My Favorite Room

I have a favorite room in my house.  As I sit here writing on my blog, I look around this room and take note of the things that invite me to come here to this space where my creative energy is nurtured.  Here is my list:

1.  My favorite feature in this room is the large canvas of The Singing Butler by Jack Vettriano.  I appreciate both the sentimental aspect of the painting - it was given to us by our group of friends in Ohio as a parting gift when we moved to North Carolina in 2007 - as well as the composite of a contemporary artist featuring an Edwardian time period.  Every room needs a good painting.

2.  My grandfather's writing desk, in its prominent place in the corner next to a cozy winged reading chair from the 60's, is a treasure.  The simplistic beauty of its cherry wood, worn smooth by over a century of use, carries secrets of my grandfather's creativity with residue of ink spilled from his fountain pen. It's slant-top cover opens to reveal drawers and cubbies to store favorite things.  This desk inspires me to write.

3.  The antique books propped on various tables, their embossed leather covers glowing in the candlelight, reveal a collection of history, religion, travel lectures, poetry, and world maps from the 1800's.  The unique texture of their covers as I hold them in my hands and the slightly musty smell of the yellowing pages can never be replaced by the generic compilation of readings on a Kindle.  Stacks of literary works will always have prime residence in my favorite room.

4.  The golden wheat-colored marbleized walls of this room give the aura of a French chateau in Provence.  The walls are the perfect background for The Singing Butler, as well as the 4-foot wood-framed mirror with peeling white paint which my parents displayed in their first home during the 1940's and which I now call mine.  Across the room, a column of hand-painted vintage plates from my grandmother's china cupboard keeps watch over the library table with its Grecian pillars.  This room is the color of inspiration.

5.  No favorite room is complete without a gleaming wooden floor, covered with an Oriental rug.  While I have always had a soft spot for fine rugs, this one is an exceptional find from the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission where I discovered it under a pile of bedding in the warehouse for $12.00.  An Oriental rug lends a feeling of royalty to the humblest of cottages.

6.  The last thing about this room I love is the eclectic collection of vintage chairs, designed to be snuggled in and placed strategically next to lamps for reading and writing.  With a vintage leather footstool to prop my feet and an engraved silver coaster on which to rest my wine glass, these chairs welcome me to relax after the rigorous routine of a busy day to enjoy the solace of their cushiony depths.  A good chair is an inviting presence in a room.

These are some of my favorite things in this favorite room of my house.