Old Things Renewed ~ The Dining Room

We live in a Craftsman-style bungalow home built around 1920 in a very "Leave it to Beaver" kind of tree-lined, know-your-neighbor, old-town downtown area. It's the kind of street the Hollywood-types sometimes scout for location shots 

for commercials they are hoping will appeal to all viewers. 

It's an average, slightly nostalgic, everyday, American kind of place.

I love the built-in character of our home--

the (drafty) windows and (creaky) hardwood floors. 

One of the happy challenges of living here is keeping 

my decorating/remodeling choices consistent 

(or at least not in conflict) with the existing 

architecture and atmosphere of the house.

Living in an old house makes me want to incorporate lots of old things--

so the different elements look collected over time and not just purchased yesterday.

I found the antique painting on ebay. 

The rocks are from my yard. 

The "Keep Calm and Carry On" sign was made for me by a dear friend.

(She must know about the challenges in my day.)

It's also a constant puzzle to figure out where to store things 

in this place with no hall closets and very limited cupboard space. 

This bench has storage under the seat.

I try to keep up with our family's shifting needs. 

Lately colored pencils, tape, scissors and crafty stuff 

have been in high demand. 

This is my attempt at keeping it pretty and functional.

The plain white linen curtains are a recent Ikea purchase. 

The chalkboard is something I put together--

pressed wooden board of some sort from Lowe's, 

painted with chalkboard paint and framed 

in an old frame I've been carting around for years.

And amaryllis bulbs planted in a soup tureen, 

reminding me that this is the time of the year when life asserts itself, 

starting fresh, pushing through the old, making something new.