We spent a wonderful afternoon on Sunday with our friends Tina and Noble. Tina, you will remember, is the creator of our party hats and Scout’s sheep costume. Noble is an actor who I was lucky enough to meet when we worked together at Hartford Stage. Tina and Noble, like us, love old houses. But while our house, built in 1891, seems old to us, Tina and Noble’s house was built in 1760. Before the American Revolution.
This was our first visit to their home and we were simply amazed by it’s age and patina, as well as the way Tina and Noble have decorated each room. Tina, like me, is a collector. She collects china and paintings and countless other treasures. Gorgeous antique furniture is everywhere. There was no way I could take everything in, but believe me, I tried to. Someday I will take more photos with something other than my iPhone and share them with you. (Sorry for the somewhat blurry photos.) Huge old fireplaces grace the rooms. The ceilings have weathered beams, original to the house. When it was built, living was confined to the top floor and the lower floor, the basement, was where the animals were kept. Now, the kitchen is there along with a sitting room – the 1760 version of a great room. Even now, two days later, my brain is filled with images of the rooms, and I want to go back there and see more of the details. Simply stunning. Tina and I talked about how we have completely different styles of decorating, but in each case, the style suits the house. I see some antiquing with Tina in my future.
Tina made a Pistou, a thick vegetable soup made with a paste, that was hearty and fragrant and perfect for a winter afternoon. There was crusty bread and, of course, wonderful conversation. What a pleasure it was to dine at their home! We’re going to have to step it up on our end….Tina is an incredible cook! We’d better come up with some good recipes for their next visit.
Isn’t that china pattern in the first photo beautiful? I fell in love with it. Their house is small, with only one closet, and Tina has come up with some ingenious solutions for storage. Maybe I can interview her about that for a post someday. Or better yet, I’m trying to get Tina to start a blog. She writes beautifully and the story of her house and its renovation and the way she has decorated the rooms and enhanced the beauty of their beloved home would be fascinating.
Don’t you think she should start a blog?
It’s bitterly cold here, there’s snow on the ground, we’re still waiting for the bed. I’m not sure yet when it’s coming. Winter has become oppressive and I keep hearing that February is supposed to be very snowy. Don won’t be here to help me shovel, so that’s not good news.
The tail end of last night’s sunset:
Glorious.
Happy Tuesday.
