Ranu’s Found Parsons Table

03.28.2012

I’m super excited to introduce you to another Blogshop friend, Ranu from Sunshine Girl. Ranu’s upbeat blog is one of my little daily treats, its always colorful, energetic, and brings a great tone to my day. I’m not surprised that Ranu’s Sentimental Salvage story is about her great street find – I feel like Ranu could make lemonade out of lemons any day! Thanks for being here, Ranu!

Hi there. I’m Ranu, from Sunshine Girl, and I’m excited to be sharing my Sentimental Salvage story here on Salvaged Grace today. Thanks Erin, for having me!

Living in New York City, there is no shortage of trash and abandoned furniture on sidewalks, in alleyways and dumpsters, and more. On a rainy day last fall, I was scurrying back to the office after grabbing a coffee from the corner grocery, and low and behold, I saw my perfect desk sitting out on the sidewalk in the rain. This wasn’t just any desk, and upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a very gently used West Elm Mini Parsons desk.

Spaces in Manhattan are generally small, and my nook of a room is no exception. But this abandoned treasure on the street was the perfect size for my bedroom. I had been on the hunt for a desk that I liked and would fit in my room for awhile, so this find really called out to me. It was almost too good to be true! I hurried back to my office to enlist the help of a co-worker to bring the desk inside, and over the weekend, I was able to bring my salvaged piece to my apartment. A brand new desk for me, hooray!

It now sits snugly between my bed and closet, and has become both a bedside table and work surface. I love the simple center drawer and the clean lines of the desk. I continue to be amazed at how lucky I was to come across it! Next on my list: a desk chair. I’ll be keeping my eyes open on the streets and beyond to cross that off my wishlist as well.

Images via Sunshine Girl

Chelsea’s Grandmother’s Ceramics

03.07.2012

Lovely Indeed, by Chelsea Costa, was another awesome find after attending Blogshop last September. Chelsea has a great energy and it is perfectly captured in her posts. Also, her smart DIYs are not to be missed! Speaking of, Lovely Indeed was nominated for Best DIY Blog in The Homies on Apartment Therapy. Enjoy Chelsea’s Sentimental Salvage story of her grandmother’s ceramics.

I have a thing for nicknacks, and especially a thing for nicknacks that are sentimental for one reason or another. I find myself having to edit often, because I don’t want the apartment that my husband and I share to become so overrun with stuff that it starts to look like a curiosity shop. But there are a few things that I could never, ever edit away, and this is one of them.

My grandmother used to do ceramics. She made everything from ceramic bowls of fruit to ceramic Easter bunnies, and I can remember them always on display around her house. When she got older, she started giving her favorite creations one by one to me and my sister. The first one she gave me was this vase.

When I moved from California to New York, where I currently live, I packed it away carefully and it made the long journey; it’s been in all three of my apartments in the city. It’s always on display (even when I don’t have fresh flowers in it), and I think of my grandma whenever I pass it. I love how simple and graceful it is. And most of all, I love her initials inscribed on the bottom, so faint you can only see them in exactly the right light. She carved “O.C”. on the bottom of every project she made.

Many thanks to Erin for letting me share my Sentimental Salvage story!

Images via Lovely Indeed

Lori’s Vintage Skittle and Mashers

02.15.2012

Every week on Lori Langille’s blog, Automatism, she features a post called “Buffet,” It is literally a feast of links to fantastic articles on a variety of subjects and is my favorite post of the week (across all blogs) hands down! Each careful, thoughtful compilation of articles is so well done, if I can’t get to them right away I save them to read later. I’m so excited to share Lori’s equally thoughtful Sentimental Salvage today.

When Erin was kind enough to invite me to contribute a post to her lovely Sentimental Salvage series, I was enthusiastic about the idea but unsure about what to write about. And then I turned around and there it was, sitting in a glass vase on a little Danish teak table in my living room — my small mixed collection of vintage potato mashers and a solitary skittle.

The skittle is from an antique shop on Portobello Road, discovered while on a trip to London several years ago. Each time I look at it I recall the proprietor of the shop, who was a sweet and shy man — he had a sign above his tiny counter that read, “All prices are final as the owner is not emotionally equipped to haggle.”

The potato mashers are mid to late 19th and early 20th century pieces, purchased from etsy. What attracted me to them was much the same as what attracted me to the skittle — the subtle beauty of these utilitarian objects, with their warm wood tones made richer by the patina of time. I like to think of how these mashers have been used by women for generations to prepare meals for their loved ones, their edges gradually becoming rounded through daily use.

Looking at vintage household items like these, I find myself appreciating the skill of the long forgotten craftspeople who made these simple objects by hand, and how they took pride in their work, often bringing a refined sense of design to the humblest kitchen tool. And so I display them as art objects in my living room, where they now rest, admired for their quiet beauty.

Images via Automatism

Joana’s Map Print

02.01.2012

How often do you hear about someone actually living in paradise? I met Joana in September at Blogshop and have since enjoyed following along her everyday beach adventures. Joana hosted me on her blog My Sea Story a few month ago and I thought it was high time to welcome her here. Joana’s Sentimental Salvage story is inspired by one of my favorite holiday repurposing ideas.

Hi, I’m Joana from myseastory, and I am so happy to be participating on Sentimental Salvage today!

It’s been a year since I moved from portugal to turks and caicos, I remember doing lots of planning to bring with me every little thing that I would need and wouldn’t be so easy to find on island. I knew there was no Ikea, no Crate and Barrel, not even Craiglist or Ebay…

But I brought only what I really needed, and after finding a home and settling down I began to feel the urge to fill the empty walls of our Caribbean home – so this is where I am at the moment, in the process of this challenging project.

A few weeks ago I found this map print through Black Eiffel and knew I had to have it, it is so simple and would give a happy touch to my home. I used an old frame that was still inside a box and it fit perfectly – now it reminds me of all the places I still want to travel to!

xx Joana

If you like it too, you can also download another version of this print for free on Angela Hardison’s blog.

Thanks Joana!

Images via My Sea Story

Shoko’s Grandmother’s Dishware

01.25.2012

I met the lovely Shoko at Blogshop back in September. Ever since I’ve been following her blog, Sho and Tell, which is such a breath of fresh air. I can always count on Shoko to restore some sense of tranquility to my day. Her tastes seem to run towards the gorgeous and sublime. I believe she may get that from her grandmother…

Like many twenty-somethings who have relocated to cities far from home, I‘ve had to furnish my new digs (or, to be accurate, my room in the apartment I share with two roommates) on a budget. IKEA bed frame here, CB2 vase there. When I first moved to New York, my financial restrictions combined with a paralyzing fear of bed bugs (no thrift store décor for me!) caused me, more often than not, to shy away from all things used, and settle for unoriginal.

So when Erin invited me to contribute a Sentimental Salvage, I initially drew a blank. The only items I’ve salvaged have come from Anthropologie sale racks, I thought. Then, I remembered.

I brought these pieces of dishware – a stout little sugar bowl and a striped soy sauce dispenser – home from a recent trip to Japan. My mother, who’s in the process of cleaning out my grandparents’ house in Tokyo, saw me admiring them one morning and encouraged me to take them home.

I don’t know the history behind them, but I love that these pieces — that once sat on my grandparents’ kitchen shelf in Tokyo — now have a home in my New York City apartment. My grandmother was a legendary cook, so I also like to think that maybe, just maybe, some of her culinary know-how will rub off on me when I use her things.

These pieces, though small, are part of my family’s history. I think they’re beautiful – I especially adore the colored stripes – and they bring to mind many happy memories of meals I’ve shared with people I love. I’m so happy, and so grateful, to have them.

Absolutely beautiful! I, too, adore those stripes! Thank you Shoko!

Images by Shoko