MONDAY: Around the house with Artie - Kilim Treasure Hunt

In our guest room, we have a closet that is filled - literally - to the ceiling with pillows, rugs, and other interesting textiles that Scott bought when he was in Turkey almost 18-years ago. Now, I did a bit of a post on the Turkish kilim's that we have a long time ago here, but even I was amazed at the vast variety of loot that Scott had scored once I started to dig it all out.

This doesn't even begin to pull back a single layer of that closet, but with the big finish of the living room re-do, the foyer re-arrange, and dinner and wine with friends tonight - it's all I'll have a chance to show you today. On the chair, a saddle bag, circa 1930 - 1940 serves as a decorative pillow, while layers of pillow covers sit on the seat of the leather.

I know, it's hard to tell how many there are - so I'll put them out on the floor for you.

Just the top layer - and still nearly 20 of these things in sizes ranging from 12x12 to 23x23. I wonder if he had any trouble getting these back in to the country?

Of course, I was intrigued by the boxes upon boxes of "stuff" Scott had acquired in his travels when we first met, but became even more interested in them when I had to help load them onto the truck before the move here. (Something about carrying 100's of pounds of SOMEONE ELSE'S junk will do that to you.) So, I asked Scott just what was he thinking when he bought all of these textiles. He responded simply: "They were cheap!" Maybe then ... now these things trade for upwards of $100 each, and we've got them piled in a closet. Hmmm, Ebay? Do I hear you callin' my name?

Here you can really see the saddle bag for its full effect. I drape one side over the back of the chair, and fill the side that you lean against with one of my down inserts. Because there is no convenient way to tie them back, I always make sure that the insert has one of the linen covers on it - just in case.

Now, there's a big hint in these pictures for the "Around the House with Artie" posts to come. There's been a bit of a switcheroo around CdlV. Keep checking back to see what's next - and make sure to come back tomorrow for my inspirational spaces post! See you then!

DID YOU MISS MY SUNDAY SAVER POST? DON'T WORRY - JUST KEEP SCROLLING DOWN - IT'S A GOOD ONE!