Trailrunner, your home is just so beautiful and it seems to be full of who you are as a person. I don't know your story but I too have one of my own. The sentence that began "All any of us can do" really spoke to me today and I don't even know what words I can say to thank you for them. I don't mean for this to be an OT not by any means, but I try to surround myself with things that are attractive to me. The beauty might be in the character of your unupholstered chair or the unknown history of memazz's bowling pins or a painting that tells a story to me. My family doesn't understand the importance decorating has in my life, and luckily doesn't really have any influence on what I do - I couldn't imagine that battle. For me, it is the desire to surround myself with things that I find beautiful and items that evoke happy memories that dictates what I do. My rooms would not be in any magazine and pale in comparison to rooms I have seen in this blog (like your dining room) but adding something or altering a room bringing it closer to being "me" is what I strive for. Sitting in a chair in my LR, with my coffee, watching the cat as she sleeps next to "my" chair - no one else likes the color but I think it is "gorgeous" - with the colors of the vase (which I picked out just knowing that it would cast the most magnificent shadow) in the window beginning to creep upon her fur is more beautiful than any diamond I could own. So again, without meaning for this to be OT - I tend to look at people's rooms as more than what is "correct" as to how much of their personality is there. So many of your pieces from the stories you have told seem to tell some of the stories of your life. Do you like I, place what may be to most people, a greater desire to surround yourself with things that elicit positive thoughts. I find that not many people understand that it is more than just accumulating or matching "things". How much does ingesting your personality matter when you are designing a room?

Val: exactly! The Zen feeling is what I am always going for. I realized you can't see it in the pictures here but there is a picture molding around the room and from it up to the ceiling is all painted like trim so it looks like a huge crown molding. I will see if I can take a pic. blessings I am sorry that you lost all the photos...that has to hurt. I am so glad that your Mom is safe though. We lived several places there. I was in Gentilly as was DH and when we married while I was attending Loyola we lived on Chartres and Esplanade, on the corner. We later moved to Gen Haig on the park. I went to JFKennedy HS on Bayou St John...1968 I graduated :) We have only been back once siince the storm. We are going agian in Nov. Your suggestions for a sculpture and table scapes are great. I have not tried that at all. I don't know what a Kuba cloth is but will look it up. THANK YOU...great ideas and I will try this out. 3grad...I think it is Allison that has the floats. I love them too and have thought of them in the past...great minds :) If I could trust E-bay that they would be the "real thing" I would get some. I may look again and see what I can find. Also my SIL is in the NW in WA maybe she can get them there. Thank you... Chic..you had me going there....the fixture is from the Restoration Lighting sale 2 years ago. I wish they still had a line with this look as I wanted something for the foyer....they don't though. I will tape your name and address to it...it is your when I am gone : ) : ) If you have some pics of that sort of tapestry /runner I would so appreciate it. That is exactly what I would love. I have had poor luck trying to find runner. The table is 6ft x 3 ft and as you can see in the picture of the sideboard the rug is a Hunter Tabriz with lots of a rose and navy and dark gold in it. Keep an eye out for me. Sue I agree....I NEVER thought of moving the china cabinet. Inspired is what you are. Let me see what kind of time DH has and I am going to see if we can move it . Then I will have to move something else so may need to use graph paper first. THANK YOU all great ideas...I knew I would get them here. c

I like the buffet and think its old wood is pretty. Adds age, which is needed in this room, IMO. The finish does not match the bright, new "maple" on the dining table, which does not go in this pretty room anyway. The table top gives it a very casual, and modern, in-the-kitchen feel. I'd sand that table and paint it to match the cabinet, using satin, not glossy. A roller is easier and won't show brush marks. Keep that old buffet, put a dark grounded(toile, perhaps)runner on top and an old silver tea set,a lamp, etc. Look at the recent post by reno-fan re. her new bathroom. You could use the door idea: remove bottom doors and replace with fabric and chicken wire. You have gotten lots of wonderful ideas, along with inspiration pics..Am sure you will end up loving it! Question : can that hutch top be hung on a wall?

Palimp is right as usual, lace should be hung to show off the skill of the lacemaker (even if it is a machine now LOL). I've been doing my victorian drapery research and that's a key feature of real lace draperies. I also found a wonderful article about drapes with the lace, completely condemning the fashion of crazy drapery (valances, swags, jabots, etc) surrounding the lace. The writer suggests you stay "traditional" with simple pleated drapes hanging flat to the side of the lace panels full enough to be pulled across the window with some give but not full enough to overwhelm the architecture of the windows or the room. Nor full enough to gather dust in significant quantities (I'm paraphrasing but I loved the guy...it was written in the 1880's). He recommended a simple but adequate rod fitting the size of the window molding with a simple finial and brass rings to ease in closing the fabric panels. Those he wanted to see heavily lined so as to prevent drafts on the delicate ladies. Heh heh I wish the was with me while walking the dog in a snow storm last night...delicate lady my ars...umm nevermind :oP Anyhoo, we will have lace here despite my hatred of the stuff (unless it's hand made in Italy by 300 year old women). It's appropriate to the house, but I'm going to follow his advice and keep the drapes surrounding the lace simple panels...which I think would also be lovely in your home. That room is beyond lovely and calls for something simple but very classy to highlight the window but not overwhelm the furnishings. I'd go with a dupioni panel on each side in a complimentary color to the accents in the room. I can't see the colors in the rug well but I'm thinking maybe a beautiful olive green or a rich russet would be lovely with an ivory lace panel in cotton. KFC has the best description of what's wrong with the poly lace. We have both here, mostly poly and the cotton ones hang quite simply and lovely. The poly ones are very stiff, blowing in the breeze like a sheet of cheap newspaper, verses letting the breeze blow through them as a cotton piece would do. We also had oddles (i'm talking hundreds) of poly lace table cloths and doileys. I can see the need...it's a bed and breakfast, but one of the first things I did was begin to edit out all poly pieces and replace with cotton, mostly antique stuff hand made (it's suffed in cupboards and drawers all over the house...fun discovery actually) :O) They're so much nicer!!!