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Home Decor

Benches and Bowls

west-elm-bowls
Happy Monday everyone!  Good weekend?  I hope so.  I have to share my fun new find with you all!  I was at Down East Home in Utah last time I was visiting my family and landed on this fabulous black tray.  There was only one in the store and it was kind of hidden in the back.  I went to pick it up and the handle came apart on the left side.  I showed it to the store manager and asked if he had another one that wasn’t broken (knowing the answer would be no) and he said no but I could have this one for 40% off.  Score!  That’s totally the response I was hoping for.  :)  Easy fix to glue the handle on and I LOVE it on my farmhouse table.  I needed something big and this fit the bill perfectly!


anthropologie-bowls
I’m still debating what to put on it but for now it’s holding some of my decorative bowls.  I collect bowls and sort of have them all over my house.  Am I the only decorative bowl hoarder out there?  I mostly use them to organize things.  And to look pretty.  And to organize more things.  :)
farmhouse-table-dining-room
This room still has a ways to go.  I want to do something fun to the wall on the left, add a buffet table on the right, and I still need to organize/display some of my dishes in the glass cabinets.  But there are other spaces that I’m working on right now so that will just have to wait!

marble-entry-with-bench
I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my entry.  After I bought the console table I thought a bench might be fun on the other side so I moved our dining room bench in just to see how it looked.
patterned-bench-in-entry
Not exactly what I envisioned in this space, but it was nice to see if a bench with a similar shape would be a good fit.  In some ways I like the way it looks, but what I don’t like is that there is so much pattern going on.  Pattern in the floor, pattern in the bench and pillows, pattern in the table.  A little busy for my taste.
bench-and-trellis-table-in-marble-entry
So this little switch around was a good thing!  It made me realize I love a bench here (the kids sat on it all week when they came in the front door to take off shoes) but I need something longer and without a pattern.  Something simple.  Maybe a bit more rustic?
trellis-entry-table
The yellow lamp is going somewhere else.  I think I also decided I don’t want to bring yellow into this space.
orb-chandelier-in-formal-entryupholstered-bench
Would love to hear your opinion!  Do you like this bench in the entry?  Or do you agree I need something without a pattern?
planks-on-ceiling
And the bench should go back in the dining room?  Because right now my dining room feels a little lonely without the bench.
restoration-hardware-farmhouse-table
Benches and bowls.  Sorry to slam you with such deep topics on a Monday.  

:)

xoxo, Erin
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38 thoughts on “Benches and Bowls

  1. I could totally see a bench similar to a church pew going on in that entryway! Maybe something slightly worn to give it that rustic vibe. I agree with the yellow lamp. I could see a lamp with a gorgeous grey linen shade in there for some texture!

    Can’t wait to see what you put in there :)

  2. Hi Erin, I really like the bench there but I love it in your dinning room. I am all over the whole rustic decor right now. Lanterns and wood are my go to at the moment. I have been buying things and getting rid of stuff that I have and I am really liking it. (Am I the only one that falls in love with a whole new decor and gets rid of the old.) I am trying really hard to blend some of the things I have with all of the new. Two hours into it tonight and I think I may need to sleep and then maybe tomorrow it will all come together…Or not. LOL.
    I think a rustic bench would look amazing there with some really cute pillows. We were in Big Bear over the weekend and we went to the village. I went right into a rustic decor shop and saw a bench that would look perfect in your foyer. I am sure you will find the perfect one.

    I am still drooling over that tray. I’m keeping my eyes open for something similar. It really looks good in your dining room table. Just the right touch. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

    Have a happy week.
    xo

    1. Thanks Cathy! I’m the same way. Always changing and getting rid of old stuff! I wish I had more info. on that tray for you! I’ll definitely let you know if I find something similar!

      xo

  3. i love the black tray, it looks great in your space. Do you happen to know the brand? I’d love to find one of my own if possible, but I don’t live anywhere near Utah. Thanks :)

    1. Thank you! I don’t! It seriously has no info. on it at all. All I can tell you is that I got it at Down East Home in Utah. Sorry that’s not much help!

  4. Hi Erin ,your entryway is beautiful but instead of bench why don’t you try two chairs with half round table,I think it might look much better and may be add some more colors with paintings and other decorative items.

  5. That is a neat tray! Great job on getting it for that discounted price! It looks great on your table with all those pretty bowls. As for the entry way? I’m no decorator at all, but I immediately thought of using a wood bench…maybe a dark wood that went well with the wood in the floor or the color of the door. I do agree that something solid would work better than the pattern. Ooh and if you got one with a hinged top, you’d have extra storage, too! :) Good luck finding something you’d like in that space.

    1. Thanks Jeanne! That is what I’m thinking… something solid and wood to ground the space better. Now let’s hope I can find it! :)

  6. I love the bench in the entry way. I was never a fan of it in the dining room though. Always felt the scale was off, width and height, for that room and table. But of course to each their own, your spaces are always beautiful!

  7. Your house is so beautiful! I love the bench in the dining room, it gives the room a nice pop of color and makes a statement. I agree with you that a rustic bench would add a nice touch to the entry :)

  8. I am a fan of pattern and texture but even i can agree with you as to the amount of pattern in this space. lol! You have pattern in the door, on the walls, on the floor, on the front of the console table, on the bench. Great patterns, all, but together they do add up to a lot.

    Console table and bench are both great additions here, not only cute but functional as well.

    A more rustic or industrial console table might be nice here. I think I remember seeing an industrial, wheeled table somewhere in your home. Perhaps you could try that one?

    I do like both the shape of the bench and the pattern of the bench (the curved lines of the pattern are a great foil for the straight lines of the door, wall, and floor. The pattern in the floor is strong. Perhaps a rug to cover at least a portion of the floor? Again, cute and functional (think of all the dirt it will catch), and might be enough of a damper to allow that bench pattern to really shine.

    1. All good ideas Riley! Thank you! I think the two of us are on the same page. I’m a huge fan of anything rustic or industrial! :) xo

  9. Or, remove the quatrefoil from the console table, and use solid color pillows on the bench. Perhaps those two changes would negate the need for a rug?

    Great dilemma to have. I’ll look forward to seeing the solution.

  10. Erin, The foyer looks fabulous! Don’t change a thing, lol! The yellow lamp looks perfect with the bench and pillows and I actually prefer the bench in the foyer than in the dining room. I do not think it’s too much pattern at all; it looks like a designer styled it. Very sophisticated!

    What I might like to see is if you did a valence in the dining room in the exact same fabric that you have on the bench and then maybe two upholstered chairs in the dining room in the same bench fabric and then that way it unifies the two rooms together. I actually prefer the bench in the foyer instead of a bench in the dining room. The fact that your kids started using it is usually a good sign that you have it in the right spot:)

    I love your new black tray. It looks really cute with the bowls on it.

    1. Ha! Ok.. now you are making me wonder if I need to change my mind! :) Thank you! I’m so happy you like it! Great idea about the two chairs in the dining room. Definitely something to think about… :) xo

  11. Hi Erin!
    I’m in love with that bench but think I like it more in your dining room. Personally I’d like the look of some warm wood tones against the crisp white of your wainscoting. You could do a great wood bench with some pillows. As for the lamp, maybe something with a linen or burlap shade to pop against the white? I’m thinking I would tie the colors from your formal living room into this space because I thought the rooms opened into each other. Correct me if I’m wrong :). Hope that helps you – love, love, love your home!
    Kim

  12. Toni beat me to it. Yes, a long pew would look fantastic. Would totally go with your craftsman style. In a dark rustic wood. I don’t know that I would add a cushion, maybe a couple pillows and then baskets underneath for the kids items.

  13. I think a solid would go well since there are lots of patterns going on in that space. Wood maybe. Love that your kids were using it!

  14. Your dining room with the bench is absolutely to die for! And I totally agree that an old church pew would be the perfect touch for your entry :)

  15. Erin — I do love the bench or a bench by the front door — so nice to have something to sit down on and balance out your table! Love your tray too! I also love decorative bowls and plates and dishes! Some may call it an obsession, I call it a collection! :) Have a good day!

  16. Your home is gorgeous! Love the idea of a rustic bench by the front door! I love your dining room bench, but it is so high, it seems to block some of the light from the windows. Maybe it could find another place to “live” in your home? Just my 2 cents. Love your blog! :)

  17. Hi Erin, I love your taste!!! I’ve been looking for a dining room table for over a year now, where did you find your table?

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