Saturday 3 September 2011

Details


It occurred to me yesterday how much our homes are made up of little details. Little details which make our homes special to us, often they consist of furnishings and treasured objects. But sometimes they can be even simpler. In our cottage dining room we have a very old wooden floor, its uneven surface has been worn into smooth dips by the tread of many feet over the passage of time. It is also peppered with handmade nails of various sizes, to me they seem like hand forged stars in a sky of dark timber.
Back in 1814 when our cottage was being built, the dining room floor was probably salvaged from other buildings or was even scrap from a sawyers yard. New timber being too expensive for a humble farm labourer's abode.
And I've been adding my own extra details to the kitchen. I recently bought Rediscovered Treasures and have been inspired by the interesting and quirky uses for everyday objects. I found a nice old set of patisserie tins which now create a little door decoration, adding an unexpected bit of interest to a once blank space.
I have also been out in the garden cutting some herbs, tying them into little bouquets and hanging them around the kitchen to dry out.
 It's been a productive summer in the garden, these are one of the last crops to harvest - carrots! As you can see they are of varying sizes due to my dislike of thinning out - we had these in a beef and carrot pie and they were very tasty!

Holly and Ivy are allowed outside now and are taking full advantage of the last days of summer! Here's Ivy playing under the purple sprouting broccoli

And now I will leave you with the last of our summer roses, which I took with my new camera (the carrot photo was taken with the old one!)

13 comments:

  1. The old flooring looks great it give character. and I like the new touches the tins. I have the same with the carrots short ones that came different one big fat one a few skinny ones...the kitty's are adorable...Happy weekend..enjoy and be safe..Janice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. such beautiful photos and cats and floors.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Charlotte

    I think you are right: it's the little things that make-up the final big picture.

    Anna

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love your floor, I bet it gives the room fantastic character! I really like your idea for displaying the patisserie tins too.
    Dan
    -x-

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's true, it is the little details that make a home special. Like your old wood floor. We got some laminate upstairs that looks like old wood but not to compare to real old floors. Love the kitty-in-the-broccoli-picture and the rose is just beautiful!
    Tina in Germany

    ReplyDelete
  6. Me gusta mucho los detalles de tu casa,la madera del suelo es encántadora, las latas de la puerta quedan genial y los ramos de aromáticas le hacen una atmosfera acogedor en la cocina.Muchos saludos

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful floor! We've never had an old home, just a home we made look old. I love the idea of hanging herbs, I have rosemary hanging in the pantry.

    ReplyDelete
  8. We had a great suprise with our floor. When the electrician rewired the house, he showed us under one of the (original) oak planks. It came from America. How that flooring came to be in a modest cottage-style home built between the wars, is just a mystery.
    If only wood could talk eh?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Like you, i have moved to a new home and i love the little details too x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi everyone,
    Thanks for all your comments. I'm glad you like my floor! My mum suggested that perhaps it might have been reused from an old ship. I love that idea.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Charlotte,
    I love your old oak floor, we put in new oak floor boards which are nice but sadly they don't have that wonderful colour and patina which can only come with age.
    Your patisserie tins look lovely and those carrots delicious, we never thin ours either, I like the little ones!x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love this post, beautiful just beautiful xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  13. LOVE the way your herbs look hanging there!!

    ReplyDelete