Decorating: Capturing The View While Dining
I’ve always looked at decorating as something you do that is aesthetically pleasing. But now I’m looking at how decorating blends with comfort and enjoyment.
In other words, I want things to serve a purpose. Not just be a room that’s been rearranged and “staged”.
The other day I switched up the reading chair and the dining table. The table is now against the wall with a undesirable tableau that includes a TV on top of a cupboard next to it.
Not exactly a look one usually goes for when decorating their home.
I eat every meal at my dining table, and I realized that I don’t want to look at part of the kitchen or a hallway.
Instead, I decided that I wanted to be able to see more of my garden. And to have a view of the birds at Ron and Pat’s bird feeder.
So I pushed the table up against the wall where I can better see what’s outside my patio door.
Make Eating A Meal An Event:
In the past, I would usually rush through my meals so I could get something else done. I don’t know why I was always in such a hurry. Git-er-done was my automatic way of living.
Now I turn eating a meal into something of an event. Because we all have to eat. Why not make it a great experience?
This concept of course is not new, but I had not really looked at it this way somehow. The food presentation had never mattered to me. What was around me had never mattered to me.
I eat more slowly as I gaze outside, and the meal is thus more pleasurable.
Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever put the words “eat” and “pleasurable” in the same sentence before!
It was more like: Get your meal, shove it down, then get up, and go to town.
Or whatever I had next on my list.
Ivy’s Woven Basket:
On the floor, you can see Ivy’s woven basket that she likes to curl up in. So I made Ivy a spot too.
If my daughters and their children come for lunch or dinner, we can move the table away from the wall.
Then I always send the kids back to the office/craft room to get the other two dining chairs I currently use in there. And then I have them take the chairs back in there once we’re finished eating.
There was a wall painting that was already hanging on the same wall but down more into the hallway.
I love that painting. It has all the orange and brown tones of fall. But I really didn’t see it much at the end of the hallway.
So I moved it down above my table so I could enjoy it more.
Then I gathered a few candles and the salt and pepper shakers and a nice cloth napkin.
While eating a meal, I can watch it rain. I can watch one season eclipse into another right here in my comfortable dining chair.
Yes, the table backs up to the wall as well as the cupboard my TV sits on. Before that would have bothered me. It would have seemed out of whack.
When I moved the table and saw that that was the only way it was going to fit, I paused. That would not have been acceptable before.
But then I thought: Why does it really matter?
The decorating police will not be alerted and arrive at my door.
I’m Becoming More Flexible:
I’m finding that as I get older, I’m becoming more flexible about things. I realize that everything does not have to look perfect.
Architectural Digest is not exactly knocking down my door.
If it gives me joy to eat meals at a table pushed up against the wall and a cupboard so I have a better view, then who cares?
You don’t have to have ship lap walls (which as you know I never cared for anyway). Or granite countertops or stainless steel furniture. Or adhere to the current decorating style.
It’s not at all important to include each Pantone color of the year in your decorating style. It isn’t feasible.
It just doesn’t really matter in the big scheme of things.
Enjoying Your Meal:
There’s a lot to be said about eating slowly and enjoying a meal.
I should not rush eating so I can get to the next task on the list. Which meant that I looked at eating a meal as a task to be gotten through.
Eating shouldn’t be a task, I realized. It should be a pleasurable experience. Which is easier to do if you have a nice view.
This Morning’s Garden Chores:
I truly love my garden. Tending to it, watching it grow. Now I eat my meals while looking at the fruits of my labor.
Yesterday morning I went out with my old bucket and garden seat and sat down near the galvanized garden.
I deadheaded flowers and snipped a few stems that had gotten leggy. There’s no rush, as I enjoy working with plants.
Raindrops occasionally fell and the air was cool. I sat there, not caring if it rained on me.
When I was ready to go back inside, I stopped to smell the plants in the two herb pots next to the patio.
There’s pineapple sage and mint and lavender and rosemary and lemon verbena and many more.
As a gardener I love them all. Each and every one.
I’m Not A High Maintenance Kind Of Woman:
I’m not high maintenance. I don’t need to get my nails done or have a pedicure. Or even go to a salon to get my hair cut.
I don’t need makeup because what am I trying to hide that you won’t see underneath it anyway?
I’m a simple granny just like my own granny was.
She never cut her hair or did her nails or wore lipstick. There was always a homemade cotton apron to reach for when she was in the kitchen.
Everything was about purpose and need and getting things done.
I admire that now, though I didn’t think much about it back then.
She was the type of woman who would have shoved the table up against the wall so she could see her beloved flowers while she ate.
Now I eat my meals while I watch the birds flitting about around the bird feeder. I stare at the garden while I chew my food.
And now I’ll choose that over having a perfectly arranged room.
It’s all about what you prioritize. And my priority is seeking the simple joys in life.
I really like where you moved your dining table, Brenda. Smart idea!
In addition, I’m encouraged by this post to stop eating in front of the TV.
Thank you so much!
I love this post! I will be turning 65 soon and I have seen my style change. I went from beautiful, energetic colors and lots of knick knacks to a more easy to clean, calming, andmore organized environment. I have almost no knick knacks that serve no purpose. Function was my biggest priority as I am facing hip surgery soon. I understand and love this new relaxed and calming decor. I call it “content”. Enjoy and thank you for sharing.
Seeking the simple Joys in life. I love that! I’m am going to start having my meals at the table again. When my husband was alive and when my children were young, we always ate our meals together and discussed our day. My daughter is a nurse and works late hours so she eats at work. It is just me at dinner so most of the time I just grab something quick to prepare. After reading your blog today I am going to set a pretty table and make myself a decent meal, sit down and enjoy every bit of it.
This was very inspiring Brenda! So glad you found a place to sit while you eat now, where you can see your garden! It reminds me that I’ve also thought of moving my dining table to under a window in my living room where the window is low enough to see out of. In my dining area, the window there is too high, so when you are sitting down, you can only see the sky! the living room window is much lower, and I could sit there and look out at my yard and trees (and of course the neighbors’ yard across the street, which isn’t the best view because he parks his junker cars there!) But at least I can see something besides just the sky! I may just do it. I just live here alone and who else would care??? Thank you for the idea! Marilyn
Very very well said! Too many people these days are rush rush rush and don’t stop to appreciate the world around them. After reading your post I moved my kitchen table over to the window. I am currently renting on a farm and tonight ate my dinner at the table and enjoyed watching my neighbor’s cows grazing in the pasture in front of my house. So peaceful and so much more enjoyable than stuffing my face in front of the tv!
I always eat at my kitchen table, even when dining alone (when Brian is working). I/we never eat in front of the TV. It might be because of how we were raised. Neither of our families did that. I think it’s important to be mindful when we are eating; to concentrate on doing just that. If you eat in front of the TV, you don’t realize how much you are eating, nor do you find the pleasure in the food that is nourishing your body.
If moving your table to the wall makes dining more pleasurable for you because of the view, then that’s all that counts.
How am I not surprised by your always eating at the table. I just knew that you were going to tell me that! Because you are the type of person who takes eating well very seriously. And obviously that also extends to how you eat.
I agree, Brenda. Decorating should be personal and what best serves you. I’ve seen so many cookie cutter rooms decorated in the “latest” schemes and colors over the years, and while some of them are beautiful, writers insist they are “cozy and comfortable,” I’m like – WHAT? All white (or grey or now, beige is coming back) everywhere with “chopped” pillows and “art books” on a coffee table that are not meant to be looked at is not cozy and comfortable for me. My smallish dining area is open to the living room (work done in 2016 to take down a wall) and has full view through patio doors (a prior improvement by a former owner) overlooking the concrete patio, my Shezebo and the backyard – a source of never-ending entertainment with all of the critters and birds I feed. Bonus view of some of my garden beds and the gorgeous Red Maple in my neighbor’s back yard that abuts mine, there is always something beautiful to look at. I believe in putting furniture where it is the most comfortable arrangement for you to enjoy and to heck with whatever the experts, millionaire bloggers and Instagrammers are telling us we should do – like they change things up every other week.
I’m laughing, because I know what you’re talking about with the throw pillows. But I’d never have thought to call them chopped. But that’s exactly how they look! Never quite got that.
What’s a “chopped” pillow—the half-sized and other small ones? The two of you have made me curious! 😊
Brenda what a lovely setup. We eat at the kitchen table but the view out our window is the neighbor’s bathroom. Im thinking of getting a nice bird feeder to make it more enjoyable. After the heart attack Im seeing things a little different. Its time to declutter and not worry about all this “stuff”. Thanks for this lovely post.
I would never have thought of this when I was young. It was hurry, hurry, hurry. But I’m semi retired now and I want to enjoy life because it can be taken in an instant.
With my digestive troubles, and not wanting to overeat, I REALLY take my time eating and chew, chew, chewing. Very aware of my food, enjoying it and “letting” it do the work it was meant to. Thank you for this reminder! I am very fortunate that my table sits by a good sized window where I, too, can see my garden and the bird feeder.
Well, that’s a good habit, medically or otherwise. I read somewhere that if you eat more slowly, you tend to eat less.
I truly enjoyed reading this. There is also a reminder within you post to “stop and smell the roses”. Thank you for this bit of gratitude and reminder life doesn’t have to be rushed through.
We can rush through it, but at the end we still end up in the same place. No one lives forever.
I enjoy your blog, Brenda. You inspire me. I found you in the July 2014 Country Sampler Magazine and started following your blog last year after I retired. I love where you moved your dining room table and the decor. Like you, I decorate for me not what everyone else is doing. Simple can be elegant. I also quit wearing makeup and I certainly enjoy life more now. I am looking forward to more of your posts.
Oh, thanks so much for following! I still have that magazine around here somewhere.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post, Brenda! I stopped to think about when was the last time I sat at my table to enjoy a meal. I’ve lived in MY Cozy Little House 3+ years and have never sat at my cute table to eat. My small dining area is at the front of my home with lovely windows where I can sit and enjoy life go by. Quite frankly I usually prepare my plate and sit in front of my TV not even thinking about my meal. I need to make some changes!
I actually need to get out of my comfy stitching chair and enjoy my home. Knowing me as I do I’ll disappoint myself and fail to make some necessary changes in my daily life. Thank you for sharing.
Have a wonderful day!
I never turn my TV on except at night. Most people I think eat in front of their TV. Steve next door always does the same thing yet he never turns on his TV!
I agree on making your home yours . In my condo my dining area is terribly cut up with doors and doorways . I finally just got rid of my dining/kitchen table , it’s in the basement . I put a rattan swivel rocker and sometimes the matching footstool there . It’s in front on the sliding glass door . A lovely place to sit in the sun in the afternoon and read .
If it gives you pleasure, that’s all that’s important.
Great topic, and you made me think. My dining table looks out over my small deck, my only garden..but, do I eat there? No, I usually am dining on a tray on my lap watching tv….time to move to finer dining, on my dining table. I might even take out my Mom or Aunt’s silver to use instead of hiding it for only ‘special’ occasions. Have a great week Brenda….
Special occasions mean a few times a year usually. You could be using it every day. Because we could get run over crossing the road any time. We need to treat ourselves well, just as we would guests.
I had the idea to start using my silver for every meal every day a few years ago. I hand wash it after every meal so that it is waiting for me at the next meal. It makes me smile.
Gotta love the simple life! Your dinner plate is beautiful. Enjoy your day!
Went into Hobby Lobby for the first time in well over a year yesterday with my walking boot on. Bought those sunflower plates for half off, so maybe $5 each. Got some exercise. Using a cart is much like using a walker. It helps me walk in a more balanced way.
Good for you!!! I have to have a table and my desk in an area to see out a window! I covet a cute kitchen where I could put a little table under a window. As I get older I don’t do staged either. I want decorative function. It must be able to be utilized. There seems to be a big push on filling every single space with stuff that truly has no value. It’s just to fill it. And I scroll through sites where 80% of people’s homes are all the same! I want an interesting, yet functional home. You’ve always achieved that in my view.
Love those words! Decorative function. That’s exactly what I was trying to think of. Will remember that now.
Enjoy your room w a lovely garden view! It is lovely to see nature outside a window – or even beautiful architecture if you are in an urban setting!
It helps me eat more slowly because I’m also watching what’s going on outside. Otherwise I’d probably be shoveling my food down just to get it over with.