Monday, June 15, 2009

An Old Fashioned Parlor

I was inspired by a simple picture of a neatly decorated livingroom. It made me want to create a parlor in my home. This is what I did:

1. I took all paperwork, excess books, mail, and clutter out of my livingroom. These items were put on my desk in the other room for me to sort later.

2. I took out two pieces of furniture that didn't seem to belong.

3. We do not have a couch in our livingroom, so I brought up my set of wicker furniture. It consists of two side chairs and a small love-seat. I set these up on one side of the room. Beside this, stands our wood stove. Then I put an old antique chair (this came with our 150 year old house when we bought it) beside the stove. We have a large, old dining room table to the side, with mismatched chairs. On the side wall, there is an enormous bookcase with hundreds of books.

4. I have an old, antique sewing machine in a closed cabinet near the wicker furniture. On top of this, I put a vase full of pretty flowers.

5. The room was then polished and tidied and it looks lovely.

What is a parlor? Well, it is one special room in your house that is supposed to be kept neat at all times. It is the "elegant room" where you can receive guests comfortably at any time of the day or night. It should be near a front door or side entrance to the house. It is a room where you can sit and read and feel like a queen.

Blessings
Mrs. White

7 comments:

Jen said...

Oh it all sounds so very pretty!! Enjoy your space =)

Anonymous said...

It sounds *lovely*! I hope you can post pictures soon. (o:

Deanna said...

Your Parlor sounds lovely.
Hope sometime you'll bless us with pictures to enjoy your home.
Blessings,
~Deanna~

Jennifer Perkins said...

I love this post! :o)

Jacquelyn Stager said...

I'm a johnny-come-lately to your blog but I've enjoyed leafing through it. I often think of our "front room" as a parlor. We live in a colonial style house and it is off the foyer. No TV or other noise in there...just a small, comfortable and pretty room with a couple matching wing chairs and a love seat, a coffee table, a tea cart, and an old, small scale desk/bookcase.
It definitely is a place where you can sit and read and feel like a queen! How fun that you were inspired to create this uncluttered room.

Carolynn Stewart said...

It sounds wonderful! I've been reading your blog and others. God has really been giving me a nudge to de-stress my life so I can focus on de-stessing our home. I haven't been able to sleep tonight. Every time I try to sleep my mind floats to an area of our home where I can reduce clutter. Your idea of a parlor sounds like just the ticket!

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

I'm just now taking a break to cool off from cleaning my living room which functions as my parlor.

I thought a little homemaking inspiration was in order. I am starting at the beginning of your blog and reading nearly every post in order. I may skip some reviews. ~smile~

Happy Thursday friend!

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage