I’ve spent years trying to reclaim our first floor as “adult space”.  Toys ‘R Us is NOT a decorating store.  The last stand was the kids little white art table at the end of the kitchen island.  That poor thing saw some wear and tear, and a good deal of Gorilla Glue.  Last summer, I finally convinced the family that with a dining room table, 4 end tables, a kitchen table so beyond repair that it’s now available for craft time, a 6-seater on the back porch, and double island, (did I forget to mention the girls have a 4 seat tea table in their playroom?), it’s POSSIBLE we have ENOUGH flat surface area.  As the resident paper-picker-upper I’ve learned that my family will cover as much table space as I give them, so at some point, less is more.

After I sold the art table and 2 chairs for a whopping $2, the little space at the end of my island felt lonely.  I keep my kitchen pretty bare because I like a commercial-style look to my cooking space (no knick knacks requiring relocation every time I pull out a cutting board), but some warmth here and there is also nice. When I browse antique stores, I always have a list in the back of my head: small bookshelf, lace to match a skirt I’ve been pulling together for 12 months, framed transoms to hang above the couch, antique hand mirrors…sometimes I get really lucky, but usually I don’t.  It’s not a treasure hunt if you hit gold every time you look!

Yesterday, as we were walking out of a little store in Pendleton, Indiana, my Mom spied it.  She said, “OH LORI!  There it is!”  It was buried under what-nots and filled with books, so I wasn’t even sure it was for sale.  But, as it often goes in antique stores, everything is for sale.  This very sturdy and well-made little shelf set me back a grand $25 (plus the $3 I spent on trinkets to pay my 2 little treasure hunters).  It’s exactly what I had in mind, and holds all of my favorite cookbooks.  Sara asked me if I was going to repaint it white, and I might.  I think I’m going to live with it for a while before I decide. I just now realized there is a piece missing on the front.  Easy fix.  Has anyone noticed how furniture made these days seems almost disposable?  I could jump on this thing and it wouldn’t move.  My cookbooks are heavy, and far too heavy for my kitchen cabinets.  No more standing on my tip toes and grabbing step stools every night while I cook!