Marshall Fields, Chandeliers, Shopping Bags, and Muckross

One of my favorite places in my condo is an unexpected area--there is a little nook off the eating area of my kitchen. The nook has a big picture window that looks out over the front of the building to see the front door and sidewalk.  (I can spy who's at my door before walking downstairs, or peek out at the parade of dogs and people walking by the front of the building) Previously, there was a high top table with stools, but I'm not one to often sit at high-top tables.  I'm not sure if it's something that comes with being tall, but I'm not a fan of my legs dangling above the ground when I sit.

So, genius idea, and I have to give my dad credit for this one--put a black leather loveseat in the nook, and enhance the sitting area of the kitchen! Here's a look at what the previous owner had in this area:

(look past the table and cabinets to the far left corner...see the high top table?)

Now to outfit the nook, I drew upon an idea that my Nonnie had years ago.  When Marshall Fields was closing (tear), she told my mother to save one of the bags and frame it one day.  So my mother, the queen of organization and design, safely stowed away this shopping bag and the idea of framing bags and hanging them on a wall.  Enter my kitchen nook, and my Nonnie's idea finally became a reality. 

The chandelier (from Hobby Lobby) adds some fancy lighting to the nook

The opposite wall that the loveseat faces lay the perfect opportunity to expand the Marshall Fields bag idea. Collecting bags from vacations and various family members' shopping excursions (thank you, Patrick), I was able to create a full wall of framed bags.  Again, my mother's eye for design brought this idea into existence. 

I love how you can see the wall of bags when going down the stairs to the first floor.  It spruces up what was before simply a plain white wall.  I'm currently enjoying my nook as a great place to read or sip coffee, and soak up memories.  The yellow "Mucros" bag, for example, was from a trip to Ireland, and an excursion to the gorgeous Muckross House in Killarney.  I walked out with a beautiful wool scarf that was woven on the grounds in that bag. The gardens inspired many poets, such as Y.B. Yeats and Alfred Austin, who wrote: "If mountain, wood and water harmoniously blent, constitute the most perfect and adequate loveliness that nature presents, it surely must be owned, that it has, all the world over, no superior."
And to close, a shot similarly angled to the "Before" photo at the beginning of this post:

Boris watching for me out the picture window..taking full advantage of the loveseat. He isn't into high top tables either.