Welcome, friends, to the Fall Coffee Bar 2019! You might notice a few changes around here and a few added features, which I’ve been itching to show you! I was just waiting for the right time and now is as good as any! I’ll also be showing you a little more of this space than I normally do because I really love how it all came together. Very country and cozy – two words that have come to describe my design style.
Let me show you around!
One of my favorite things to do in the morning is come down to the coffee bar and pick which mug to have my coffee in. All the mugs are in their place, just waiting for their turn. Some are Fall related and some are the colors of the season. This year, I added hints of blue all throughout the bar!
There’s always an extra mug or two on the serving tray. I found these vintage clear mugs while thrifting earlier in the year and fell in love with their shape! They were so different than what I’ve seen before and I find them both vintage and modern. Mid-century, which will always be current, it seems!
The bar wouldn’t be complete these days without displaying a book for the season. I love having Susan Branch’s book, appropriately titled Autumn, at my fingertips. Let me tell you – her brownie recipe is quite addicting!
Apples have accidentally become a theme in my kitchen (when it’s not Strawberry season…), probably due to my love of apple pie. Wherever it came from, you’ll see a little later in this post that it’s here to stay with a few more pieces I have in this space. This Baked Apple picture was found while – you guessed it – thrifting! I love how the recipe is on the illustration, along with the apple blossoms, making it look delicate yet still perfect for the kitchen. I even plan on trying the recipe one day!
The sugar bowl is Antique Array by Brick Oven Stoneware. As soon as I saw it I thought this would be a great addition to my Fall kitchen with its earthy color tones. Also a thrift find!
This shelf above the coffee bar continues to evolve over time. This is the space where the blue accents get tied together. A thrifted Harry & David tea pot and measuring cups adds a patterned interest and can easily be interchangeable with any season. The jars have come back from years past and have the perfect Fall touch, including a bundle of cotton tucked inside one. The final piece is this illustration of a chocolate chip cookie recipe. Reminiscent of Susan Branch’s work, this seemed a natural fit in this space!
Our coffee bar is in this wonderful little nook in our kitchen that I just love! We’ve had artwork on either side for a little while, but this past Spring, we put spice rack bookshelves up to complete the space and so I could have a place to display the wonderful covers of some books I have. We also “updated” the light fixture with this brass chandelier. I had thought I wanted to paint it black, but decided I really liked the brass look best in this space.
When I first saw the artwork that’s above the shelves, I had deja vu. I felt I had seen it before and couldn’t place when or where. All I knew was that I wanted to jump into the picture and make apple pie with that girl and how perfectly cozy her home looked! I’ve read that having deja vu is actually a sign that whatever you’re having it about is significant specifically to you. You’ll never know until after! This was the first piece that was put in this space and helped set the tone for the apple theme and the rest of the artwork. In that way, it was definitely significant!
The artwork is by Sandi Wickersham Resnick. In a very interesting twist of fate kind of moment, I had purchased a stack of vintage Country Living magazines months after I bought that piece. What happened to be in that stack was an issue from April 1989 with an article on the home of the artist! I went “Wait! I know that name!” as I read it in the magazine. I rushed over to my wall and confirmed. Not only was she in my magazine, but she also lived (perhaps still does, who knows) in my state! Super cool!
Having the bookshelves up displaying these books gives me a little thrill every time I look at them! Covers that evoke warmth and comfort. Books by Tasha Tudor, Susan Branch, and Jane Watson Hopping. I even found a puzzle with a picture of pies! Would you believe I left it behind, thinking “It’s adorable, but what on earth would I do with a puzzle?” since I’m not a puzzle person. It stayed on my mind and a few days later, it was still in the store and came home with me. We put up the shelves a few days after that and I couldn’t help but think how great it tied in with all of the books and the picture is a great representation of how I want this space to feel.
On the opposite wall, we have artwork by Charles Wysocki. You’ve probably seen his work around on Pinterest! That’s exactly where I saw this. It’s called Happy Pie Makers and it’s actually a page from a calendar that David bought me as a Christmas gift online. I fell in love with it! We framed it ourselves and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out and looks in this space. It’s basically another photo I’d love to jump into! I wonder what they’re singing? They do look quite happy, don’t they?
The books on this shelf are probably going to stay year round. Betty Crocker is just so classic. I also have a signed copy of John Carter Cash’s Family Cookbook! Talk about finding something you didn’t know you needed! Earlier in the year I was moseying around Barnes and Noble in the cookbook section and there it was! I had no idea he had written it and was doubly surprised to see it signed – probably the only way I’ll ever get a Cash’s signature! Yep, definitely coming home with me. And it’s a beautiful cookbook, too. I found the pie wooden cutout at a thrift shop (of course) and thought it fit perfectly here!
So here is the area I’ve never shown you! I’m not sure if this space looks like anything special, but as far as decorating is concerned, I’m thinking it’s done. Where we have an inspiration wall, where I keep most of my pie plates, fruit, nostalgic art, and more inspiring cookbooks.
The last piece to be added, considering it “done” was this Currier and Ives print, called American Homestead Autumn. My mom gets the credit for finding this one! We were shopping one day, and while I was deep in the trenches, scouting for goodies, she pulled it out of a pile and said “What about this?”. I gasped and said “I’ll take it!” She even knew exactly where I should put it!
The home of my pie plates and a regular plate by Century Stoneware called Home Sweet Home. The decorative plate just adds a little extra cozy. I saw it all by its lonesome one day while shopping and knew it would have a good home at my house!
This was the first bookshelf we put up when I started collecting cookbooks. I can’t tell you how much it added to the room!
I’ve just decided no kitchen is complete without a Betty Crocker and a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. They’re just classics that need to occasionally be peaked at, if only for reference and advice. You see that yellow rectangle under the tray? That’s where I hide my recipe cards, in case you’re wondering. I have no idea why, I just haven’t found a better place.
Thank you friends, for coming to tour the coffee bar! I hope you found something to be inspired by! You’re welcome back anytime. Now tell me, do you have any themes in your kitchen or have something you collect? Tell me all about it in the comments!
Brandie Sellers 
This is really random! My aunt is Sandi Wickersham Resnick! In our stay-at-home
time, I was online looking for puzzles. Sandi has had a few of her prints (breaking copyright law) made into puzzles but she has taken it in stride. I decided to see if I could find one to order and came across your article. It was really fun to read! Sandi is in Maui now, mostly doing interior decorating but during lockdown has started painting again!
Oh, that’s so neat how you found my post! This made my whole morning! I’m so glad she’s begun painting again 😊 Thank you for reaching out!