By GAIL BORELLI
The Kansas City Star
Some furniture makes up for its lack of style by performing its storage duties admirably. Such was the case with a chest of drawers featured in the July issue of Country Home.
In an attempt to distract attention from the homely dresser, the homeowner cut up amateurish paint-by-number pictures and glued them to the side, making a collage of lighthouses, majestic stags, craggy mountains and crashing waves (see photo). You could do the same sleight of hand using interesting papers or posters.
If you’re lucky, you’ll read Country Home’s list of top 10 collectibles and realize you have an unappreciated treasure in storage. Here are the items you should be dusting off and displaying with pride:
•Typography. Display vintage numbers and letters on a mantel or wall. A variety of fonts and sizes can be crafted into a collage.
•Currier and Ives prints. Beware of reproductions.
• Etched stemware. Lighten the mood by setting an elegant table with crystal goblets in different colors and styles.
•American Indian bracelets. If turquoise and silver jewelry is stamped “sterling,†it was made after 1950.
•Fancy frames. Gilt frames can be dressed up or down. Add empty frames to a grouping of artwork, or place one frame inside another.
•Game boards. For instant art, hang colorful playing boards on the wall.
• Children’s chairs. These little cuties can be squeezed into any room. I’ve retrieved from the attic a toddler-sized Windsor rocker with original red paint. It fits perfectly in a corner I would have sworn was already full.
•Signs. You can hang them anywhere, although a bathroom, with its high humidity, might be a poor choice for a metal sign.
•Whimsy carvings. Display them on a shelf, coffee table or pedestal as you would any sculpture.
•American flag objects. Be sure to wear your red, white and blue pins and scarves with pride.
Have fun with decor
Envision a traditional bathroom with beadboard paneling, claw-foot tub and vintage pedestal sink. Is a crystal chandelier the lighting fixture that pops to mind for this room?
Probably not, but maybe it should. The July issue of Better Homes and Gardens shows such an eclectic bathroom, which for the most part looks as if it has been pulled from a 1920s cottage. The fancy chandelier comes as a surprise, although not an unpleasant one (see photo). It’s a playful addition to the room.
Speaking of surprises, a black ceiling punctuates the kitchen of a Houston bungalow featured in this issue. The walls, woodwork and cabinets in the traditional-style kitchen are painted white, and the floor is covered in large black and white squares. The black ceiling keeps all the white in check and keeps the color scheme grounded. Remember, the ceiling is the fifth wall.
