Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for kitchen island

The Kitchen and Our Trip to Phoenicia

February 25, 2020 at 11:11 am by Claudia

I felt the need for flowers yesterday. Two reasons come to mind; the gorgeous 61 degree weather we had yesterday, and I wanted to see a vase of flowers on the island. More expensive than Trader Joe’s, but when you figure in the money I have to pay for gas to drive an hour to get there, it all evens out.

I love our kitchen. I’m in love  with our kitchen. And I know that it doesn’t look like any other kitchen. I don’t want a space that could be anywhere. I see a lot of those in magazines and on Instagram. I want it to be our  space, unique to us. It’s a work in progress, but we’re very happy with it as it is.

A few pictures from our trip to Phoenicia.

The Phoenicia Diner, with someone you know walking to our car.

I love places that have older waitresses that have clearly worked there for a long time. This place was packed, with a 20 minute wait for a table, and they were working hard. Nevertheless, they were so friendly and helpful and down-to-earth. The food is terrific.

On the way into the little main street area.

My just under 6’5″ husband looks petite here.

Loved this charming little house. The colors used are wonderful.

Likewise here, in this bed and breakfast.

Check out that intricate detail on the trim.

We were intrigued by this theater. It’s a community theater that has its own performing space. They’re currently raising money to redo the exterior. There are a lot of New York actors who have weekend homes in this county and several of them (some of whom we know and have worked with) have participated in benefits and readings to help raise funds for the theater. We plan to go see something there whenever their next season starts.

Both of us have roots in community theater and we believe in it and what it offers to the the many people who aren’t necessarily professional actors, but have talent and a desire to perform or design or direct or run lights and sound, not to mention what it offers to the community. In some ways, it reminds me of a clear and unadulterated time in my life –  by that I mean when I worked 40 hours a week doing something I disliked, and used every bit of my spare time to do what I really loved. 40 hours in the office, an additional 20 or 30 in evening and weekend rehearsals. Driving long distances in order to act. Don had the same experience early in his career; none of the complexities and, frankly, BS, that comes with a professional career. We did it because we loved it. We met and worked with wonderful people. Becoming a professional was the goal in our case, but we now really appreciate and miss that time when we worked with no pay, just because we loved it so. I worked with some incredibly talented people, who, for whatever reason, chose to do it on the side.

Anyway, we got nostalgic. We still are, a few days later. Phoenicia is a community that has a strong artistic presence. There is some sort of society there for the voice – as in singing – and they’re going to perform Tosca! I suspect we’ll discover more when spring and summer come because it’s a tourist area as well. Lots of fly fishing and camping and tubing.

Okay, I better hit publish!

Happy Tuesday.

 

Filed Under: flowers, kitchen, kitchen island, On The Road 23 Comments

Serendipitous Finds

February 24, 2020 at 10:21 am by Claudia

What? 58 degrees today and sunny? Oh my.

We had a lovely day yesterday. We drove to Phoenicia, which is a tiny little town up in the Catskills. We took a rather hilly route and consequently learned that the CR-V doesn’t do so well anymore on that kind of terrain. Next time, either a different route or my car. But it was a lovely drive. The scenery is still winter-stark, but then again, I got to see houses that would normally be hidden by leafed out trees. Phoenicia is funky, known for its strong arts community, fly fishing, and tubing down the river.

Our first stop was at the Phoenicia Diner, which is very well known around here. This was our first time and it was packed. The food is delicious. More on all of that tomorrow.

It felt like we really got away to a completely different place. It turned out to be one of what we call our ‘road trip’ adventures, where wonderful and unexpected things happen just by our being open to the experience.

When we drove into Phoenicia proper after we ate at the Diner, one of our stops was an antique shop. To be frank, there wasn’t much there that interested us, but there was one thing. A stainless steel kitchen island that most likely came out of a restaurant. It’s definitely restaurant quality. I noticed it immediately and called Don over. He, being the cook, fell in love with it. The depth was fairly narrow and it seemed as if it would fit nicely in our kitchen. The price was great. So we measured and measured again, mostly to see if it would fit in the CR-V. It did.

Here it is:

Don loves it. The height is perfect for my very tall husband. There’s lots of prep space. We have very little counter space here. This gives us so much more! We can easily move the Fiesta compote off the top in order to use the entire length of the island. Also: much easier to clean than the first island, which periodically had to be repainted and it was a pain in the tush.

It’s also what I call “airier.” We can see through it to the cupboards. It’s not a heavy piece of furniture like the previous island, which was in reality a sideboard. And it isn’t too small to be a functional island, which our sweet French Bistro table was. It also echoes the chrome on Stella. We have to get used to it as we’ve both bumped into it this morning but we’re really happy with it. An unexpected find on our trip yesterday.

The other unexpected finds were those two vintage picnic basket tins. These were found in a shop that, again, had absolutely nothing that we found interesting but did have four of these tins stacked in the display window. I assumed they were for display purposes only, but they were for sale. We got a really good price for the two we bought and were already envisioning them on the shelf below the counter. They’ll provide much needed storage. I knew immediately that the island would need softening. Those sleek lines would need some vintage additions to fit in with our pottery and plant filled kitchen. I think we’ve managed to do that with the tins, the antique crate – which we already had – and the bright yellow compote on the top.

We were not expecting to buy anything but brunch, but we couldn’t pass these up. Serendipity!

The other side of the kitchen this morning:

Still haven’t painted the wall. Heaven knows when I will.

Yes, our kitchen is funky.

I’ll share some photos from our little journey tomorrow.

Oh, almost forgot! When Don went out to the car yesterday, he saw one of our groundhogs! Groundhogs hibernate for the winter, so this was a surprise, and it’s certainly the earliest we have ever seen one. Did he just come out to check on the weather? I don’t think it was Henry. It was the guy who lives next door and runs back and forth between our houses, because as soon as he saw Don he took off for our neighbor’s shed.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: antiques, dollhouse, kitchen, kitchen island, vintage 60 Comments

Deconstructed

August 7, 2019 at 9:44 am by Claudia

You might have seen this on Instagram yesterday.

My dear husband had been watering the plants for me while I rested my back. He tends to be overzealous with the water. The day before yesterday, I felt ready to water the porch plants once more (Don was in the city.)

I immediately noticed a large amount of water on top of the former kitchen island. And some of that water had run down the front of the piece. I ran for some paper towels and quickly realized that the water had probably been there for a couple of days, resulting in the veneer warping – both on top of the cabinet and on the drawer fronts.

I was actually pretty calm about it since I knew the veneers were problematical given the fact that this piece is now outside on the porch. The sides of the cabinet had already shown some evidence of warping. I grabbed a screwdriver to separate the two drawers (which had expanded due to the water) and then I started peeling the veneer.

Current status.

There’s more to do. Frankly, I had already envisioned getting rid of the veneer, which has been troublesome from the beginning – way back when I first painted this formerly dark sideboard. When it was still in the kitchen, I pondered taking the top down to the raw wood. But then Stella came and all of that was shelved.

The whole thing needs a new paint job and some weather proofing. Whether I keep it two-toned or paint it all white again is the question. So far, the cupboard doors are fine. I may peel the veneer on the sides of the cabinet.

Don, having been told of his overwatering mistake, said: “I like it better this way.” (I’m sure he does.)

I’m not averse to it either. It gives it some texture. And I like chippy things, which, given the current condition of the sideboard, is putting it mildly.

This will be a good Autumn Project.

Maybe Don is just trying to keep me busy.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Filed Under: Don, kitchen island, porch 12 Comments

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 6
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2025 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT