good with style: July 2010

My husband and I love the look of a wooden farm table, just like this one (below) in Julie's house on Milk and Honey Home.

It would be perfect in the dining room of our new house (more on that later) since that's where we will eat all of our meals--it's a working kitchen, no room for a table. I honestly don't mind having one place for meals--so often the Dining Room is a seldom-used room and basically just wasted space. I've begun my research into where to find the right table, of course I would prefer a second-hand in-keeping with my sustainable philosophy. I might have to be patient until the right one comes along.

I also love the bathroom in Julie's house--very "shabby chic". I'll admit I am a sucker for Rachel Ashwell. Even her stuff at Target is adorable. It is an unpretentious refinery, the likes of which you might find in an old English manor, like the one in the movie version of Atonement.

I think what I respond to in Milk and Honey's design aesthetic is the organic nature of her home--none of it is contrived, it feels authentic and filled with things she loves rather than following some sort of trend or design edict. Such is with the manor in Atonement, where Keira Knightly's character lives and floats around like a ghost.

Don't you think this Anna French wallpaper (above) could very well have been in the home of Briony Tallis and her sister, Cecilia (portrayed by Keira Knightly)? Nothing in the home is new, everything has an element of value, not like the throwaway items we all populate our homes with today. Wallpaper went up and there it stayed until it became water-stained, peeling away from the wall as if to escape certain death.

Granted, it does takes extra effort to go beyond the easy as 1-2-3 furniture options you can find in catalogs and at the mall. I'm trying to avoid the "fast-food" approach to furnishing my home--McDonald's fries taste the same wherever you go, right? The same goes for certain furniture makers. When I'm more thoughtful (mindful) about what I bring into the my home, I tend to spend less, purchase less, and feel less guilt and anxiety. Keeping this in mind, I know my farm table is out there, and I'm going to make the effort to find it "off-the-beaten-path." Do you have any secret resources you think the world should discover?

(Take a look at this option I discovered online.)

Image 1: Image by Patrick Van Robaey's via Alis 'le Cilga Cay Partisi

Image 2 & 3: Milk and Honey Home via La La Lovely Things

Image 4: Movie still, Atonement

Image 5: Anna French

Image 6: Handmade farm table by Zephyr Tents for Martha Stewart Weddings.

This is part of a series entitled Eco Chic Home//Again which features content from my book, Eco Chic Home.