the barn's bar

It's been far too long since I've invited you over to the barn. How about coming in for a little glass of local white wine. Hop on up to the bar...it's the best seat in the house... ahem, barn. My mother and I deliberated over this bar for ages. The main room is small and we didn't want a table to crowd and clutter the open floor plan. The bar has been better than we could have ever hoped for. We lowered it to counter height, which seems just right. The plank was from an antique/rummage shop. The mismatched brackets, securing it to the wall, are from an architectural salvage store. The bar's surface is wide enough for a place mat, as well as a laptop computer. It seats two perfectly...but this summer we actually had all four grandchildren slurping spaghetti at "Grandma's pasta bar"... and they were quite comfortable!



My mother had the brilliant idea of putting up a little ledge for condiments, candles and napkins.This keeps the dining surface clear and provides a little stage for a couple of rotating vintage pieces. The ledge was originally upstairs in the barn builder's workshop. There are different sized holes all along the length of the narrow board, and we believe he stored his tools in it. What a wonderful way to bring it back to life! The napkins are held in place by a lovely section of an old cigar box my mother couldn't part with.

The little red house is an original toy from my grandmother's nursery school. My mother kept it by her side during the years she was searching for her first home (to buy)...a symbolic little reminder of what she wanted and where she came from. What's so amazing is its resemblance to her dream home...her little barn.