Saturday, July 30, 2011

Llamas, Cupcakes, and Antiques: BARN HOUSE!



Although I am still behind on pre-pub tour and Comic-Con posts (I can't keep up with the fun these days!), I have to divert to today, and Barn House!




Clementine and I drove with my best friend Alexandra out to Battleground, in rural Washington, for Barn House, this great one-day antiques sales on a lovely piece of property in the woods. It's an intimate, curated show, only 23 vendors I think, and it was so great! I wasn't prepared for the wonderful. Not enough money, and no room in the car for hauling larger treasure! Next year I think a truck will be in order!

Got there early and joined the queue. 




Were entertained by farm animals while waiting. There were goats and sheep, chickens, a turkey, and ... llamas!




Hello. Yes, we are the stars of this show.




We are regal and yet adorable. Don't try this at home.




And have you seen our magnificent profiles?















Eventually they let us in, and the first booth that caught my eye was a wonder of whiteness called Sparrow. 







I'd already cased the joint from the perimeter and spied some chairs ...




... for the dining room. As mentioned back here, we have a new 10-foot dining table for our new dining room, and we want to just do mix-y match-y white chairs around it. These four were tremendous for being a) already white, and b) inexpensive, and c) actually ready for sitting. (You mean to tell me that chairs come with the seats already on??) That was my only significant purchase. A random few pretties did make it home with me from this display ...




... and then of course there were the CUPCAKES, if they count, and they so DO!








So pretty!








Did I mention there was live music and a darling empanada wagon too?




After a bite it was all just browsing, taking pictures. It's nice to take pictures at events like this -- I find that I can sublimate the urge to buy things into simply photographing them. And it was just so picturesque!



















Alexandra fell in love with this chandelier that had vintage salt shakers hanging instead of crystals.




The pink candles make it, I think.




She also loved this chandelier, so great:




It was already sold. At this sale, you see something you leap on it. The best stuff went so fast!

The in-the-woodness of the place was really great.




 I loved seeing these cool tableaux set up in plein air. Sofas of the wilderness.




Elf bedroom. And because it wasn't quite cute enough,
there were actually kittens frolicking in it. No, really.










Great suitcases, white pottery, and a couple of pieces of furniture that would make awesome kitchen islands, like this one below.



Cool industrial baking pans like the one we got a while back to hold Positano treasure:











Hello shabby.




I sense a theme here ...



















These stools were from an old soda fountain counter. Love them!




And you know I always love taxidermy in fancy dress.




Isn't that great stuff? Here's what now lives with us:




Some blue glass jars and cups, some vintage juice glasses with tin lids.




Some dining chairs for the dining room!




Which brings me to the subject of the house. It's been a while now since we moved in, and I'd love to be able to show you pictures of a tidy cozy warm home, but alas, it's still all boxes and disarray. The living room doesn't look terrible though, but is far from "done."


Here, you may recall, is the "before":



And now:






IKEA pieces (sofa, chairs, curtains, lighting) mixed with more unusual stuff like the rug and poufs we brought back from Morocco, some handmade pillows, and the woollen mill tilt cart coffee table.

There it is, a teeny peek of the house in progress! Much MUCH yet to do!

If you get a chance to go to Barn House next year, go! Maybe I'll see you there.

21 comments:

Sophia said...

The house is looking so good! Uber jealous of the pristine white-ness with all the colourful accessories.

tone almhjell said...

What a beautiful post! The lamas and pretties, and I wanted those white and purple parasols, and the kittens (but not really, we already have a full house). I adore the lids on the juice glasses.

And speaking of adore - your house. It's amazing. It's shaping up to become a true dream house, you know, the kind you'd find as a in one of your mother's magazines, and just fall into, not thinking about the whats and how-expensives, but just playing that you live there, together with your brother, the secret magician.

Unknown said...

I ADORE! Oh my goodness, that looks like so much fun. Vintage shopping is always amazing, but in the middle of the woods with so much great stuff and LLAMAS? Envy!

And your house looks absolutely fabulous. I actually gasped aloud when I saw the after picture. It's beautiful, Laini. Simply beautiful!

Megsie said...

Oh, I LOVE your living room. I can't wait to see more!

tanita✿davis said...

That picture of you and C. Pie shows that you have the exact same smile!! Or, you will, when she quits closing her eyes with it. She looks like a happy girl, although the expression on her face next to the llamas is kind of priceless. "Um, Mama? Do we really need to get this close??"

Chachic said...

So many pretty things! Wish we had vintage items like these here in the Philippines. Your living room looks amazing, I love the how the design makes the place look cozy.

Anonymous said...

I loved seeing your pics! My favorite part was the cupcake icing moment. I downloaded mine onto fbook and then accidentally deleted the whole set with one finger swipe apparently and was too irritated to relaunch but it's interesting seeing what we each photod! Some almost the same. It felt like some magic circus set up for a few hours and then poof! It's all gone and seems like a dream. You know how deadheads traveled around following the Grateful Dead everywhere? I want to now be a barnhead! (-: thanks for an awesome day Thinny!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, this post is SUBLIME. So jealous of your llama-ridden antiquing spree! And your house is gorgeous so far! Your aesthetic and sense of style = THUMBS UP.

storyqueen said...

I loved being at Barn House through your eyes!

And Laini!!! The living room is gorgeous. When I look at it, it makes me happy.

Wow.

shelley

Sash and Em said...

very pretty!! :)

anj said...

Yes, a happy space! (my 6 yo and 9mo. old would be trying to hang from your curtain/sheers, but I'm sure your Clementine is much more polite!).

Tere Kirkland said...

Wow, I loved the pics of the Barn House sale, but my jaw dropped when I saw the before and after of your living room.

Amazing!

persnickety_jen said...

Barn House sounds like an awesome event! My taste normally runs a bit more contemporary, but I've gone to sales like that with my mom just to see all the wonderful things on display.

And your living room looks AMAZING! I am so adding this picture to my mood board on Pinterest. (And if you haven't heard of that site, you should totally check it out! Although you can totally get lost in all the beautiful pictures, so beware the time suck! Haha.)

~Michelle~ said...

Living room looks totally amazing!

Connie Onnie said...

There is no doubt in my mind that as soon as my sister Debbie see's this post that she will be hatching a plan for us to drive up there with a moving truck.
Your house is charming, lovely, enchanting & especially happy making.

Connie Onnie said...

Let me clarify, my sister will want to drive up to go to the Barn House next year. She does vintage sales in the basement/bomb shelter they have in their backyard. She will not want to drive up to your house with a moving truck. :) Sorry did not mean to make that first comment sound creepy.

Brenna said...

Holy wow. Your before and after shots are STUNNING! You did a fantastic job.

Jane said...

Now that's my kind of day out.
Clementine is getting beautiful!
The living room is looking amazing!

Laini Taylor said...

Thanks for the kind words, everyone! This is literally the ONLY view in the entire house that does not have boxes and clutter in it. Ha ha! But it's nice to be able to stand in the one doorway and feel a tiny bit of order :-)

And Connie, ha ha! I was barring the door :-) Just kidding! I knew what you meant. If you DO come up next year, we can caravan with big trucks and elbow little old ladies out of the way in pursuit of the best loot!

--jenna said...

Laini,
I saw this bag on etsy and it sort of yelled out "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" to me. The mask and the blue...so cool.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65465213/paris-eyes-designer-laptop-bag-messenger?ref=v1_other_2

Loved this antiques post! Someday, someday I will have a place and then we will fill it with treasures like these. :)

Anonymous said...

I LOVE your living room! It is gorgeous. You have style girl!
-Rachel

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...