A Celebration of Home

Many of you know that I am a long time fan of novelist Ann Patchett.  I was excited to see (really belatedly) that The New York Times had done a piece on her Nashville home.

Obviously, she had me at the 'pink washed brick' - but her essay made me cry.  It's how I feel about home - the house itself, the Beans and now The Boy.  It is "... a good life, wrapped in a good house."  

Favorite quote:  "I am away more than I would like... and I never walk through my own front door without thinking: thank-you-thank-you-thank-you."

 Love the paint color, the light in the hall, the space, the doors - what a beautiful room!

Rose (the puppy) had a hard life.  Ms. Patchett just wrote in Vogue that Rose is recently deceased after 15 happy years.  Rest in Peace little lovely. 

Simple Things

LOVED this piece over at Apartment Therapy.

Ten Simple Things to Make You Happier At Home.....

So good! So true!  Making your bed is number one!!!!

Image:  Rock by K Clark Photography.

The Well Appointed Home

 

I am out of Grey Goose.  

Can you believe that?  

Well, it's true.  

I have some backup vodka, just in case (Skyy).  But even that is getting low.  Those french martinis do take their toll.  

I need to head over to the ABC Store (that's Alcoholic Beverage Control, for you non-North Carolinians) this weekend and pick up a bottle of the good stuff.  I do not believe that one should view vodka as an opportunity to economize. 

Under the Tuscan Sun

Since I'm talking about stuff that I love this week, I thought I'd throw in Under the Tuscan Sun.

Honestly, I cannot tell you why I decided to read this book.  I can tell you that I read it several years before the movie came out so I probably found it in the "travel books" section at the bookstore.  In any event, I fell in love with it, not so much because she talks about a house in Italy, but because she talks about a house.

A house of my own is all I've ever really wanted in my whole life.  As a little girl, I remember loving it when my Grandma's Good Housekeeping came in the mail because there was always some sort of house tour in it and I loved them.  I would pore over them, studying them, going back to my favorites again and again.  Then, when I was about 10,  my Mom got a subscription to Southern Living and I was in heaven.  All the beautiful houses....

And then I finally got that house.  It wasn't even this house, even though this is the first house that I've owned and God knows that I love it.  My first home was the little townhouse that I rented after the divorce and after I decided to stop waiting for my life to happen and to start building the damn thing myself.  And that little townhouse became my home.  I stayed there for a long time, probably longer than I should have but I felt safe there.  I loved it and I cried and I grieved when I finally did leave it.

So the thing I love about this book is the talk about the house, the work, the furniture, the shopping, the cleaning, the cooking in the kitchen -  the process of taking an old, dilapidated structure and turning it into a home.  Reading it filled me with happiness.

When I moved into my little rental, I read this book and it gave me a goal.   When I was in the process of buying this house I re-read it again and again.  It soothed me.  It encouraged me.  When I envisioned everything that could go wrong, it reminded me to focus on what would happen if everything went exactly right.  And it was glorious. 

If you love houses or Italy or cooking or travel or any or all of these things,  I'd encourage you to pick this book up.  And don't judge the book by the movie.  Two completely different things.

This Charming House

I dropped by Anthropologie last night and discovered that they are now carrying Murchison Hume eco-friendly cleaning products.

Cool!

I think these were previously only available online and in Australia but the West Virginian in me won't buy expensive, untried cleaning products on line  Just won't do it.  And going to Australia for it really wasn't an option, either.  Go figure - 

But .... from what I can gather, this stuff has some pretty good support.  Apartment Therapy posted sometime last year that the products were coming to Anthropologie but this is the first time I have actually seen them in captivity.   I haven't tried any yet, so I can't recommend them for their actual power to clean, but I can report that they smelled really good.   Yep, I stood in Anthropologie and unscrewed all the caps and smelled the Murchison Hume, and the whole time I'm thinking "I'm gonna BLOG about this"!  Oh, and the bottles are really, really pretty.

Y'all know I'm such a pushover.  Something about having a pretty 'under the sink' area really trips my trigger.  And when my lust for the pretty collides with my anxiety driven urge to clean....

Wait a minute....where was I?

Oh, yeah -

Back to the topic - if you are in need of bathroom cleaner or hand soap and are eco-minded you might want to swing by and check these out.  They are a little pricey but we're saving the environment here.  If you have used them and you want to comment and share with the class, I would love to hear from you.

Wallpaper

I want to put this wallpaper somewhere in my house.

Just where do you think I should put it? I think maybe it it came in another color, I could incorporate it into the "dream" bathroom.

I think I'll have to start having a look around.

Does anyone know if there are after Christmas wallpaper sales?

Lush Life

Yesterday I talked a little bit about what I think one fundamentally needs for one's home. Today I'd like to talk a little bit about bits and pieces that go into creating a truly comfortable and luxurious home. I have come up with at least five things that I think one should have to make your home that much more special and enjoyable, for yourself and for others.

First, a good IPod player. I have a Klipsh IGroove and I find it to be just short of perfection. It is small, portable, tucks away without much fuss and has BIG sound. Big enough to fill the house if I want it to. Music is so important to our lives. It transports us as few other things can. Having your music playing in your house is an everyday comfort and luxury to be savored.

Second, good lamps and just as importantly, good lamp shades. The Bee Charmer is known for her poor eyesight and absolute aversion to overhead lights. There is a reason overhead lights are used as torture devices. Therefore, I am something of a lamp fanatic. I have good lamps, cheap lamps and vintage lamps throughout the house. They furnish utility, create warmth and add personality. No matter where you get your lamps, for heaven's sake get yourself some decent lamp shades! I love the ones from Restoration Hardware and I have to say that they appear on all my Target lamps. The other thing that goes with this, of course, is the light bulbs. I cannot stress to you enough how important light bulbs are. When I moved into my townhouse the recessed lights in the kitchen contained normal bulbs and when I turned them on it was like a dungeon in there. I replaced them with the GE Reveal Bulbs and now it is if I have a skylight. What a difference a little thing makes!

Third, a good bottle of bourbon in the cabinet and a good bottle of vodka in the freezer. You should always have bourbon. It's pleasant, it's substantial and it is Southern. Enough said. And there are few things that cannot be improved by the addition of ice cold vodka.

Fourth, the absolute best set of cookware and kitchen knives that you can possibly beg, borrow, buy or steal. I have a couple of sets of cookware, one stainless and one non-stick, thanks to my dear friend who worked for the lovely people at Calphalon and Hooked. Me. Up. I also have a gorgeous and heavenly Le Creuset french oven that my parents got me for Christmas a couple of years ago - it's "kiwi", in case you care. Talk about love!

Fifth, half and half for the coffee, good olive oil for the salad, kosher salt, Dijon mustard, white lily all purpose flour, caffeine free Diet Coke and a jar of Newman's Own Vodka Sauce in the kitchen. Philosophy shower gel and a big scrubby puff in the shower. Downy scent-free fabric softener in the sheets. "Auntie Mame", "McLintock!" and all six seasons of "Sex and the City" on DVD.

I mean, come on, a girl could do worse!

Home Is Where You Hang Your Hat

One of the most wonderful things about the web is the enormous amount of free entertainment and information that it provides. One of my happy discoveries this year was Apartment Therapy, a blog that concerns itself only with the living arrangements of real people. It is a never ending source of inspiration and information and I feel truly happy just knowing that it is out there.

For the past few weeks they have been doing a year end roundup of their most popular posts of 2008. One of them struck a particular chord with me as it devoted itself to listing what someone - and I really don't know who - considered to be the top ten things that one needs in one's home. This really got me thinking because my home is my passion. What do I believe are the things most necessary to have a truly comfortable home? Well my friends, here it is, The Bee Charmer's guide to comfort at home. I couldn't do ten but I got it down to fifteen.

1. A large, comfortable chair.
2. A sturdy couch, long enough for napping, covered in soft and durable fabric and of classic design. Don't be cheap or trendy with the couch, ya'll. Nothing is more prominently placed or gets wallered more than a couch. And stay away from the loose cushions. You MUST trust me about this.
3. A decent set of white dishes with minimum service for 8 but 12 is better.
4. A decent set of stainless steel flatware.
5. 100% white cotton sheets, with a minimum thread count of 350.
6. Cotton bath towels, properly laundered (quit it with the fabric softener!)
7. Appropriate light bulbs. GE Reveal Bulbs in EVERY SINGLE SOCKET. Anything else is hooey.
8. A decent coffee maker and large, thin, porcelain mugs.
9. Books
10. Flowers
11. Art
12. A comfortable quilt.
13. The best mattress you can possibly afford.
14. A large, round dining table.
15. A clean bathtub.

The other thing I like about Apartment Therapy is it's constant discussion of quality at every price. Living well does not mean spending a lot of money. My white dishes came from Sam's Club almost ten years ago. I bought them when I was poor and their cost (I think about $125 for the set, which serves 8) was a big splurge for me. But they are classic and they are beautiful and they are still in the cabinet. My towels are from Target. One large, fluffy, all cotton bath towel is usually on sale for $8.50. They are fabulous, they wash up well, and you just can't beat the price. The point is that living well is not only for the rich, it is for everyone and there are a whole lot of people who do it, and don't do it, every single day.

The next thing I have to say on this subject is tied into the last item on my list, which is a clean bathtub. Clean is a big deal to me. Not operating room clean. Not "I can't go have fun with you dear friends because I am cleaning my house" clean. Whatever you are blessed enough to have can and should be well taken care of. Taking care of your things reminds you of their value and everything looks better when its clean. To me, a comfortable home is one that is clean and well organized.

One last thought and that is this. Leave some empty spaces. Don't rush out to fill in gaps with things that you don't really like and that don't really serve you. Be discerning and wait for the "right" thing for your home. Buy only what you love. It will always, always work.

Photo by Peter Canclini.