DC Estates - Modern Living w Vintage Flair !

4TH OF JULY BBQ TIME 50S STYLE !

2011-07-04T16:49:00.001-07:00

Just the cutest retro 50s entertaining tool ever ! A set of BARBEQUE meat markers in a wooden stand / sign saying BARBECUE " If your guests are hard to please Mark the hunks of meat with these!" From the days of carefree summer bbqs, when dads ruled the grill and the meat.

Darling wooden heads mark well done, medium & rare with wooden stakes!Comes complete with wooden stand with red ball feet. Design is so retro stylish! Perfect for your kitchen display or as a table top decoration for your bbq or tiki bar !

Industrial Box/ Coffee Table

2011-06-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

This is an old industrial box I found at a flea market for next to nothing - I had casters installed on the bottom and now it's a coffee table in my library. Filled with art books , games, Xmas presents, you can rotate the look ! I chose against putting glass on top but that's always an option. Just another example of decorating w/ vintage that has a wonderful industrial modern look for pennies !

Vintage Easter

2010-03-02T08:39:00.001-08:00

I love decorating for the holidays with vintage items -- there's the most interesting old stuff to find for every holiday under the sun. For Easter there are postcards, greeting cards, paper mache bunnies, baskets, hard plastic bunny & duck carts and toys and much much more. This piece could be used either to hold mail or candy. Its a large seemingly handcrafted large wooden holder " basket" with a lithographed cute bunny rabbit on board. I use it in my foyer to display old Easter cards.

Repurposing old Furniture in a Vintage Powder Room

2009-11-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

Our basement powder room was built around a great old vintage cupboard I bought on ebay for just $60 ! the chippy green paint was exactly what I was looking for , and it worked perfectly as a vanity . We got a remnant of granite from our kitchen cabinets to serve as a top and really liked the contrast of the modern raised bowl lavatory sink - gotten at a bargain price at Lowes ! We added an old ivory round gesso mirror for additional vintage charm, and my favorite hand towel is just a sweet little piece gotten for free at an old estate that was handembroidered in pink and green for GUEST . I love reusing these old pieces that have such wonderful vintage charm but in a fresh and updated way.

Breakfast Nook w Old Farm Table & Bait Sign

2009-02-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

This is our breakfast room with I love - furnished 100% with vintage. The farm table has just the perfect amount of green crackly paint & we added large industrial casters to the bottom to make in the right height & make it easier for people to get in and out without scratching the floor. The chandelier is a vintage 1930s Italian toleware fixture and up on the vaulted wall is a great very worn old bait sign made of tin in the shape of a cut out fish. Add to that a Scandanavian narrow cupboard and Universal Hollyhock china collection and a group of complete disparate elements form a charming whole !

Fabulous Kitchen Counter Piece 1

2008-09-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

This wonderful piece was made as a convenience to the busy housewife ! By SERVMASTER, you filled it with coffee, flour & sugar and could dispense sifted flour or measured portions of coffee and sugar with the turn of a button. An updated version of the Hoosier Cabinet for the 50s woman. The great decal of tulips & retro kitchen utensils really up the charm quotient ! Don't know why they dont make these anymore, seems like a great idea .

Vintage as Art

2008-09-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

One of my absolute most favorite pieces in my home is the old French Victorian Era bird house in old blue paint I found in the basement of an estate of 2 very elderly sisters in Washington DC. I hang it front and center in my family room and its really like a piece of art. The form, the wear of the paint, every bit of it to me is fabulous. Hanging it really shows it off & I love how it breaks up the expanse of window without being obstusive.

1930s Handcrafted Kitchen Pieces !

2008-09-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

This darling wall hanging matches holder I'm selling on ebay this week epitomizes why I love vintage ! Its truly one of a kind, a handcrafted folk art piece from the 1930s that you could never find in a Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware ! Featuring sweet little cut out blond girl with bow on her head & wearing an apron , next to " BARREL " shaped bowl saying MATCHES in vintage red lettering. I've found tons of similar items lovingly made items over the years , whether for the garden, a wall shelf , you name it. When I find them I grab them, because they represent a lost time, and a special charm !

Vintage Kitchen

2008-09-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

This is our kitchen, which we renovated 18 months ago, and is soon going to be featured on HGTV and Better Homes & Gardens . I tried to emulate the classic look of 1930s kitchen while having the open kitchen /family room of today. I incorporated a lot of vintage elements into the kitchen including the school house pendants, beadboard island, subway tile and display many of my special retro finds I will show in future postings !