My dresser is especially dear to me. It was the very first piece of furniture I bought. I'd scoured the local classifieds for a pine dresser for my first house and could just afford to stretch to this.
It was horridly orange when I saw it in a dark little bungalow with my dad. The chap selling it was very shaken up after two previous people ended up scrapping over it in the street!? He was quite glad that dad and I spent just five minutes in his house, handed over the dosh and took it off his hands.
I painted it white quite swiftly and it desperately needs re-doing, but part of me is quite attached to the scuffs and dinks that family life have wrought upon it. Over time I've moved on from displaying pale and chintzy china to bolder, chunkier pottery that I much prefer and suits our home much better. The whole thing is a moving, growing display of memories and day to day life which is what I love about it so very much.
The Liberty bunting was a decoration at my 40th party, there are photos of cherished nephews, endless piles of correspondence from school, junk shop and flea market pottery, holiday postcards and pretty cards, presents for wrapping, uniforms needing mending, sewing kits, a colourful tea cosy, favourite mugs and teapots, a pleasingly shaped jug from Lyme Regis, chargers, a cheese dish, sellotape, glue and crafty mess in the drawers - a beautiful, much treasured mess. Home xxx
29 comments:
My perfect dresser! It was funny seeing how many things I have too. I have the honey pot to your jam pot, some Sarah Bowman cards and an enamel tea pot like the green one. I haven't got round to painting mine yet. Must get on that. I love your home style Steph, it is very natural and cosy but stylish too.
Ruth x (no blog etc but long time reader in Suffolk!)
Thanks Ruth ats really kind! How fab that you have similar things, they're all very beautiful and lovely to handle I think. Thanks for your sweet words and for reading my blog xxx
I've got a bit of a thing now for big bold cupboards, they are crammed with rubbish! Your dresser is wonderful, a great way to display your families treasures :) xxx
How lovely, I could really do with a dresser in my kitchen to store all my bits and pieces. Love that it's been with you a while! X
I love your dresser - I have always wanted something similar. One day perhaps!
I'm a fan of chunky potter. My dresser is also covered with the happy detritus of family life, plus cake tins, hare print jugs, bowls and bunting too :o)
I ADORE your baskets! I've been looking for one today with no avail! Beautiful 😍
Your dresser collection is great, I love the way you make it seasonal and I try to do the same. Mine looked lovely at Christmas with a mix of vintage finds from charity shops, and at the moment it's a mix of red winter berries and silver tarnished glass. I'm looking forward to moving on to a more springlike theme.
Looks like you've got snow up north? We're battling with strong winds and sleet but live in hope. Antonia x
Thank you, found mine over a few years. Local flea market was best hunti g ground for all of them. Hope you find one soon x
My parents have a couple of these. No more school uniforms but treasures form 4 children and 11 grand children, pictures, cards, broken and glued together mugs, trinkets, plates, hats, scarves, anything that can be fitted on is in there. I am sure they thought the clutter would clear when we all left home too. Hahaha. ;)
Oh I just spotted the tea cosy. My parents had one in green and yellow with the blob tassel and egg cosies to match. :)
So beautiful! Love the mugs and the baskets and all the little treasures!
:-) mano
It's absolutely lovely, I especially like the card and the curlew mug. Wonderful, a real homely thing. CJ xx
It's beautiful!!
Anne xx
I loved seeing your pictures and all the lovely collectibles you have. Is that an Emma Bridgewater mug? I received her teapot for Christmas. I wish you a wonderful weekend!
Your dresser is gorgeous; a true reflection of family life. I love the curlew mug - very appropriate! My dresser is still unpainted - I'm mot sure I'm brave enough, just in case I instantly regret it. It's also covered in kilner jars full of grains and pulses, so not nearly as pretty to photograph. I am thinking of treating it to a bit of bunting though! Have a happy Sunday. x
treasured mess x love that. x a dresser was the first we bought for our first house, I still love it x
your dresser is lovely ! ihave always wanted one myself, such a good way to display your treasures and you have some lovely treasures too.
i do like that black and white etching of the greenhouse and garden, could i ask who the artist is?
thanks for a wonderful cheerful blog , you are always one to look forward to.
susan
I love your dresser, too! Sadly I don't have room for one in my house, though I've always wanted one. I've just got 3 shelves between cupboards in our kitchen which is my version! Jen
Hi Steph, I absolutely love your dresser and you have the 'knack' of decorating it in such a lovely, homely way. I love that it reflects your family life and changing tastes - that is as it should be. Best wishes, Emma
Love your dresser. Mine is very similar. I think these dressers are a very "British" thing, and because I am Canadian a lot of my friends find it strange yet fascinating. So much pretty stuff, yet a jumble at the same time! XOXO
www.queenbcreativeme.blogspot.com
I LOVE your dresser, Steph. Sadly, when we moved to this house, there was no room for my dresser (we call it a china cabinet here in Canada) in the kitchen so it sits in the basement, sulking.
I miss it.
Why is a dresser called a dresser? I like to think it's because we can dress it. I love how they become integral parts of a home tailored to suit needs and tastes. A real refection of family life x
Ah so so lovely Steph. I have to admit to a pang of envy. I spotted a dresser, a real beauty and such a bargain last year but the space I hoped to pop it into was too tiny! One day, we hope to make our cottage a little bigger. Then I hope to have such a precious piece of furniture xxx
Hey Steph,
I love higgledy piggledy dressers. Is that an Elaine Pamphillon card? I no longer have a dresser, but I do have a book case that's getting more cluttered by the day. Marc says dust collectors. I disagree, and anyway I'm the only one who is ever of a mind to dust, so his view is vetoed!
Leanne xx
lovely collections and memories and vintage finds~ its all those things that add the beauty and charm...through the seasons the ever changing things that appear on it~ thats what i love about a dresser too... yours always looks sooo wonderful steph ;) xx
I love this, had I not moved (9 moves in 5 years at one point) so many times and had to compromise on the amount I hang on to, this would be me. I love the memories attached to objects. I'm slowly rebuilding and currently creating a room full of memories.
You dresser is just perfect.
I love the baskets, such wonderful shapes.
Lisa x
Oh, I'd love a dresser! In fact you've inspired me to have a look online. My parents got rid of theirs last year but it went to a charity for homeless people so I can't complain about that...
I too have an aversion to orange pine. I once sanded, undercoated and painted (in pricey Farrow and Ball) a huge bookcase. It looked great. My ex kept it. Hmm.
We have no mantelpiece in this house, but a dresser would be perfect. Preloved and eBay here I come!
S x
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