A Little Quirk
May 28, 2015
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I've been in a mood to decorate the house lately -- I get in grooves with certain things, whether it be DIY, organizing, decluttering or decorating. Rarely am I in the mood for all of them at once. :)
Lately I've been more interested in the last two and I think it's because I know the three of us will all be home all day here shortly. I want to get the house decluttered again and looking pretty for summer. (Even though keeping it that way will be a constant battle.)
As I've been addressing certain areas of the house I've noticed that a few of my favorite pieces (and some I get asked about most here) are those that have a little quirk factor. I LOVE things like that -- to me that means something that may be a little old, maybe a little out of place with the rest of your decor. Or it can just be something totally fun and cute that add some whimsy to the house. Maybe whimsical is a better way of describing them?
I think these items go a long way to making your house unique -- and that's the kind of stuff that gets me most excited about decorating.
One of my all time favorite additions to our house are the metal spoon and fork set above the kitchen pantry:
Actually -- there are a few things about this corner that I love. The utensil set is one, the dinner bell (found at HomeGoods) is another. And the glass pantry is one of those little things that adds some character to the house. You can see more about that here and how I covered the glass here.
They are small projects (OK, the door was a bit more involved), but they each add some interest where there wasn't much before:
Another favorite in the kitchen is the cutest planter I found years back at a local shop. It had to come home with me:
I'm not even a big animal decor in the kitchen person -- I think all that stuff is adorable but I don't add a lot of it. But this little piggy is the sweetest and I love him:
Last year while looking through another one of my favorite shops I found these brass men and women signs:
I got them a local shop (here) and get so many compliments on them when we have people over. The bonus is people know exactly where the bathroom is! ;) Ha! They are nice heavy brass which I love too. They are a more modern addition but that's another thing -- don't be afraid to stretch your comfort zone a bit. I think that makes for the most interesting home.
I shared my favorite toilet handle (you don't have one??) years back:
I got this one at Lowe's and they are crazy easy to change out (I share how to do it in that post). It throws visitors for a loop at first but they quickly figure it out. :)
I have a small obsession with brass animals -- they are my favorite item to look for at thrift shops. You can usually find some at Goodwill and I always find them at thrift/antique shops:
I use a little brass polish to get them cleaned up. I love the darker brass look they get with age:
One of my favorite finds of all time are these brass elephant bookends:
They were more than I wanted to spend so I left them the first time I saw them -- but couldn't get them out of my mind. You know they were meant to be when you go back to the thrift store days later and they're still there waiting for you. ;)
The elephants are in excellent condition -- I think they are probably in the top five favorite of purchases I've ever made. And aren't elephants supposed to bring good luck? I love them.
For a person that doesn't like a lot of animals in the kitchen, I sure make up for it in the rest of the house. I came across these ADORABLE stuffed birds recently:
I'm telling you what. I got them home and clipped them in my big money tree and may have giggled a bit and then may have squealed. Come on…those are the cutest! And they aren't in your face cute -- you'd only find them if you really looked around our house. Quirky and fun and exactly what I'm talking about. (I got them at a local sale.)
If we're talking quirky and whimsical then I can't leave out one of my craziest ideas ever -- changing a rarely used closet to a book nook for me my son:
I shared more about the nook here. A sweet reader sent the pirate metal art that sits above it -- again, one of those unique pieces that is really special to me. There's not a lot in my home that I get too upset about if it gets ruined (with four animals that's not rare) -- but if something like this were to break I would be a little heartbroken.
Do you have any unique items in your home that you love? Or do you have quirky parts to your house that you've made work for you? If I were to build a house from the start again it would have all kinds of unique little spots in it. These are the fun parts of design and decor! And they aren't always from the antique shop -- plenty can be found at regular department stores, you just have to think outside the box. :)
Love that area but esp the john handle! How cool is that! And the pantry door, only as messy as my pantry stays, glass would not work for me! lol
ReplyDeleteCute! I've found that a few things that I always keep up are a couple of crafts from my daughter and nephew. One is a cardboard circle that my daughter decorated with paper flowers to be a "wreath" for me. It's bee hanging on the floor lamp for years now. Another is a white construction paper dog outline with dot marker spots. My nephew made it in preschool for me and he is now almost 13. He was never into art and never made stuff, so it is really special that he made it just for me. It's on the door to the laundry room.
ReplyDeleteI really love everything but especially the BookNook and the pig planter in the kitchen. It's true that the whimsical adds so much! I found a lovely wood cat crouching and it sits beside the rails of the steps leading upstairs. It takes awhile to see him, but he's perfect there.
ReplyDeleteI love unexpected touches! Our mudroom decor is completely devoted to our dogs. We have a large print of three labs hanging there and a quirky hook for the leashes shaped like a chocolate lab. I am not an animal art type of person at all, but I love it. I also have a brass angel wing on a stand sitting on my bookshelf that I absolutely love.
ReplyDeleteI love the fork & spoon, but I also ADORE the black doors. They give such a great pop. I might just have to start painting some doors black :)
ReplyDeleteSarah
Midwest Darling
Quirkiness is the charm that makes a house a home! I love all your little touches, especially those bookends! You were totally right to go back and get them. :-) I like to have at least one smaller quirky piece in each room. I have an old man head planter that I made in high school in our living room. He is so cute with a cherry little plant sticking up like its his hair. In the foyer, I have a bird lamp. Yep, the base is a bird and it has a burlap lampshade. It was a Homegoods love at first sight scenario! Hubby just shrugged his shoulders when I walked in with it! Hehe! ;-) He doesn't even ask anymore. Thanks for sharing are your adorable quirkiness :-)
ReplyDeleteLove all of these! But I want to know what kind of plant you have in the pig. I love the way it is growing!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember but I will try to find the name of it! It's a sweet little plant!
DeleteBeautiful home with lots of neat and "quirky" touches! I love the nook and the fork and spoon over the pantry :)
ReplyDeleteLove all these quirky finds! I am now on the hunt for a toilet handle like your powder room's.
ReplyDeleteBTW, maybe it's just my dirty mind, but are the brass birds positioned 'a certain way' on purpose or by accident? LOL! Or perhaps it's just the angle of the photo? Anywho, just thought I'd point it out, haha!
Ha! No, I didn't even notice that!
DeletePlease tell me how you got the fork and spoon to hang on your wall that way. I've tried mine with the Velcro strips but there not strong enough for them to hold up because of the curves on the fork and spoon. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant to get back to you sooner! For both I used something called a disc hanger on the back of the wider end and then a nail in the other end. They are great little hangers.
DeleteGreat little projects!! I love, love that reading nook, I would love to create one of those now and I don't have any kids!!
ReplyDeleteLauren Baxter | LB Designs
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So cute! I especially love all the little metal accents like the men/women bathroom signs and all the birds. My favorite quirky pieces are the ones that have a story. I have all sorts of things inherited from my mom and grandma, and I love the silliness and sweetness of seeing those things around my home. I think little pieces like this help your home tell your story, and I love that! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSarah, I had to smile when I saw your little brass partridges. I received a set of those as a wedding gift when I was married in 1976! Mine are long gone...sold in a garage sale I suppose. I should have kept them! Love all your quirky touches but the bathroom signs would be one of my favs!! Love your blog and your decorating style.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this post and love the brass animals :) Probably our biggest quirk in our house is my complete lobster exoskeleton from when I worked at an aquarium a couple of years ago. I knew our lobster was about to molt so I called dibs on the shed (it's a coveted item amongst aquarists!), and sure enough there it was one morning a few weeks later. I carefully pulled it out of the tank and put it in a large box up high to dry. It's HUGE and sits at the top of our entertainment center, those long antenna hovering over us...I think alot of our guests aren't quite sure what to think still :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I love those quirky treasures that make a house YOUR home. I like to display 'treasures' from the past. A chinese checkerboard from my childhood hanging on the wall, my great-grandparents' picnic basket with an artificial plant spilling out (no watering in that basket), a small metal electric fan my mother-in-law used in her beauty shop for 50 years (still works). LOL, I think I've taken up enough space listing my treasures. Thank you for validating my quirky decorating style. Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE quirky things in a home! It's what makes the house personal. I recently got a cow face painting. It makes me laugh every time I walk into the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I am going to have to check out that store and pick up some bathroom labels :) We move in a month and I can't wait to start decorating!
ReplyDeleteThose elephant bookends are the cutest things ever!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I love all these items. I have a always admired the utensils in your kitchen. I'm big on stuff like this. I think they really add your personality to your home. Love your home!
ReplyDelete