Beautiful Bars

I'm still working on my little apartment, and I've found myself somewhat stuck - waiting for the right things to come along, and for inspiration to strike. Last night, nearly two months after I started, I finally finished the floor in the entry hall and dining room. Cutting those final, narrow strips was not the easiest thing I've ever done, so I had left it unfinished for far too long.

I'm planning on taking pictures of the apartment this weekend, and I'm actually pretty excited about sharing the space with all of you. This apartment really has some of my most favorite things, and frankly, some of the nicest things I've ever owned. Last night, as I started thinking about photos of vignettes and angles to get the best pictures of the rooms, it occurred to me that I really needed some fun pieces for the bar I've set up on an antique dresser in my dining room. Bar tables and bar carts are some of the most interesting things to style. Unlike other vignettes which can be purely decorative, these spaces have to function. The pretty things that you scatter on top/bottom/shelves have to be as useful to your guests as they are beautiful to you.

I figured if I needed inspiration, you might, too! So, I'll share with you some of the photos I found of brilliant bar set-ups, and a few fun items that I think might be both functional AND pretty for the home bar. Ready!?

What's great about this bar? Well, to start, it's accessible. Nothing worse than having people feel like they have to dig for things. If you have an alcohol you want to share with your guests, it should be out and free for them to pick up and pour. Secondly, it's purposeful and pretty: books, flowers and art all keep it from feeling like you just put all the bottles of things you own on a table. 

I love keeping lemons, limes, and other garnishes out for dinner party guests to make their own cocktail. Leaving them out all the time is wasteful though, as I don't drink at home by myself. But I share this image for another reason: the silverplate. If you can score it, beautiful silverplate pieces can be a real gem in a bar. A mint julep cup can be a great storage container for straws (above) and tarnished pitchers become great vases. 

I also love the idea of trays on a bar table. Trays allow you to corral things apart from your liquor, like your martini shakers, stirrers, etc.. This burl wood tray fits beautifully here, holding an assortment of leather wrapped bar accoutrements. 

This is really lovely, and pairs up a lot of the things that I love in a bar - both beautiful and functional. Trays: they're great in multiples, and they don't have to match! Thoughtful mixers! If you have the space, keep a few small bottles of ginger ale, soda water, and tonic. Tarnished silverplate. Here they have old silver and glass coasters, and a silver tray that's perfect for cocktail napkins. 

If you have the space, adding lighting to your bar table is also a great idea! Here, there's a ton of space, so matching buffet lamps flank art and anchor that niche. This set up is lovely for commercial use (as it is here) or for a large gathering. Personally, I don't like keeping glassware on a bar table all the time. Keeping your glassware in a closed cabinet after cleaning will ensure that it's ready to go for unexpected company (i.e., no dusting, etc.) plus, it's less likely that you'll have breakage. Afterall, we are talking about alcohol here people. Can you image someone who has had one too many at the corner of this bar? CRASH! Be thoughtful about not only what you have on your bar, but also where it's placed. If you do choose to keep your glassware on the cart or table, try to guard it from easy tipping. Last thing you want to do at a party is clean up broken glass! 

Here's another great bar, with lots of lovely things, and glassware stored correctly! If you are going to store your glassware on a bar cart, do so with the glass facing downward, and corralled in a tray. It'll save you a lot of headache, I promise! Also, things like your corkscrew can be beautifully decorative and also functional! If you happen to have them, you can store your bitters in flasks instead of the brown bitters bottles, and again, cocktail napkins are never a bad idea! 

These napkins come in a set of 8 from Crate and Barrel, for just $14.95

I am absolutely in love with these white linen hemstitched napkins from Amazon. You CAN NOT beat the price. A full dozen for just $18.95!

I personally prefer cloth napkins to paper. They take a little more effort, washing, folding, ironing stiff - but I think that the little touches like having cloth napkins is something that people remember and appreciate. It's a simple thing that goes a long way. 

Another great thing for styling your bar for parties, beyond the lemons and limes, is a small pot of herbs, like mint or cilantro. We talked a little about lighting for your bar, and lamps are always a great choice if you can fit them in. If you can't, candles may be a better way to go! Candles provide a beautiful ambient light, and if you have the room, a match strike is also a pretty piece you can keep on your bar! 

This marble one from Simon Paul Scott is incredible. 

And this little porcelain one from Hudson Grace is also lovely.

I did a book review on a really beautiful little book, perfect for the bar, called The Craft Cocktail Party. It's a wonderful book on creating beautiful and impressive craft cocktails for all occasions.

Flowers are lovely in any location, at any time. But cut flowers can be expensive to replace. One thing that is much easier, long-lasting, and just as beautiful (in my opinion) is a nice ivy or fern in a beautiful container or urn. 

My friend Joan, who blogs about her lovely home and her life in New Hampshire on her very popular blog, for the love of a house, is a master of all things interior design, including peppering houseplants into the rooms of her amazing home. Here, her bar, neatly contained in a woven basket has all the things I've been talking about: great lighting with a lamp and candles, accessible space for pouring drinks, and a kangaroo fern to add a little life to the vignette. 

What you may not be able to make out in this photo is the soda and mixers, to the far right of the basket, an antique hotel silver ice bucket, and bitters contained in wicker wrapped flasks. Yes, I think Joan's bar is perfect! Including that soapstone topped iron work table Joan found while antiquing in Maine. She switched the original wood top for the soapstone during her kitchen remodel. 

Now that I'm fully inspired, I hope you are too. I'm off to find a few beautiful things for the photoshoot tomorrow, hopefully these darn tulips will start to weep, and the lilies will open up. Have a great weekend!

The Joy of Staging: It's not always glamorous!

I know I said I would post pictures of the office today, but Scott needed my help ... and you know how that goes. You see, Scott's a new realtor, and is really doing a fantastic job of making a name for himself in the Western New York market. He works hard, and has a lot of passion and drive - so it's no surprise that he is doing better than even we had expected. One of his most recent listings, a large ranch in one of Buffalo's most esteemed neighborhoods is a fixer for sure, but at the low low price of $275,000, it's definitely got room for improvements and magnificent resale, as houses in the area trade in the mid-$400K to $1.7M range.

The first time I saw the house was to take pictures for Scott's real estate listing. Filled to the rafters with every imaginable item, the house was in severe need for a deep cleaning and purging of personal trash and clutter. The estate concluded the same, and hard working Scott set out to help them do just that ... in 3-days!

Of course, I got to do the fun part ... setting up vignettes and space planning. Scott, busted his rump filling up TWO 30-yard dumpsters. Still, with a nothing budget, and essentially a dumpster full of accessories and the existing furniture - we were able to throw these rooms together in just a few hours so that Scott's real estate photos didn't have the producers of hoarders calling.

The very large, and very dirty Master Bedroom when I Scott and I first saw it.

The same room after some help from Scott and me.

Another view of the room (before) different angle. And the same room, same angle after. The estate elected to leave the antique pieces because the appraised value wasn't what they had hoped. After a little digging, I was able to find those great yellow leather bags, a couple of dresses and books for the table beside the bed. The Victorian settee was crowding a corner in the living room - but it looks right at home here proving how large this master suite really is!

The den/family room before. What a mess.

The den/family room after. The built in's are actually not that awful. Solid mahogany, they're perfectly functional and in beautiful condition. The set of doors to the far right close up a built in wet bar, complete with mirror and tri-colored fluorescent lights. I spared you that photo!

Same room before, different angle.

Same room after, same angle. The floor in this room is one of the only ones I'd keep if we were to move into this massive house. It's cork, and dates back to when the house was built in 1953. A sort of satillo pattern with diamonds and hexagons it's in good shape and certainly adds more interest than the wall to wall in the rest of the house.

And lastly, one of the better vignettes. There wasn't much to work with after the house was ran-sacked of treasures by the family. No art, no impressionable accessories ... but I did the best I could, and though it's still dated and the furniture is destined for the curb, it's far better than the before - don't you agree?

Right out of an episode of hoarders, isn't it? This was disgusting, and if you could only imagine the stench that comes from this sort of uncleanliness! Truly vile. The heirs of the estate came in and literally ran-sacked the place turning drawers upside down looking for the million dollars they were sure existed ... but in what drawer?

After, and without the million dollars (that was never found by the way). A special thanks to our friend Dorothy who came in tonight to help clean up the kitchen. Scott had done a great job of getting rid of the clutter, but we wouldn't have been able to see the true value of this mid-century kitchen without Dorothy.

They went crazy with those veneered walls, huh? Same room, looking into the breakfast area and through the doorway to the living/dining. Again, if smell-o-puter existed ...

And now - the table perfectly dressed for a breakfast in 1954. I found these plates, a pre-curser to the similar melamine plates, but not fiestaware, in the cabinet. So out they came. Washed up, they're too cute!

Wanna do dishes in that sink? Yeah, we didn't either. To the dumpster it goes, making room for:

And yes, even more clutter and chaos. It still shocks me to think that someone lived this way for such a long time. Devastating. Especially when it could have looked like this:

Just behind that wall of darling 1950's ovens is the laundry room. See that green glow in the background? I'm not a fan of fluorescent fixtures - but the glow you get from that light on that green - just spectacular.

And the last image of filth. The darling space for table and chairs on the other side of the breakfast bar ... begging for a table, and some love.

If you're interested in purchasing the house, check out the MLS listing here and give Scott a call. And if you're local and need someone to help you stage for sale: email me! And if you're local and you're looking for an excellent and reputable professional cleaning service for one-time or daily housekeeping, email me and I'll pass along Dorothy's info.

By the way, are you looking for the perfect home accessory in your new home?

Click on the photo to be redirected to some of the most beautiful glass art ever made!