We’ve all heard it a million times. Group like things together. Duh. Collections are like that, they just look good all together. I’ve had my hutch for years. And I’ve always had my white dishes in it. But, they’ve always had other guests as well. I mean, I know about grouping like stuff together, I do that? Right?
I for one like the idea of mixing up all sorts of stuff together. That’s fun. It was a great way to show off my blue and green ware that I’m sure has a fancy name. See, I kind of grouped like stuff together. I know how to do that. Who cares if I added in more stuff, I still got the group together.
Here I grouped my white dishes together and then sprinkled in a few other pretty things.
Then I dumped a lot more pretty things, hey, see my white dishes? They are back there, really. I group.
I tried all kinds of ideas. And wondered why I never really liked the way my hutch looked.
Then I painted my hutch {by the way have I ever told you how much I HATE the word hutch? The Hutch Back of Notre Dame is all I can think of~can you picture it? He’s got a huge hutch on his back and has to carry it around with him everywhere….} and as I started really evaluating every item I have before our yard sale, I tried something…
I grouped all of my whites and nothing more.
No mercury glass balls, no blue willow, no photos, no randomness. Now that it’s been repainted and the back {hutchback?} is simply paint, I was shocked at how stunning my plain white dishes looked all by themselves. I love all of that other, extra stuff on its own but, I am still amazed at how powerful all of these white dishes are as a group. Breaking them up with other items seems to take away some of their power and beauty. I’m not saying I won’t add certain items during certain holidays but, this one wall in my house is purposeful, simple and still useful. I can practically throw any white dish up there and it will look great.
Now I’m looking around my house wondering what other things I can group together for a better impact. What do you group?
Be sure to visit the other 31 dayers:: Reluctant Entertainer, The Inspired Room, Remodeling This Life, Chatting at the Sky, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, My First Kitchen, Life With My 3 Boybarians, over the next 31 days.
I know you just had a yard sale, so maybe this doesn’t apply anymore, BUT:
You have so many amazing accessories that you change around…do you have a huge closet that you “shop?” or how do you organize them? I’m dying to know. I have a bunch shoved in my basement and then I forget about them. It’s a problem.
LOVE………! :)
The hutch issue is a big one for me. I’ve had mine for about a year and I’m never able to figure it out unless it’s all halloweeny or christmassy. Right now it’s full of randomness and it’s working the best it ever has, but that’s only because I got fed up and just filled it up with all my back-up plan, no-fail, easy peasy stuff like barn stars, little plants and pretty frames. I’ve wanted to do the white dish thing for awhile but it’s in the living room so it just looks weird. Love that you even put the popcorn bowl in your grouping and it totally works!
I just hopped over from … someplace on the www, but I forget where at the moment! I had to smile at your comment about how much you don’t like the word “hutch”. In England, we call what you call a “hutch” a “dresser”. Much prettier! :) Anyway … congratulations on getting your dresser :) to look as beautiful as you always knew it could!
Let’s see, I group all my laundry together on the floor…you know, all the whites in one huge pile, all the brights in another huge pile. That kind of counts.
I love your hutch. And your hutch back. Not YOUR hutch back. Your hutch’s back.
ha ha ha!
Of course that counts, but what if I’m struggling with that kind of grouping as well? Any advice for that one? lol (And Emily can’t laugh because she just said in a tweet that because of her inspiration from this series EVERYTHING in her house is clean….EVERYTHING., She doesn’t even have one bit of laundry left to do. (sigh) She definitely didn’t start the series in my house….;)
Dream-a-tic difference with the paint job. Love it.
Love the hutch that way…but all the other ways, too. Hey, I was really hoping to hear all about your yard sale. Please share!!
YES, I will, I’m waiting for my dad to email me the pictures that he took with his phone, so those are sure to be frame quality. And then I have to figure out how to work it into 31 days, but I think I can
I love that photo of your dining room with the newly painted hutch (back) and the light streaming through the window…
I confess to starting to try to group like items together and then adding more “other” stuff. I’m going to go through the house this afternoon and try to see what I can group together without “busying” it up!
Just a little tweaking of your illustration. The unfortunate gentleman of Notre Dame was a “hunchback,” a rather cruel designation for one who suffered from curvature of the spine (scoliosis). His curvature was severe, rendering him unable to stand upright.
seriously? You didn’t get that I was trying to be funny?
clearly I need to work on my comedy skills.
I apologize, Nester, for not detecting your intended humor. Because you are a Christian woman, I truly thought it to be a misunderstanding, and I commented on behalf of any reader who might have the same affliction. And I admit to being particularly sensitive because I am the mother of a child with a severe curvature of the spine, who has often encountered ridicule.
I regret my comment and would delete it if I knew how. Please feel free to do so for me. Thank you. I intended no offense, truly. But it is also no laughing matter.
Oh honey we are just laughing because the misunderstanding is funny, clearly I {insert bold type} am the one who isn’t communicating the funny. But, let’s remember, I am not the one who created the story The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. If you take issue with that you’ll have to time travel and contact Victor Hugo.
PS, Christians can be funny, right?
I totally got the joke, Nester, and took no offense at the “Hutchback” reference. I thought it was punny. lol Yes, Christians can be funny. Between the movie references, stand up comedy, and running commentaries in our home, we laugh A LOT. Amen, sister!
Wow.
Ok, this is hysterical! Did you really think she thought it was HUTCH BACK?!?! They should make that movie for real like and have a dude with a hutch on his back. And he could marry The Chester Drawer of Paris.
I’m seriously cackling right about now! Snort.
LOL
Now THAT is hilarious! Man alive, some folks are so stinking funny! I loved the “hutch back”. Totally got it!
I just redecorated around my white dishes which you can see in my recent posts. They’re amazing with green, as you’ve now discovered. Love the bit of aqua as well. Always tinkering…..
Ellen
I don’t have a hutch, but I do have a 5 piece wall unit in my LR that is my achilles heel! Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day removing everything in it ( I cleaned and waxed the wood) and attempted to re-arrange all my chotchkes that were in it. Needless to say, I am not happy! I have too much stuff, but not enough of the same type to make it look like a “collection”. Polish crystal, a few Hummels, lots of family pics- lots of little stuff. Some of the stuff is sentimental, so I am no ready to get rid of it, but I can’t seem to get things to look good together! Grrrr! Any tips out there for a big wall unit where everything is NOT related? HELP! Nester, can you do a post on this?
We think we’re so funny. We might be the only ones.
I’m beginning to think we ARE the only ones.
Nope I think it was funny too. Both your comparison and the comment. Especially the comment! Never underestimatie the power of a hunchbacked hutch.
Absolutely love it. Such a breath of fresh air. :)
Steph
No, I thought it was funny too and will definitely be chuckling on and off all day. (Well, except when I look at my hutch that is basically my early 1990′s tea cup collection….talk about needing to regroup. AHHH)
White dishes are where it’s at!!! I love that you can buy em anywhere in any texture, size, or shape and they all end up matching in the end. :)
Yes , the word ‘hutch’ conjours up visions of rabbits for me! Thats the name for their little wooden houses, in the UK. We would call your ‘hutch’ a Dresser. Not sure if thats any better !
ZoeB
Rabbits live in hutches here in the US too. And a “dresser” is where we keep our folded clothes!
I grouped black and white photos framed in all black frames in a wall collage! :)
You guys are crack-a-lackin.
Grouping is one of my favorite ways to tidy things up. I’m also a fan of stacking. :-)
I group my crosses. Oh, I have one or two scattered throughout my house, but for the most part they all hang out together in one place in my living room. Having them all together makes me happy and gives the collection a kind of “wow” factor it wouldn’t have if these were not together.
I also grouped my collection of pitchers in the shadow box cupboards in my kitchen. When we first looked at this house as it was being built, the builder was so proud of these lighted shadow boxes. They are really cool, but I nearly hyperventilated as I thought “What the heck am I going to display in those??” Finally I realized that I had a small collection of pitchers. I just went to TJMaxx and purchased a few more, and now I have a collection proudly and beautifully displayed. No muss, no fuss, just beauty.
Your white dishes look wonderful! Every time I see your hutch (you’re right about that word!), I do a double-take–I really liked it black. But it looks wonderful, I have to admit, and somehow it just looks RIGHT with just the white dishes. Good for you!
yes…the all white looks peaceful. i’m not much of a grouper…yet.
Lovely! I am enjoying your 31 Days postings! Maybe this is the beginning of a book? Lots of great information from all of you!
sister, you are crazy brilliant. it’s not just your ideas. it’s how you capture your ideas in a photograph. it’s how you capture your ideas in words. thank you for putting yourself out there in this world. you make it a much happier and prettier place. xoxox
Glad I’m not the only one with tea cups…love the white dishes! Would it be nuts to just start spray painting my stuff white???
Having a “hutchback” could be totally convenient…dishes at your fingertips to set the table…need a vase for those lovely flowers? Here you go! Hee hee…
Looks gorgeous. I remember you doing a post about your hutch way back when and I loved what you did with it then. I took myself straight out to Mecca, ahem, HomeGoods and bought me some white dishware. Looooooving it. And can we talk about how much I love your Hunchback? Ahem, Hutch?
It does look stunning! I am now thinking that that is why I have never liked my glass cabinets above my desk in my kitchen…okay, off to change that!
cannot stop laughing. first at the comment but now the replies? too funny for a monday morning.
LOVE white dishes! I have white, glass, lime, and cobalt blue. I decided to take the doors off my top kitchen cabinets and group those color dishes together, and I LOVE it! Grouping is the easiest way to look like you know how to decorate! For me, anyways…lol
I love your hutch, especially since you painted it. I love the aqua stripe. How about calling it a china cabinet??? ;) You crack me up! I think the comments ended up funnier than the post! <3
I love the white dishes, I also love how the turquoise trim makes it frame all the dishes. Like a pretty little picture. :)
Hi Nester…. just love your style, and everything you do with it! I’ve been enjoying reading your previous posts (not in a creepy stalker way, but in a oooohhh, I want a house just like hers way), and seeing your home(s) style evolve. One problem: tassles. I have seen so many tassles you’ve made that would look stinkin cute in my home, and now I’m tassle obsessed. Problem: no tassles for sale on etsy, ebay etc. May just bite the bullet and buy the ebook. That way I can hoard, I mean collect, my own tassle fixins and tassle to my hearts content. There is a horse tassle that I saw last night on your blog(my daughter is horse obsessed, so I always have my horse raidar on for cute horse stuff) that I actually dreamed about haha. nerd alert haha. ok, I’ll stop being strange, and go back to reading your past posts….I’m in 2009 now yahh!
ps reading your comments is half the fun…people are too funny (by funny, I mean a tich strange, but in the nicest possible way….like me, perhaps)
Andrea, there is one kind left here http://store.dayspring.com/nestertassels.html
Here’s a cute tassel on Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/58643331/rooster-tassel?ref=sr_list_19&ga_search_query=tassels&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=&includes0=tags&includes1=title
Or maybe these??? lol
http://www.etsy.com/listing/46630804/silver-sequin-pasties-with-white-tassel?ref=sr_list_5&ga_search_query=tassels&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=&includes0=tags&includes1=title
hahhaahaha you should get those!
It really makes a visual impact when I get to see the difference. I am going to redo my china cabinet……today. I always say well this won’t hurt and this won’t show up but it does…..got to quit using visual places for storage, don’t I?
Thanks, per usual.
Beautiful – it is hard to pare down and group – but your hunch/hutch looks great!
-Trish
Oh, wow! It really does make a difference when it’s all completely white. I like it when you show us a bunch of different photos so we can see the changes. :)
I grouped my children’s baby portraits all in off-white frames and sat them on our black dresser. White just jumps out at you when it’s all together, like your dishes…beautiful!
I’m working on a photo grouping for a gallery wall. I love the idea of it and can’t wait to see how it turns out. We just have to paint first!
I love the white dishes! Just beautiful!
THANK YOU…I hate the word HUTCH too, and I just used it in a comment over at Love Feast, and I hated that I had to use it to make my point. So there ;-)
LOVE your place! I do need to learn stuff from you, so I am marking your blog and following b/c if not, my house my always be a wreck!
You could always call it a cache, berth, box, carrel, coop, cote, dispensary, repository, or stand.
I do see the similarities between the words Hutch and Hunch. But I think you’re hutch has better posture than the Hunchback of Notre Dame. XD
I don’t hold it against you that you hate the word hutch … even though my entire blog/email/internet identity is based on the word … only due to it being the first letters of my last name … :) i do like your hutch!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Those white dishes look so lovely and amazing grouped together like that. You are indeed a smart woman! Isn’t it funny how you can think something is the best it’s ever looked and then you take a picture and realize that it’s really not. And the next time you think it’s the best…and then it isn’t? It is all about tweaking and you’re great at that. But I think this may just be one of your best ideas yet!
I think the history of all of the lives and combinations of your hutch are wonderfully imaginative and “grouped” in all sorts of interesting ways. I like all of the combos the best! I like to make groupings of vintage books and my daughter’s pottery on my built-ins in my den. I have enough that I can change them out seasonally and decorate around them for holidays.
I don’t like the word “hutch” either! It sounds too Early American. I think of a rabbit hutch. Also all this talk of being a grouper sounds like a fish. Your white stuff looks perfect. You have the TOUCH. period.
ACK!! Not my favorite post….my daughter will carry her “hutch” with her forever…we are quite fond of the Hunchback of Notre Dame!!
I do LOVE everything about your hutch though ;-)
I love your hutch. I wish I could find its’ twin for my house.
I love the word Hutch. I named my son Hutch! (:
Love the hutch and it s decorations!
Great post I am going to paint an old dresser next week and group things I like and get rid of things I don’t. Boy do I need this 31 days to neatness, THANKS
Nester, I am sitting here catching up on the couple days I missed because of sick children and I am just about dying in laughter after reading through your post and then all the comments! First your humor got me laughing and then oh my the comments were just a hoot! I had such a bad day today with my middle one being so sick and needed a good laugh! Thank you my dear! Now on to the post- another great one! I love the new look of the hutch. Just typing the word hutch is making me laugh now!
I group my white milk glass collection and after your Blessings Gathering you really inspired me to not be so picky about whereI was going to put it before making the purchase and I have aquired more pices that I love because I am not so concerned about how I will use them. I love milk glass, the white color is just pure beauty to me! I store it all in my Grandmother’s old secretary… now how’s that for a word to describe a cross between a hutch and a dresser; an old writing station of sorts? Happy grouping everyone!
Your china cabinet looks fantastic! Just that crisp outline in a contrasting color.,.totally approve! franki