Where it All began…

I’m not sure exactly where my love of old beautiful things truly began. But I can tell you that my eyes and heart are drawn to the treasures of the past. I wonder about their stories, who held them and used them. I adore the warmth and beauty mixing old and new decor in my home and business brings to each room and vignette. When my spaces around me are well thought out and the lighting is just right…that’s when I want to curl up in a cozy spot and spend precious time with those I love.

I can remember my great grandparent’s home- sort of a shrine of things past. They once owned a country store and gas station. When it closed, it looked as though they just closed the doors and left most things just where they were. Over time, the gas pumps were taken away, the things that were needed were used and the space began to collect - stuff and dust. There was a little room off to the side where the store’s freezers were kept and still used for household goods. A tiny path marked the way from one end of the store around a corner right to that useful space. As a child, the stuff had piled higher than my head and there was one light bulb dangling from the center of the room with a long string hanging just about to the floor. When the need arose to grab some meat or cheese, my nana would open the door from the main house and I’d sprint down the miniscule path between piled boxes and antiques hidden in the dark. I always wondered and sometimes would ask what sort of treasures loomed in the dark beyond the path we would so often take. Everything from the original cash register, my grandfather’s military chest full of uniforms, gallon glass pickle and candy jars, Shiney Bright Christmas ornament boxes next to the silver aluminum tree that was all the rage decades before, and antiques I would love to see again today, lined the walls of the old store. It might have even been holding up the walls!

So maybe that’s where my love of old things began. I related those items to my people- Daddy O and Mama Esther. Their hard-working hands held those items and marked their lives as the next generation came into the world. While I treasure the memories, I also love to curate and create warm spaces for my own family. You are welcome to join me on this journey as I set out to discover and create spaces that mark the memories of my own family and friends. Let’s go see what we can find!