Family Museum Room-by-Room - The Family Room

Other than the kitchen, the family room is the busiest room in most homes because this is where the family gathers for entertainment, special events and for taking a long-deserved nap (that’s when it is quite in there).

Our family room is in the center of the house, is fairly large except much of the room is used for passage which means furniture is not allowed in this space. Our family room also has a quirky name. We call it our “Club Room.” We even have a small brass plaque announcing its moniker.

This room, no matter what you call it, is a perfect place for Family Museum collections. As I had mentioned in a past post, this room may have a media center where the TV is placed in the center with perhaps books, nick-knacks and pictures taking up the rest of the space.

Not only do these things in the room represent the family’s history, interests and such, they are part of your family heritage. Perhaps there is a piece of inherited furniture, art work painted or drawn by a family member, or antiques given or purchased. One thing for certain, this room is very much a part of your House Museum. Here are a few pictures of our Family Museum collections.

The paintings were done by my husband's mother Gladys over 75 years ago. They are scenes from her home in Minnesota. The photograph is of her parents' home in Norway.  

 

As I had mention before, we like to give our things names. This china cabinet is called Caroline's Chest because my dear friend Caroline gave it to me when she was downsizing into a smaller home. The shelves have silver serving pieces and the drawers turned out to be a great place to store winter gloves & scarves. So when someone is looking for a pair of gloves, we say, “Look in Caroline’s chest.”

On the fireplace mantle is a bronze statue by Remington of a cowboy shooting off his gun for what reason I am not sure. I bought it for Keith because he just loved all the cowboy & Indian movies and TV shows from his childhood. His favorite actor was John Wayne.

No, it is not a meteor, though we thought so for a long time until Keith took it to the local planetarium to have it analyzed. It is a bolder of molten rock spewed by a volcano eons ago that landed in his Uncles fields in Minnesota. In fact, he would plow up several of these rocks and used them in his house and barn. Keith remember playing with them when he was a little boy but had no idea what they were. The rock sits on the bar and when we have guests over, they are simply amazed by its weight and gnarly surface. What a great conversational piece.

What are your favorite pieces in your Family Room?    

Next week’s posts will focus on some of the collections in our Family Museum. Until then, have a great weekend.

Family Museum Room-by-Room - The Dining Room

Yesterday we visited my House Museum Living Room. Today we will tour the Dining Room. How many of you grew up with having a Dining room in your house? This was by far one of the most important rooms in the house because it was where the family gathered for special occasions. Sadly, this room as been reviewed as an unnecessary room by today’s needs. No longer do families gather around a commodious table and share a special meal.  They are now regulated to the big eat-in kitchen or family rooms where buffet tables are set up to offer the food and then everyone finds their own seat to enjoy the meal. Perhaps one day the Dining Room will regain its importance in the home as well as in the customary practices of family gatherings. But for now, I will gladly share all the pieces that are in my dining room that have be inherited, purchased and enjoy a premier spot in our House Museum.    

The dining room buffet, hutch, table and chairs came from my Italian Grandmother whom I called Nana. As the story goes, she had purchased this entire suite from Sears Roebuck in 1920. It could have been via the mail-order catalog or directly from the store since she lived in Chicago. At this time there was a colonial-revival period of which this extraordinary rich mahogany set was inspired by. Six chairs with Chippendale backs, table with built-in extension leaf underneath, buffet with plenty of storage and china cabinet with Chippendale-pane windows was really something in its time. When Nana passed away, the set went to her daughter, my Aunt Viola. I recall many holiday dinners being eaten at this table and how all the relatives sat around it. But of course, all the cousins were regulated to sit in the kitchen. The furniture traveled among family member and eventually came to me. I had all the pieces restored and feel very proud to have Nana’s furniture in my home.

The English Bone China with its castle motif was also very popular. These dishes were used for special occasions only. Perhaps that is why I still have them. Also because my mother inherited the dishes, then passed them down to me. I was thrilled to have them for the furniture and dishes must stay together.  

Over the buffet is a large mirror my mother purchased sometime in 1980. I love the monochromatic white. The pineapple is a sign of hospitality and what better place to hang the mirror than the dining room.

On the buffet are two lead-crystal art deco lamps I had purchased from an antique store in Chicago. Heavy, you bet. And you wouldn’t believe how I got them back home. Each lamp was wrapped in newspaper and a brown paper bag tied with heavy string. No lampshades; they came later. I hulled these lamps with my on to the airplane and placed them in the overhead baggage compartment. Can’t do that today!   

          On a silverware chest sits an Italian porcelain compote with matching candlesticks. This set was purchased by my mother in 1980 as well. The three-piece set was always in the center of the dining room table. I use to do the same until one day while moving it, the fragile basket almost fell off and gave me a fright, so from now on it sits immoveable on the chest.    

This beautiful sofa has a long story to tell. Again, purchased by Nana back in 1920, it has two accompany chairs that are in my bedroom. This set has been in many homes and by time it came to me, it was in bad need of repair and reupholstering. The only unfortunate aspect of this set is that when it was originally purchased, the sofa and chairs had camel backs. Then one day some ignoble interior decorator convinced my mother to have the set update by cutting off the camel backs, and off they went. Oh how sad is that!

Next to the sofa are a pair of fancy pink French lamps that were given to my mother. She didn’t care for them so she gave them to me. Again, they needed repair and new lampshades and look great next to the sofa.

On the wall is a small painting on wood of a gentlemen sipping wine and reading a letter. I found it at an estate sale and again, it needed a good cleaning and new frame. This scene is so apropos for the dining room. I just love it!

When I started to collect Nippon porcelain, I had no idea that the vase that always was displayed somewhere in the living room had belonged to Nana and that it, too, was a Nippon she had purchased back in 1920. And I also remember the day my father broke Nana’s vase and how extremely angry my mother had gotten. I never saw my dad plead for forgiveness like he did then. That night I watched him painstakingly glue the broken pieces together.  

Somehow this eclectic gathering of many different period styles of furniture and accessories share the same space, giving the room a sense of history and more importantly, family history. How many stories can you tell from what is in your dining room?

Next post will be about the Family room.

Family Musuem Room-by-Room - The Living Room

When was the last time you took a walk around your house and stopped to look at a particular piece of furniture, antique, or artwork and realized that it was handed down to you and your family from a past relative? Or perhaps you found the piece at an antique shop and placed it among your collections? When you take the time to make this trip, you may be surprised to see that your house is a Family Museum.

My daughter gave me this idea. But first let me tell you about a little quirky habit we have . . .we assign our furniture, etc., names, such as Uncle Mike’s Dresser, Nana’s dining room set, Bestafar’s (Grandfather in Norwegian) clock, Joan Hitz’s lamps, Caroline’s chest, Dorothy’s piano. Get the picture. I guess you can say that we get very personal with our stuff by giving an identity to the piece. Not only is it fun, it honors the person from whence the piece came and helps you to keep their memory alive. 

So now, Ladies & Gentlemen, please allow me to give you a tour of my home and point out all the things that truly makes our home a Family Museum.

The Spinet piano with the picture above has always been in the Living Room ever since I could remember. I am talking about for 64 years give or take. My mother purchased both in 1947. The piano is a Chickering and the print is a scene from an Italian Opera. The two have never been separated, other than the time my brother was first given the piano and then later he gave it to me. I always had the picture and had it restored and reframed many years ago.

Standing next to the piano has got to be the most curious antiquity my family owns. I found it an estate auction and just had to have him. He stands about three feet tall, is made of solid wood and painted in luscious Persian colors. He represents a wealthy Banker, as he is holding a gold bag of money. His name is Ish Kabibble.

On the fireplace mantel stand two identical lamps. We call them Joan Hitz’s lamps because that’s who gave them to my mother. However, at that time they were heavy brass candlesticks, not lamps. Not knowing what to do with them, my mother passed them unto me and I had them converted into lamps with fancy silk lampshades. The crystal icicles tinkle when a breeze comes through the living room windows. An unusual magazine table holds a collection of art books. I found this table at an estate sale and had it refinished. The mirror behind the lamp is also an antique I bid for at an estate auction. The others pieces in the living room; couch, chairs, coffee table, sofa table, and carpet are purchases my family have made.      

As your tour your home and appreciate your things, this is an excellent time to create an inventory. There are many types of inventory books, like the one pictured here. There is a section for photographs with a page for listing all the information about the piece; what it is, date purchased and price and current value if you have the piece appraised. You can also create this document on your computer and save it there or on disc. Physical inventories are important to have, particularly for your insurance company. In case of any disaster causing the loss of your possessions, you now have proof of their existence and the value therein.

Tomorrow I will post about my Dining Room. Many precious antiques reside in that room and the stories they tell are priceless.