The Saratoga House: A Few of My Favorite Things…Decorating Elements I Won’t Do Without

Do you ever search your closet and find that outfit that you know you’ll wear today that makes you feel fabulous and confident? Do you then realize that it’s the same ensemble that made you feel your best last week, and the week before? Most of us have a gazillion things to choose from, yet we find ourselves drawn time after time back to that great pair of jeans that minimizes…whatever needs minimizing, or the red patent leather flats that make us feel fun and flirty, or the button-down sweater that fits perfectly and goes with everything. These, my friends, are known as keepers. The tried and true. The accessories or elements that not only look good, but make you feel good from the inside out. They can be reinvented, reclaimed, re-accessorized, or repeated time and time again, but they always are the solution to your morning dressing dilemma.

In the same way, there are certain materials and supplies in
the world of decorating that are the keepers. The go-to. The “when in doubt, here they are” items that solve
your problem and make you look innovative doing it. They too can be reinvented and retooled to
complete a spatial puzzle you are presented with, or seem to fill a need or
spot with ease, functionality, and style, just like your favorite little black dress. This week, I thought I’d share just a few of
those tried and true items with you that for me, fill my decorating holes. There are many more than the ones I’ve listed
here, but like anything, every list has to start somewhere, so without further adieu…

Mason Jars. There is something incredibly simple yet
classic about a clear mason jar that makes it an essential part of my décor and
design repertoire. I think part of it is
the history behind it–even the newest jar off the shelf, when utilized, has the
potential backstory of being somewhere in your great-grandmother’s kitchen
during a significant childhood memory.
They can be vases, drinking glasses, and clear pantry storage. They are equally comfortable on a picnic or
lined up on the living room mantel. They
can feel casual and spur-of-the-moment (filled with the random flowers your 5-year
old picked from the emerging spring garden) or festive and inviting (holding
the utensils for your 4^th of July backyard bbq). One of my favorites is to screw the caps into
the base of an upper cabinet and then use them to store dry goods/office
supplies/nails and bolts by screwing the glass into the now stationary cap. Or
a holder for long, crusty breadsticks on your table when dining Italian. Or containing
pinwheels as a centerpiece for a child’s birthday party. I could go on…

Candles. This seems like a given to most design
enthusiasts, but candles truly are an essential for every space. Not only do they give moody lighting to a décor
vignette, but there is a texture to them that grounds a space like nothing
else. I look around my house and find that
most of the candles I surround myself with are then paired with something shiny
and metallic, as well as a textural, natural element. So the waxy pillar candles are held in
antiquish pewter candlesticks on a bamboo table runner, or simple votives are
lined along a slim slivery rectangular plate surrounded by a collection of wine
corks…it feels balanced and right. And
my newest discovery (thanks to my innovative sister-in-law)…the
battery-operated candles. Still made of
wax and ever-so-slightly warm to the touch, they can be placed anywhere without
a concern for everything from drips and drops (from previous experience, a
major pain) to visiting toddlers.

White Dishware. While I love the place setting of 12 that my
husband and I picked out while engaged because it was one of the first things
we called ours together, if I had to do it all over again, everything I would have
listed on that wedding registry would have been white. Simple, clean-lined, classic white. It has often been said that by adding a touch
of black to a room that there is an elegance added that grounds a space, and in
turn, I think adding a touch of white gives décor an airy grace all its
own. Combine this with the smooth finish
of ceramic or porcelain and it seems to fit no matter where it finds a home,
from the library shelf to the kitchen windowsill to the dining room table. It is also usually inexpensive to purchase,
new or used, and when combined with other white pieces of dishware, even if the
parts making up the picture are from different time periods and reflect very
different styles, they all go together to form a collection that feels important.

So there you have it–the first three essentials on my list
of must-haves, and although they are very different from one another, the also
share attributes–they are simple, timeless, and, I hope, inviting to whoever
enters a space they are contained in. I
look forward to adding more of my favorites to my list, but in the meantime, I’d
love to hear about a few of your favorite “keepers” discovered during your design adventures…inquiring
minds want to know!