Styling a Round Coffee Table

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Although I love my round sea grass coffee table purchased at Z Gallerie many years ago, it can be a challenge to style a round coffee table.   I finally found the perfect tray to ground my vignettes on sale at Pottery Barn.  The dark color and smooth wood finish contrast perfectly with the sea grass and tie together with the dark legs.

Last evening, my daughter-in-law gave me a beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas from her yard.  This inspired me to clear off the magazines, mail, and remnants of an earlier tablescape so I could enjoy their beauty.

Taking pictures of vignettes can help you really focus in on the details.  Although this arrangement looked okay, when I looked at this picture, the magnifying glass gets lost.  Adding the books prevented it from disappearing against the dark tray. They also added a linear shape to contrast with all the round and organic elements.

Although my kids think I am at pack rat (I think hoarder is the term they use), I was able to pull together this vignette with things I pulled from my stash.  The Pottery Barn vase was purchased for my daughter's engagement party five years ago.  I found the driftwood at a lighting store in Naples, Florida while helping a client choose a new fixture.  The magnifying glass came from my all time favorite home decor store, Nell Hill's in Atchison, Kansas.  (And I am not going to lie, it has come in very handy when HHM and I do not have a pair of reading glasses close by).   And of course, there is no shortage of design books in every room of my house!

 

Quick tip:  Dip the stems of your hydrangeas in hot water to prolong their life.  I boil water in my teapot, pour into a measuring cup and submerge the fresh cut stem for a few seconds.  Occasionally, I still have a bloom that wilts quickly but for the most part I have found this to be successful









Wendy

Out and About: Metrolina Expo Antique Fair in Charlotte, North Carolina

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Hunky Handy Man and I decided to take a road trip over the Fourth and headed to Charlotte for the Metrolina Expo Antique Fair.  We had visited this show several years ago and fell in love with the city of Charlotte.  Veteran treasure hunters that we are, we know the best items go fast so we left Atlanta at 5 a.m. to be in Charlotte when the show opened.   Driving through some serious storms, we were not sure if this was the best plan!  Would vendors even show up in the downpour?  Did we want to wade through puddles in search of treasure?

 

Despite the weather, we arrived a few minutes before the 9:00 a.m. opening along with a few other diehards.  Although the sky looked threatening, the rain held off and we were rewarded with some great finds.

 

The first booth inside the gate had a basket of what I thought were chick feeders; upon further research, HHM learned they were actually Bass feeders.  I originally bought three of these beauties and when I went back for more, they were sold out!



I also purchased the large galvanized tray (used in a factory for baking bread) and the industrial stool from this charming couple.  They are thinking of coming to some Atlanta shows soon and I look forward to seeing their wares!  I am kicking myself for not buying several other of pieces from their booth.

 

Our next stop was this semi-covered area.  I snatched up this great crewel picture just in time as another customer bought all the remaining needlework pictures. (This one was my favorite anyway).



 

Love the Chinoiserie vase!  The aqua fits perfectly with today's color trends

 

 

Inside the first building, I found several great sewing machine drawers and a safety deposit box.  Normally, I find the inside booths are higher end antiques (and higher priced) but ended up finding several bargains.

 

 

Many of the permanent stalls were not open on the Fourth.  Due to the rain, it was a relatively small show but I was thrilled with the treasures we found.









 

Hunky Handy Man really wanted to buy the fire truck.  Yes, it does have for sale signs in the window.   Our grandson would have been thrilled!

 

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July.  Watch for our further adventures in Charlotte later this week.

 

Wendy