a real country pantry and larder

Antique and vintage collectables have always had a dear place in my heart, especially kitchen collectables. Once you start off with a piece or two, the collecting process can be quite fun!

 

It’s always a hoot finding one of these pieces, and they can turn up in some of the most unexpected places. 

Garage sales are my favorite place to find these goodies and a great opportunity to create a super cute vintage-style pantry like the ones shown here.

Mason jars filled with dry goods and colorful cans are an excellent way to bring character into any country pantry.

 

 

What adds character to a farmhouse style pantry and personalizes the space most? Well, I think it’s having a few elements that are perfectly imperfect!

A rustic wood floor, an unfinished ceiling, whimsical lights, mismatched chairs, flowers from the garden, the possibilities are endless!

In this case we've got ironstone on the top shelf, followed by blue and white transferware on the second shelf and red and white transferware on the third shelf. What a pretty way to style a pantry! 

 

There are so many ways to personalize your kitchen and add character. Check out these adorable mis-matched country curtains hiding whatever is behind the shelves under the counter. 

 

This kitchen stopped me in my tracks! The vibrant green color of this fabulous kitchen table is amazing! 

It’s got all the storage opportunities of a mini larder or pantry right there, smack dab in the middle of this kitchen. 

All the photos above have been found in the pages of one of my favorite magazines, Country Living.  

 

So, what is the difference between a pantry and a larder? A pantry is a general storage space for food, drinks, and kitchen items, while a larder is a cool, dry area for storing food that needs to be preserved.

 

Larders must be cool and dry in order to help preserve a variety of foods.

 

A pantry is usually a larger space, added through stylish use of architectural features and are often created from spare rooms or extra space near a kitchen.

 

Even though the differences are subtle, and the words are now used interchangeably, I can’t help think of Downton Abbey, Mrs. Patmore and Daisy creating fabulous meals in that historic kitchen.

 

The kitchen itself had “larder” elements. It’s just a vibe! That chic English kitchen look is something that is completely ingrained in my mind.

 

From the copper pots and pans to the classic cabinetry, this kitchen is just dreamy. And when it comes to life during the hustle and bustle of cooking for the Downton family (the Crawleys) and guests, it really is at its best!

 

You can ring my bell, any time!

I hope you’ll follow along with me on Instagram for all the latest projects and décor I will be sharing in 2025.

 

 

 

ciao fabiana

 

 

 

 

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a first look at the Downton Abbey movie

Who’s ready for the Downton Abbey movie?! It sounds like it’s going to be amazing! The major plot of the movie is the anticipation and visit from the King of England, which would be King George V and Queen Mary, the grandparents of Queen Elizabeth.

The story picks up in 1927, Anna & John Bates are now parents to a toddler and Mary and her second husband Henry Talbot also have a child.

The great news is Maggie Smith is back in her role of The Dowager Countess. Also known as Violet Crawley, the matriarch of Downton Abbey, she’s for sure my favorite character followed by Matthew who’s no longer involved in the series since his tragic accident in season three.

Here’s a look at my favorite movie posters recently released in anticipation of the movie which premieres in the U.S. on September 20, 2019

Of course one of my favorite aspects of the Downton series is the attention to detail given to the costumes, homes and story. Lady Mary and the now Marchioness Edith of Hexham* wear the most incredible 1920’s fashion and I’m all in for that!

*(Edith upgraded her title when she married Bertie who’s the Marquess of Hexham)

Here are a few behind-the scenes looks at the movie to hold us over until September!

ciao! fabiana

My favorite Downton book:

At Home at Highclere:

Entertaining at the Real Downton Abbey

Watch the Downton Abbey movie trailer here:

weekend happenings

For me, this first weekend of the year is all about relaxing as much as possible, so I’m taking a cue from these two adorable Labradors!

With the holidays behind us, I’ve been focusing on a few ways to relax, and one way is to unwind in the evening and catch up on “The Crown”. 

In fact I started just before Christmas on the very first episode, and I’m totally hooked! It's similar to Downton Abbey with the amazing sets and costumes, and the story is captivating!

Do you watch it?

I want to prepare myself for season three which debuts very soon, with a whole new cast, as the Queen Elizabeth’s timeline jumps ahead a few years.

I’m looking forward to more thrifting adventures in the new year. Just before the holidays, I found these two pretty little European paintings. 

The top one is my favorite and is so darling, It has just the right colors for my kitchen. I'm still trying to figure out just the right spot for it. I should probably display them together, what do you think?.

Anyhow, the top one is about 8 x 10 in size, and was only $8, while the other one was $10. You should have seen me at the thrift store when I spotted these... 

I hope no one was in my way, because I literally rushed over and quickly grabbed them and put them in my cart for safe keeping, haha.

Here's what I found at Roger’s Gardens this week

Over the last couple of months, with the cooler weather setting in, I’ve been spending more time in the garden freshening things up and planting a whole new section in the back where a fence was replace and plants were taken out.

So, my go to for inspiration is always Roger’s Gardens, although I do like Armstrong’s as well. I’ve planted quite a few little drifts of ornamental cabbage and kale recently. They come in the most divine greens and purples.

They're so perfect with all the herbs and succulents that we already have in the garden. 

The focal point of the new little garden area is a lemon tree, and the surrounding that I've planted several English style climbing roses,  and about eight pretty old-fashioned rose shrubs that will have beautiful romantic-style blooms and hopefully lots of heavenly fragrance too! 

They're all edged with some of my favorite herbs like rosemary, thyme, chives and sage.

Among the old-fashioned roses I planted like a Gertrude Jeckyll and several David Austin roses are two new Downton Abbey roses! This one's called Violet's Pride, named after Maggie Smith's hilarious character and...  

this one’s called Edith’s Darling, you can see the beautiful shape of these flowers here. I can’t wait ‘til I’m able to cut a fresh bouquet of them and bring them into the house!

We’re expecting some rain later today which all the plants will love, but for me that means it’s time to hunker down and get some stuff done at home.

I have all my Christmas décor on the dining room table right now ready to be boxed up, so putting it all away is next on my list!

Happy weekend!

ciao! fabiana

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photo of dogs from Country Living

a very dreamy christmas

I’m really an old soul at heart,

and especially love all the special traditions of Christmas.

One of my favorite things to do is to turn out all the lights 
and let the twinkle lights on the tree illuminate the whole room.

It feels so cozy, doesn’t it? 

A Christmas movie night is a must!

Of course, Christmas movies are so sentimental and there are so many great ones.

One of my favorites is “Christmas in Connecticut”.* I just discovered this classic movie a few years ago, and it’s so fun! In the movie, Barbara Stanwyck writes a newspaper column called “Diary of a Housewife” and she plays sort of a 1940’s perfect-homemaker, Martha Stewart-type character. 

Well, her whole lifestyle turns out to be a sham, and she has to somehow pretend to be this persona she’s created throughout the holidays. It’s sweet, and of course has a nice feel-good ending.  

*If you want to DVR it, it’s on TCM on December 17.  

And, “Elf” is definitely a family fave around here!

Son of a nutcracker!

You really can’t beat Will Farrell’s sense of humor. 

I just love the silhouette of a beautiful Christmas tree!

And these quaint little villages remind me of my snowy childhood in upstate New York.

I also love the smell of fresh gingerbread cookies and this year 

I may even tackle making a gingerbread house from scratch.  

Today was the day for making spritz cookies. 

It just wouldn’t seem like Christmas around here 

without these cute little treats.

(Recipe on the blog tomorrow)

This is the sweetest little ornament that I’ve seen all year!

Available from Lauren Conrad for Kohl's.

And I love Lauren’s simple ideas for wrapping, too.

I miss those days gone by of sharing the wonder of Christmas with my sweet little babies.

This vignette from Downton Abbey captures the preciousness of those faraway days.

Panettone is essential for our family every year

and my absolute favorite is the chocolate chip variety,

especially when enjoyed along with a yummy cappuccino.

The name literally means large cake. 

It’s always fun to make bread pudding with these Italian cakes too!

These days you see Panettone everywhere, so 

how do you feel about this Christmas treat?

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:  1. & 2. Christmas-Winter Tumblr  3.  Dreamy Whites  

4. Ciao Newport Beach  5. Pop & Soda  6. & 7. Lauren Conrad

8. Downton Abbey  9. Laura Adani