{House}: Browser Window Shopping for Dining Room Decor.

 It is funny how it seems like you say that a room is "done" and then you leave it for a year and realize you want to make changes. I'm learning that is life with a house.

Here's our living room as it was a week ago:

Before our big kitchen renovation, we had a door on the wall by the china cabinet:

Since getting rid of that useless door, that corner has been seeming kind of dinky and bare:

I decided that I wanted a small dresser to use as serving ware storage as well as somewhere to put side dishes when we have people over for dinner. I surfed Craigslist and kept my eyes out at my usual haunts and hadn't found anything.

On my week off before starting school back, my mom suggested going out to one of my favorite antique stores, Sheffields. It is in Collierville so we don't get out there too much (which is a good thing, probably) so it was a fun adventure for us, the dynamic mom-daughter duo.

While at Sheffield's, we found a lot of fun pieces that would be great in my dream house, as well as some practical pieces I could consider for the dining room re-do. Check out some of what we saw:

There was this fabulous china cabinet - I was lusting after the panes in this cabinet hard. It was the perfect mix of clean lines and feminine style and had a mirror in the back of the cabinet. Alas, no need for this in my house.

The first contender for my dresser needs was this turquoise guy. He was painted in a distressed fashion and was in great shape. It was a bit too wide though.

As we made our way around the (gigantic) store, I saw little things I loved too, like this yellow cake stand:

And this sweet pillow:

I also saw this and thought it was a great idea for jewelry - get a bright colored trouser hanger and hang your necklaces and earrings from it:

Another great eye-candy booth was the one with gobs of fiestaware. I have my mom's fiesta collection and love it. I don't have many serving pieces for it and would love to have some so I'm on the look for platters and such. I've also seen some of the fun Christmas platters by Fiesta (like in the top right) and think those are so cute.

I ended up getting this beauty below - I've been told repeatedly that every Southern lady needs an egg tray and I have lots of memories of holidays with deviled eggs and pickles on a platter.

I also loved this tea set in one booth. It looked to be maybe 1950's?

Back to more furniture, we saw this serving side buffet that I loved. I could see this in a library of a house with whiskey glasses and a little liquor collection.

Then we saw this antique kitchen cabinet, clearly taken out of someone's house, maybe a butler's pantry? I lusted majorly after this piece... but there just isn't space in our house. So I said goodbye, snapped my picture, and walked away.

Another dresser contender popped up on the way, this turquoise one was super cute. The handles on the drawers actually coordinated well with my existing china cabinet so it was a major contender. I also liked that it was a little taller and had more dresser space.

And then there was this cute guy. I loved the simplicity of it but thought the color and the scale was wrong.

Now this one.... he almost went home with me. He was beautiful. He was in great condition, was different than most things I had seen, and would be a piece to last me. But he did not go home with me. Something else was to come...

And so with my mind set on the sideboard above, I kept walking and checking out everything else. This dresser was another good option:

I also saw this fun yellow cabinet... which got me thinking.... I had been wanting a display cabinet for my pyrex collection in the kitchen. And there went the wheels, starting to spin. This particular cabinet was too small but it was worthy of a picture:

I also saw this enamel top dressing table and mirror. I've got a thing for enamel top and loved this piece.  Good thing my guest room is full or else I might have tried to get this.

Here was another dresser too. I loved this one's color.

And then I saw "it." "The one." This red kitchen hutch was completely not what I set out to find on this trip. I was set on a dresser but had been considering something for the kitchen and this was exactly what I had no idea I needed. The sideboard in my kitchen currently was 36 inches - the exact width for the spot in the dining room. And so we were set.

My mom got the hutch for my birthday as an early present (thanks, Mom!!) and Jake and I went back to get it the next day. Here it is at home in its spot:

The color is spot on and the size is exactly right. I'm going to put pyrex and other kitchen things on the shelves.

Which leads me to the dining room. With the hutch in the kitchen, the spot that looked like this before this trek:

Now looks like this, thanks to a new-to-the-room sideboard (that I got at an estate sale for my birthday two years ago) and a pinterest project:

So all in all, a great trip to Sheffields, a new kitchen hutch, a solution to the dining room decor, and a bonding moment with mom. It's a good life.


In antiques and early birthday presents,