Wednesday, April 17, 2019

A to Z April Challenge: O is for Oak Buffet


This is a continuation of LAST APRIL’s challenge about HEIRLOOMS. When my sister and I cleaned out our parents’ home, we had to make many decisions about what to do with all the stuff. Which things are truly “valuable” and which have only sentiment in their favor? Should we sell it, keep it, or throw it away? To help ensure a future for our family’s heirlooms, I plan to leave a booklet for my daughters telling the stories of what they will inherit one day. (Not TOO soon, I hope!)



is for the Oak Buffet in my dining room. It is not a family heirloom, but it is definitely old. I purchased it from an antique shop in nearby Suffolk, Virginia, with money left to me by my grandaunt Violetta Davis Ryan.

The minute I saw this one in the shop, I knew how I was going to spend my inheritance. 

The carved doors, the lion heads, the claw feet, the mirror, the ample storage - what’s not to love? 





















My grandaunt Helen Killeen Parker’s silver service is displayed prominently. A few pieces of crystal make an appearance as well. The main cabinet holds my fine china. Odds and ends of candles, napkins, trays, and serving pieces are stored in the drawers. Boxes of silverware and brassware are shoved underneath.

Sometimes I look around at my STUFF and imagine what I would keep if I ever wanted or needed to downsize. This buffet is always on my KEEP list.

Wendy
© 2019, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

14 comments:

  1. I think that is the most beautiful buffet that I've ever seen!

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  2. That would be a keeper on my list too and I'm not super sentimental, etc., but it is a pretty piece of furniture.

    betty

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    1. Thanks. I try not to be sentimental about things but sometimes I can't help it. I've given my daughters permission to not be.

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  3. Wow, what a beautiful buffet, so many details. Love the doors.

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  4. My aunt wanted me to have a buffet about half that size. She and my uncles were moving from Michigan to South Carolina and somehow the buffet made the move with them and went into storage, never to resurface. That was 20 years ago, who knows what ever happened to it.

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    1. Well boo hiss. I hope their storage unit didn't end up in auction like on the tv show "Storage Wars."

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  5. What a beautiful piece! Love the carvings.

    Janet’s Smiles

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  6. Perfect matching decor look - Loving the little touches like the candles matching the wallpaper. My day job is with wallpaper so I just loved the whole way you displayed the buffet and surrounds.

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    1. I love wallpaper. The foyer and dining room are the last rooms to have it. I used to have wallpaper in the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room but I have taken it all down. I'm glad to see wallpaper is making a comeback.

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  7. That is definitely a beautiful buffet. I, too, have a buffet (I call them sideboards) or two that I bought from an antique store. I love that you spent your inheritance on something to remind you of Violetta.

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    1. I go back and forth on what to call it - sometimes I say sideboard.

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