Our Ethan Allen buffet has arrived. Now all of Tom’s whiskey, our wedding china and my chachkie have a home of their own. Let’s take a look…
On each end of our buffet we have lovely lamps that were Tom’s grandmothers. With this lamp I have a glittery pumpkin that was used as a place holder at my friend Janelle’s wedding, a pear candle that was a gift from my aunt in my college days, and one of those potpourri stick things from our friends Adam and Audrey. From this angle you can also see a book about whiskey, I have a no whiskey rule for the buffet, but somehow the book sneaked in.
With the other lamp I have a vase I bought in Venice on a family trip that is filled with dried flowers from a bridesmaid bouquet and a painted plate that I call “The Girl”. The plate was a birthday present from my grandma and she probably has no idea how much it means to me. I just love it.
In the center I have Wilton Armetale platters, a wedding gift from my grandma, there is one more piece to the set but it’s too large for the buffet, a little red eucalyptus keeps the platter full for now. There is also a McKenzie-Childs pitcher that was a gift from my parents and and a Nambe vase, a birthday present from…you guessed it…my grandma…filled with wooden tulips from the local Tulip Festival that I bought with my girlfriend Carrie many years ago. I think this spot is begging for Nambe salt and pepper shakers. Should have registered for those bad boys.
After almost three years of marriage our Denby White Trace dinnerware has settled into its new digs. In the second photo you can see our Crate and Barrel birthday plates for a splash of color and fun (um, yes, from grandma). The drawers keep our Kate Spade flatware tidy and our serving pieces in line, including a cake knife that we both admire, its handle is the silhouette of a nude woman, a very unique wedding gift.
So where does this lead us? Well to the liquor of course. Now that all of my stuff is out of the way Tom has room to spread his bottles out. In addition to whiskey he had a brief stint with Rum. He has since decided not to pursue it. Mojitos anyone? His four rum bottles can be found on top of our Ethan Allen wine rack (that was a nicely marked down floor model) along with a crystal bowl that was a wedding gift from my mom’s Aunt Annie. The store in San Fransisco it came from is fancier than any store I frequent so I kept the box and store all of my wedding ribbons in it. There is also a a crystal Celtic knot that my brother and his wife brought back for us from their trip to Ireland, a Whole Foods milk jug with dried flowers from my friend Carrie that she gave me because I admired them in her home, and a jewelry box Tom bought for me “just because”. Underneath our stemware hangs over empty spots that bottles of wine should be filling.
And here we are. The reason for this post. The reason for the buffet. The reason why my husband is so much more than a computer geek but rather a well rounded geek. The whiskey. A ridiculous amount of whiskey. Snuggled in with the bottles is a post card size painting we purchased from a co-workers struggling artist boyfriend. On the wall is a poem my grandfather wrote about cats when he was 10 years old in 1910 that my parents had framed for me and which I just adore. In the Barrister bookcase that Tom inherited from his grandmother are more serving and dining items including a set of eight Waterford double old fashioned glasses from my parents trip to Ireland.
And now I can’t help but think of all of our generous friends and family (with really great taste) that live in all the corners of our home.