Autumnal tones in the Dining Room

I always look forward to each new season;

Fall is winding down and winter is almost here.

Having a neutral backdrop has made my seasonal decorating 

so much more enjoyable.

Subtleties of color and texture can be felt more easily.

and one small change can make such a difference.

These brown transfer plates hanging below the sconces

 have been up since I repainted the dining room last year.

I've kept things mostly earthy tones, using "nature" as my teacher.

I remember when I was newly married, a magazine article

which featured the elements of Country French style.

Funny, I don't know where that article is now,

but I remember the jest of it.

It was how Country French married the rustic

and utilitarian of the countryside with the elegance of the Court.

I've always loved "elegant" tempered with "farmhouse".

I like Old World baskets tucked underneath and on top, 

holding essentials like linens and pottery;

The feel of antiquity being at home with the practical.

I wanted a new tablerunner, 

or something to change out my late Fall table.

I had it in my mind, trying a dozen different things in here.

Then I dug through my material bin

 and found this elegant piece of muted floral silk.

I didn't have enough, so my elegant silk

paired up with a utilitarian drop cloth for the ruffle.

And a chenille tapestry pillow tops an old crazy quilt 

with a velvet border on my old church pew.

I painted this church pew white last Spring;

Before, it had been black.

...love the white.

As you can see a small tree is up waiting for it's decorating.

(right after Thanksgiving)

I love layering vintage mirrors; multifaceted reflections.

My sheep and lambs are always here on the buffet

 in their special place.

Tomorrow I'm showing "the details" of this room.

Hope you'll come back.

And if you haven't joined in for the 

All Things French Give Away

then click here to enter!

I'm joining in with the parties this week,

Between Naps on the Porch

Cottage and Vine

The Tablescaper

Tomorrow, It's in the Details...

xoxo,

Take a Walk on the Dark Side

I love my white and shabby, and my white and frenchy, and my white and cottage-y, but I also love my "black".  Especially when this time of year rolls around.  We drag out the jack-o-lanterns, and the creepy and spooky, so I'm lovin' all things dark, Victorian, and a little off beat. The Victorians knew how to use "dark" so well in decor; heavy tapestries, lush fabrics, dark woods, and vibrant hues of the deepest colors.

These are the things that have inspired me this time around,

putting together my outside soiree. 

Actually, this very old parlor table cloth was my inspiration.

I found it several years ago and have used it as a base 

for many Fall and Halloween displays.

It's made entirely of silks with so many wonderful fabrics.

All edged and banded in black.

It's tattered and threadbare in places,

but it has always reminded me of a "party"

 with it's gorgeous pieced patterns and festive "banner" design.

I rummaged through my storage room

 dragging out this large black mirrored candle sconce.

I'd found these two sets of orange cups and saucers too,

they had to be used!

A couple of vintage cabinet cards

sugar and creamer,

old wire basket with some Fall flowers,

and of course my fine feathered friends are here.

The two caned seat antique chairs are a set that I keep downstairs 

at a round table for games or computer work when the kids are visiting.

The small table is an old sewing machine base with a wood top,

which usually sets behind my loveseat in the fireplace tv viewing area.

An antique luggage stand with an old tray holds my heavy pottery teapot.

My napkins and silver are tied up with a jute string and a

freshly picked soft maple leaf or two.

I have a funny story to tell you. I'm my dad's daughter and I don't like to let things go to waste, so I tear up old bread and throw it toward the back of the yard for the birds and critters. We live by the lake and woods and we have "critters". The crows have been my lunch guests lately as they love the organic sprouted grain bread that I buy. The whole time I was out here setting up the table they were perched in the trees "talking" to me. If you've been around crows for long, you know they have a variety of "voices" that they use. It's a real chorus of strange and creepy...

So....I had taken some photos and came inside to download them, checking to see how things were looking. When I came back downstairs my husband said it had been really noisy outside and that the cats were spooked. I go back out to take some more photos and one crow was knocked over and the other one was on the ground; nothing else out of place. We think they saw my fake crows as interlopers and didn't want them to share in the goodies. very strange...

So glad you dropped by for the fun...

watch out for the crows!

I'm partying with

I'm up to my eyeballs in Fall!!!

xoxo,

www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com