A CORNER REFRESH + HOW TO QUICKLY CREATE SPACES THAT REVIVE IN YOUR HOME

Hey friends!

If you’re popping over from Instagram thank you and if you just landed here from other places I’d love for you to have you join me and the rest of the community there as you’ll get daily interactions either in my feed or stories. I absolutely love connecting with you all in that way!

So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room here, shall we? I know. The popcorn viburnum has seen better days but we’re not here to talk about that.

Today, we’re here to chat about this corner in our living room that stood still and empty and boring for far too long.

I think we’ve definitely given it a bit more personality with this local vintage find of a table and I’m just so thrilled to be able to continue displaying some of my favorite found pieces and decor that I love in this little corner.

Can you spot the cat scratches?

When I bought it from a local antique shop, the lady at the checkout wanted to be sure I still wanted it as the vendor’s note read “cat scratches on two legs”. Honestly, those “details” only made me love it all the more.

Do I care for cats? No. But I do love a good story and I enjoyed imagining all the good ones this piece could tell.

You all already know how I feel about looking for pieces in our home that have character and a bit of a story so when I realized this wasn’t just wear and were actual cat scratches I felt more connected to the piece.

You’re may also be wondering if I measured the corner or knew the scale would work for the space. If you’ve followed here long enough, you know that I did not. I fell in love with the piece, gave it a good eyeball and said a million prayers.

I wanted to use it in this corner but I knew that if it didn’t work there, I’d absolutely figure out how to use it SOMEWHERE in our house.

PHOTOGRAPHY | Anna Peters

Image originally posted as part of an article on Rip + Tan. You can read more of my interview with Jenni Kayne for Rip + Tan here.

I didn’t have a great pic of the corner before so here’s a photo of me posing for the ‘gram while I dream about ways to make this corner a little more “happy”. This is actually an image I snagged from my interview with Jenni Kaye for Rip + Tan.

THREE WAYS YOU CAN REVIVE YOUR TINY SPACES

(and continue to tell your home story)

1. CREATE A BASE LAYER. What’s your foundation? Here, I added a table. Even though I eyeballed for this space, remember that scale matters. You don’t want to have a small piece of furniture in a massive space and vice versa. As a general rule, if you’re creating a cozy spot with seating and a side table, you’ll want to be sure the side table to extend no less than 2 inches below the arm of your chair or sofa. This means if your chair or sofa is 22”H then your side table should reach no higher than 20”H. Of course, this is the standard. I’m obviously all for breaking rules and ultimately, I’m always an advocate for doing what feels right and good for you. For this corner, this was the perfect scale and shape. Other things to consider: color/tone and texture (type of material)

2. ADD SOMETHING PERSONAL. This is the fun part where you get to really extend the story. If we’re talking storytelling, this is “where the plot thickens”. If this space is going to serve as more than a spot to highlight more of your personality and soul of your home and act as a functional space for you, you’ll want to consider what you need for in order to make it work for YOU. Is it a reading corner? Add your favorite books. Do you like having cough drops or ginger chews when you read? Grab that old silver container or that basket you picked up in Mexico that’s likely sat on and collected dust and put it to good use in that space. Think of ways that you can make it both functional and personal and don’t be afraid to step out of your box or comfort zone when doing so.

3. DON’T FORGET THE LIGHT. Regardless of whether you’re using this special spot for its functionality or to add a bit of character to something empty, light is an important addition in any room. Our living room is one of the brightest in the house and this corner is the source of our natural light. It’s is one of my FAVORITE spots in our house as it offers a full view of our split rail fence and all the green that coats the backyard throughout the year (hello, evergreens of the Pacific Northwest)

I really do love the way this corner is shaping up and can’t wait to continue sharing with you how it will transform but even more, I wanna see yours. Be sure to tag me on IG if you take some of these tips and use them in your own home to create spaces that you love and that help in restoring and reviving YOUR soul.

xo,

Kennesha

INSPIRATION | HOW I USED ANTIQUE AND VINTAGE CLAY POTTERY TO STYLE A SPRING TABLE

It’s no secret that I am big fan (read: huge) of antique and vintage pots and vessels.

With the opening of the shop a couple of weeks ago, I’m all stocked up on all sorts of fun pots and decided to elevate this spring table inspiration some of those found items and I love the way it all turned out.

SHOP THIS POST

This pot makes such a statement in the middle of our dining table and even though it’s brown like the rest, the texture and size help separate it from the rest. It’s definitely one of my faves from this week but who am I really kidding? I can’t resist any of this stuff.

I mean, can you even stand this beauty? Perfectly glazed and aged.

I layered some of my staple white dinner plates and acacia wood chargers with these Moroccan glasses and these slubby new stonewashed linen napkins. They are the perfect cream color and create such a warm and calming vibe for this tabletop inspiration.

I thought adding these Moroccan tea glasses would be the perfect complement to the styling of this tabletop and to the flowers in the pots.

This salt glazed jug adds just the right bit of contrast to this spring inspired table.

Because we know no table or dinner is complete without a good story, I thought it’d be cool to share some of the things I learned with you about some of these pieces as I collected them.

I so adore the rich history that these vessels carry and hope that as you explore your own story and design styles, you’ll find that you connect with these pieces in new ways.

VINTAGE JUGS, CROCKS + POTS AND THEIR PAST LIVES

SALT GLAZED STONEWARE

While salt-glazed stoneware probably originated in the Rhineland area of Germany circa 1400's, it became the dominant houseware of the United States of America circa 1780-1890. Americans began producing salt-glazed stoneware circa 1720 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Yorktown, Virginia. Many of them were used in prohibition for whiskey and other types of liquor at that time.

While salt-glazing is the typical glaze technique seen on American Stoneware, other glaze methods were employed. Vessels were often dipped in Albany Slip, a mixture made from a clay peculiar to the Upper Hudson Region of New York, and fired, producing a dark brown glaze. Albany Slip was also sometimes used as a glaze to coat the inside surface of salt-glazed ware.

CROCKS (U.S.)

The vernacular term "crocks" is often used to describe this type of pottery, though the term "crock" is not seen in period documents describing the ware. Additionally, while other types of stoneware were produced in America concurrently with it—for instance, ironstone, yellowware, and various types of china—in common usage the term "American Stoneware" refers to this specific type of pottery. (Wikipedia, 2021)

xo,

Kennesha

MORE FROM THE SHOP

THE RH VINTAGE + ANTIQUE STYLE GUIDE

I am absolutely thrilled to announce the release of my first digital guide and this one’s a heap of fun cause we’re talking explicitly about one of my favorite things in the whole-wide world: vintage and antique shopping.

In this 30+ page guide I offer you a peek behind the scenes as we adventure together to look at some of my favorite shops from the West to the East coast, what my staples are when I shop, why I love them, how I style them and we even get into some fun historical aspects of some of the items as well cause y’all know I love a good story.

Here’s a little sneak peek at what you’ll be getting. Beautiful imagery combined with some things you didn’t get in my book.

You can purchase the guide here and don’t forget to tell your friends!

xo,

Kennesha