Have you ever had that yikes moment? Of course you have. I just had one a few days ago and I was horrified. As my daughter continues to move my sight, I came across a post I wrote in 2017. The picture that popped up made me shiver. Though the content of the post is still valid it was the photo example I used that horrified me. Then I began to ponder why, why would I use that as a great example of working with smalls. And furthermore why would I think that cupboard was even worth photographing. Everything about it is bad, the quality of the image and the content of the cupboard. Why did I think it was good to begin with? Did I really think that was good? Questions like this can make me crazy! So you can read the post here Working with Smalls. Read the content don’t look at the photo. Or do, it’s a good lesson on what not to do!

Ok, so all this horror made me look at the current cupboard. Do I really feel it is good? Yes I do. But, what would it look like if I gave it more breathing room. Is less really more? Hmm this could be a good exercise while I am still in my stuck phase. You can read about that here.

So I set out to pair the cupboard down, analyzing as I went. The top shelf I felt was pretty good, it has always been fairly simple with the redware chargers a few books and my Royal Doulton Figurines as book ends. Have you ever thought of figurines as bookends? I know they are terribly out of fashion currently but, I love this pair with the lambs. They are beautifully painted. The one on the left I have fond memories of an antique mall in Maine with my parents. My mom had this pair and I always loved them. She had broken one. Seeing it in Maine I couldn’t resist the opportunity to have one of my own. The one on the right was hers. Placing a small favorite yellow ware bowl in high relief with a wonderful porcelain pomegranate nestled into it creates a bit of sculptural interest and keeps the eye moving. That complete I felt it was good.

On the next shelf I removed the pewter plates and the redware plates, just leaving the trencher, my beloved chalk ware lamb from Shelburn Museum, a few more books, a tiny trencher with a comb stripe scraffito design, and a yellow ware end of day piece is a match striker with a dog sleeping on the lid. A small red ware pitcher with a yellow glaze rounds out the vignette. Leaving the ribbon on the books draws the eye down to the next shelf.

The third shelf isn’t drastically different but I added in the redware plates from the upper shelf back in where there was pewter, and moved down my Taddy & Company Tobacco Jar which is an absolute treasure. Filling it out with the hand carved robin from my mom, and a fabulous little antique salt seller from Doulton Lambeth Pub Ware with a sterling rim that was a gift from my sister. Love this piece.

It’s small moments like this that can elevate an ordinary vignette into something better. Just placing this little dish under the beak of the bird adds importance to both pieces. Left on their own they are just nice pieces. They will forever go together. A little piece of Florida lichen on the side keeps it from becoming too serious. A piece of new treen ware given to me for Christmas from my sister has wonderful spalting and the delicacy of the vessel is remarkable. I placed it on an old volume of Madame’ Pompadour to give it an anchor.

Removing everything from the bottom shelf, and just leaving the green onion bottles with tax tags, I brought in a yellow ware bowl full of antique croquet balls. What it is about these crazy things, I don’t have a clue, old wooden balls are just plain fun.

Switching the Voltaire volumes to the top shelf and the top shelf books to either side of my tole document box, I quickly determined that wasn’t going to work. The books were to short for the figurines and I needed those 7 books which I didn’t have in the Voltaire.

All the corner cubbies I pretty much left alone. I did move a couple of pewter plates in behind my retware biscuit barrel with a lion on top and covered butter dish with a bird just to lighten up the cubby behind and give the redware something to contrast off of. The same goes for the whiskey bottles with their tax stamps. The dark green bottles would be lost against the dark green wood.

And here are the things that were left behind.

After much trial and error here is the finished cupboard. All it takes are your favorite things and opening your mind to new potential. I have never styled this cupboard in this fashion before. How do I feel about it? I’m going to give it some time. I’m so used to having it crammed full, it feels a bit bare but, I want to see if I can get used to it. You be the judge. Do you like it better the old way or the new way? Or the horrid first photo!!!

Let me know in comments.

Thanks for stopping

Shelley