Where is the Heart and Soul of YOUR Home? I've always seen it to be the Kitchen in ours and in the Home I grew up in. Not that I'm the most gifted cook mind you, The Man is far more gifted at it than I... and my Dad was a professional Master Chef... I only wish I'd inherited that particular gifting. But there is just something about Kitchens and the sharing of meals that cannot be beat and relationally bonds people like nothing else. Kitchens tend to be the place where people gravitate... whether an indoor Kitchen in the Home, or a Bar-B-Que or Picnic setting outdoors, people tend to mingle and fellowship around good food and the places where it is prepared and shared.
I love to collect vintage Kitchen items and especially 1930-1950's era Tablecloths, I've got them stacked in piles all over the Kitchens and Diningroom, no two are the same and the vast array of designs is seemingly endless! It reminds me of the Kitchens of my childhood and the nostalgia of it in my present day Kitchens and of preparing and sharing meals each day with loved ones is a pleasant ritual. Good food, good times and good company are the trifecta for me!
We enjoy eating out as much as dining at Home, whether it's our favorite restaurants, and there are many *wink*, or going to the Park to enjoy a meal in the great outdoors. I'm in a phase of collecting vintage Picnic Baskets and the vintage Melamine/Melamac ware that is fitting for Picnics and Bar-B-Ques. Usually I can only pick up a piece at a time, but recently I scored an entire colorful set for eight at 'The Mad Hatter' Antique Mall in Olde Downtown Glendale in lovely pastel shades of Pink, Yellow, Blue and White. Pink tends to be the color I'm drawn to most in unbreakable tableware so that's my largest collection, but to have some other colors gives it a very festive feel... perfect for Birthday Parties don't you think? Coupled with a festive vintage tablecloth and other party fare, I'm good to go on the next Birthday Party, Bar-B-Que or Picnic.
We probably have more outdoor eating areas sprinkled around our property than anything else, vignettes we utilize often to entertain or just to relax ourselves in nature's splendor. This ole' House having two complete Kitchens was rather nice too, imagine being able to decorate TWO complete Kitchens in ONE Home! *smiles* The back Kitchen is the largest and where meals are prepared... the front Kitchen being smaller and more for entertaining and Bistro style dining... the fridge in there keeping the staples for snacking and refreshments. I suppose we could have converted one into something else during the remodeling and restoration process, but I'm glad we didn't, we use both equally and for various purposes so it works for us and I LIKE having two distinct places in our Home that represent what I consider to be the Heart and Soul of a Home.
What do you feel represents the room you consider the Heart and Soul of YOUR Home? How does that influence the decor you have there? Isn't it nice to have those special places in our Home to retreat to, to entertain from, to gather around in... I try to make each space of my Home distinctive and special in it's own way... in much the same way we should try to make each person in our life feel distinctive and special in their own way as well... may we celebrate our individuality, our uniqueness and what makes our Heart and Souls sing daily and appreciate it in others too... Dawn... The Bohemian