Viv: “Mom, elephants are from Africa.”
Me: “Yep!”
Viv: “You know what they call the people that bring them from Africa to America? Snugglers!”
Author: emmaakoch
A room, by any other name, would never be as sweet.
These days, we spend a lot of time in our playroom. A lot of time doing art. A lot of time playing make believe.
The light in our playroom is some of the best in our house – so it’s a treat to spend lazy Sunday’s lounging here.
It is a transitional room – it used to be our dining room, right off the kitchen. But with small kids around it begged to be reimagined. A seperate space to congregate toys, books, art supplies.
It’s also the perfect spot for a visiting canine to nap in the sun.
Or for the 1-year-old-in-residence to “read” a book.
This room won’t always be a play room – at times I find myself anticipating the day that we can reclaim it as an adult space. Perhaps with leather club chairs, bookshelves, and a game table for poker and 1000 piece puzzles.
Yet in the same instant, I feel the panic of time slipping past. I know with utmost certainty that the moment I sink into that future leather club chair, I will mourn the playroom that it had been, and everything it signified: The messy, chaotic, perfectly imperfect years of raising our babies.
A place to hang your hat
When we put the addition on our house two years ago, we knew we wanted a mudroom – a space to collect coats, bags, shoes…and the literal mud that is tracked in.
This summer we finally took the time to organize and decorate, and I put together this inspiration board as a guide. In the end I didn’t pull the trigger on the pillows. Maybe one day.
And here are some pictures of the final outcome if you’d care to see…
The cotton awning stripe rug is from Dash and Albert. It’s not technically an indoor/outdoor rug, but it washes easily in the washing machine, and it’s inexpensive and soft.
The drawings on the wall are from my childhood, and I love seeing them every day as I come and go.
An antique bureau serves as the dumping ground for “stuff” as we come and go. We found it at an estate sale – solid pine, and I’m told it is over 100yers old. It fits perfectly, as if it were made for that space. The wooden tray on top holds key, sunglasses, spare change. The drawers hold anything from umbrellas, to flashlights, to extra diapers.
There is a cubby nook to the side with bench, hooks, shoe storage below and storage bins above.
Here’s a closer look at the woven bins, which hold our winter gear: scarves, gloves, hats. The oil rubbed bronze hooks are solid brass, from Rejuvenation.
We love having this spec to serve as a collecting ground for shoes, coats, bags. Though it doesn’t always look this clean!
Details
I remember arriving for Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle’s house as a child. The tables were set with family china and an assortment of silver. Nothing matched – there were too many people joining to use only one set – but everything was special.
Did I know how much that meant to me at the time? These special details? Did I appreciate it? Not instantly – I just knew I looked forward to seeing my cousins. Playing Spoons on the living room rug, all generations at once. Eating shrimp cocktail from my grandparents, artichoke dip from my second cousins, creamed onions from my uncle, cornbread pudding from my aunt.
Did I know how much thought, and care went into the planning and execution of such a big event? Not when I was 8, or 10, or 12. Not consciously at least.
But I felt it. The love of family, the tradition of coming together, from near and far, every year. Watching time pass in slow motion.
And these tables, these beautifully set tables, pulled us in, set the mood, gave us a physical place to come together. To talk, to laugh, to tell stories heard again and again, gaining meaning with each additional telling. They gave us a place to linger, and we did.
As I set the table this year, taking time to polish each fork, lay out each plate and glass, iron the napkins and place the candles, I think back on these memories and hope to create a space for family and friends to linger. Our lives are busy, for better or worse, and Thanksgiving is a day to remember to slow down, be thankful, reflect. These special details help jolt us out of our every day routine, and are a reminder to do just that.
Weekend wanderings…
It felt like the perfect weekend, with just the right balance of relaxation and productivity.
Why is that balance often so hard to find?
Too much lounging, and I find myself stressing about not getting stuff done…but too much running around doing errands and I wonder why I can’t just find the time to sit, and smell the roses.
Or, in my case, stare at the beautiful leaves! Look at those colors, just stunning.
On Saturday, I made a Thanksgiving centerpiece. A few friends and family came to join, and we spent an hour drinking bubbly and arranging flowers.
Perhaps this was the key to such a satisfying weekend – the perfect combination of productivity and fun. Hanging with friends while getting stuff done.
Here are some of the results! Not bad right?
I did two of these for our table.
Sunday was filled with more outdoor time…
And more Thanksgiving prep. While polishing silver we came across these beauties. I will be sure to make a big soup next weekend just for an excuse to use them.
And finally, chili, football, and a healthy dose of play.
What is your recipe for a perfect weekend?
plainly mundane 