }

{ Yes, I’m drawn to navy stripes.  But beyond them, I like the high back, smooth upholstering around the wall, which is wonderfully detailed with glass cabinets and wainscoting. }

 

 {White and windows.  (Enough said!) }

{ I love this one.  Everything except the sterile metal chairs.  Distressed table, French dishtowel inspired fabrics, ha, and the hydrangeas! }

{ It’s actually a sofa! }

{How wonderful is the deep gray blue woodwork?  And the display recess wall?  And the cushion fabric? }

 { Besides the gilt frames, I like the display cabinets above the seating area, displaying that in a small space, you should feel fine storing things up the wall.  Oh, and I like the hearth too;) }

 { Earthy minimalism.  I bet this room is in California! }

{ The benches mixed with the reclaimed wood table!  Paired with that floor and those French doors?  Winner. }

 

{ I love the contrast between the lacquered black chairs and table with the white beadboard benches. }

·         

·         

My ultimate hope is to knock down the wall between the dining room and kitchen, allowing the casual eating area to be visually connected to the work space.  But I think I can successfully start the dining room project before we get to the kitchen remodel.

Here’s my to-dos:

Materials for L-shaped banquette (One side will be below the window, the other below the existing painting.) 

need:

*plywood

(large for main boxes, narrow for framing out for built-in look)

have:

                *wood glue, staple gun & staples, saw, sandpaper

*beadboard paneling for walls (possibly that is.)

*fabric, batting & foam for custom cushions.

*sconces

*fabric for new café or roman curtains.

*fabric for dining chair slipcovers.  

(we have 6 dining chairs, I’ll keep 3 in the space, opposite the banquette)

*possibly new chandelier, or at lease new glass for our current one.

 &

***pray that our table is the right size for this project...  (ok, so I’ll make it the right size.  or else!)

****to get in gear and do all of the ^

image credits: 1234567891011121314

apples bring cider... & applesauce... & bread!

 

We inherited apples, is it bushels of apples?

I've really been wanting to make apple cider from scratch.  So, I did.

It's a bit messy and naturally you need a lot of apples to make a decent amount of cider, but it's fun and makes your house smell like a home to come home to.

  

Apple Cider

 lots o' apples

water

4+ cinnamon sticks

4+ T. allspice

optional: orange +/- lemon peels

Quarter all apples and place them in a large pot; add enough water to cover apples.  Less water will make stronger cider that can always be watered down at the end.

Boil apples and water, stir often.  Wrap cinnamon (and optional peels) in cheesecloth and drop into apples.  (I tried to use ground cinnamon and the cider results with a grainy texture.)  Add allspice to taste and keep mixture boiling for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on size of batch.

When apples have cooked down, reduce heat to low for another hour.  Turn off heat and you're ready to separate the cider from the solids, aka, applesauce!  Use a strainer... this is the messy part;)

{applesauce}

 {cider}

The cider and applesauce keep for a week.

As I said, you end up with a lot more applesauce than cider.  We couldn't possibly eat all of the applesauce so I used it for the base of a spice bread recipe.  What's great is that because the applesauce can be used to replace butter/oil, the bread is very healthy.

Applesauce Spice Bread

2 c. applesauce

1 c. white sugar

2 eggs

3 T. milk

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. ground allspice

4 T. flax seed

optional: 1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. 

In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, eggs and milk; beat well.  Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt; stir until smooth.

(You may choose to omit spices that already were used in applesauce recipe.)  

Fold in the pecans. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. 

Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes.

Recipe loosely adapted from here.

working girl

I think the main wardrobe difference between college and work has got to be footwear.  I am only partly referring to heals, though they were certainly a brutal awakening; I am talking about the shoes that get you to and from work.  In college, there wasn’t really a distinction, I wore shoes and didn’t think about them.  The ones I chose never slowed me down or prevented me from getting to a meeting on time or making the bus I so desperately wanted to make.  Certainly they always seemed to work with what I was wearing, or at least didn’t totally contradict it.  But now, I can’t really see a way around wearing running shoes with dress skirts and that freaks me out.  I only occasionally let myself make this old lady fashion faux pas and it’s no good when I do, because while I make the bus, I feel awfully frumpy.  However, I think the time it takes to walk a block in heals is ridiculous and because I’m so impatient if I attempt such a walk, I usually look like I’m nose diving forward and my obvious discomfort might just be worse than the running shoes.

But everyone else seems to not have such difficulties.  Working for a major corporation, I see girls dressed to the nine and in addition to their four-inch heels, they’ve mastered how to do their hair, makeup and wear their accessories with total confidence.  No goofiness, no flustered faces.  I’m not sure they’re bringing home much money after clothes shopping, but they look good.  They even always have perfectly painted nails.  All I can say is that it’d make me feel a whole lot better to discover they all spend two hours in the morning in front of a mirror, or that their houses are really messy.  Maybe they have some crazy quirks that their immaculate exteriors are doing well to hide.  Regardless, these girls don’t wear running shoes to work, in fact, their outfits easily transition into evening and they manage to have fun and get up and look good all over again.  Impressive, girls.  I’ll try to step it up…. But in sensible shoes!

Do you think Melanie Griffith had such traumatic wardrobe issues?  Wait, she was a working girl in the eighties (no, not that kind), so she must have.  (Watch the movie, and see the above photo...there’s your proof.)

green hydrangeas

 Our hydrangea bush had white blooms in the middle of the summer and now they're green.  How nice!  They're really pretty and apparently the color change denotes the blooms' decline for the year, but their color and fullness are just as neat as ever.

And yes, I had to ask my neighbor, "Why are my hydrangeas green!"

But did you know that the color of hydrangea blooms are based on the acidity of the soil they're grown in?  This is actually something I've known, quite shocking actually.  In Cape Cod there's the most beautiful ink blue blooms and lots of pink too, unlike here where most are white.

So anyway, as you can see, I've gotten a lot of enjoyment from the long hydrangea season.  And they dry great too!  The obsession continues....

I would like to get into peonies.  Good idea?  White or pink.... hmm, white.

what we ate

 

Fall apples yield cake! 

Of course, what do you think they are for... eating without additional sugar?  Ha.

I modified a recipe I found on trusty Cooks.com, and here's what I came up with:

Fall Apple Cake

For those of us who associate fall with guilty indulgence!  So much so, I made a double batch.

batter:

1 1/2 c. flour

2 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. oil

1 1/2 c. chopped apples, raw

Preheat oven to 325.  In large bowl, mix dry ingredients.  In another, combine egg, milk and oil; pour into dry mixture.  Fold in chopped apples.  Pour into 9x13" greased pan.

Now the good part is what I added.

The Cooks recipe calls for an icing, but I replaced it with homemade caramel dolloped onto the batter before baking.

caramel:

1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

The caramel creates pockets of heaven within the cake.

Cook for 30 minutes.

So far September is tasting pretty, pretty good.

felicity grown up & at home

If you know me, you know that I love Keri Russell.  I love her an unhealthy amount in that I still think she’s Felicity and I still think she’s with Ben.  I still think of her attempting to be an art major and working alongside Javier, with her locks curly and her JCrew clothes adorably assembled.  Apparently real Keri straightens her hair (how could she?) and lives in Brooklyn with a man who does not look like Scott Speedman (shame).

Her 1860s brownstone makes me forgive her transgressions.  Her husband renovated it to be a light-filled shell, with open rooms and few walls.  While her furniture choices stray too far from the nautical for me, they’re beautiful.  What makes the home a home though, is the exposed brick and reclaimed wood, on display everywhere.  Oh, and her appreciation for white!

Enjoy. 

Images from Elle Décor Magazine.