Sunday, October 04, 2015

Back In Time

Cottage Dining Nook Transformation - The Table (or?) - part 3


I'm beginning to wonder if my readers come here to see the transformations in Cottage or to make fun of me... So many of you asked me how I sprained my ankle last week that I'm afraid I'll loose half my readers if I don't tell you.

Je commence à me demander si mes lecteurs ouvrent le blog pour voir les transformations de Cottage ou pour rire de mes malheurs... En effet, certains d'entre vous se sont montrés curieux de savoir comment je m'étais foulé la cheville.

One of the school I work in has gorgeous wood floors that date from the 1940s or 1950s. They keep waxing them in a traditional way... that make them very, very slippery. As I work in two schools, I'm always in a hurry and loaded as a little donkey: laptop and handbag on my shoulder, my school bag in one hand and my photocopies in the other... Also, I always wear nice little pumps to go to work... If you combine all that, this is what you get: at some point, your left foot slips, you're unable to use your hands to grab anything, you fly in the air for a brief moment and then you lie flat on your back, a little stunned, wondering how you'll ever get up again and if your laptop is ever going to come back to life.

L'une des écoles dans laquelle je travaille possède de magnifiques parquets des années 40 ou 50, bien cirés et bien, bien glissants. Comme je travaille dans deux écoles et dans de multiples salles, je suis toujours pressée et toujours chargée comme un mulet : l'ordinateur portable et le sac à main sur une épaule, le cartable dans une main et mes photocopies dans l'autre... Je porte aussi toujours de petits escarpins pour aller travailler. Bon, vous additionnez tout cela et voici ce que vous obtenez : une petite Blonde dont le pied gauche glisse, une petite Blonde qui vole un court instant et se retrouve soudain sur le dos comme une tortue, tellement sonnée qu'elle se demande si elle va pouvoir se relever et si son ordinateur va se remettre de cette chute.


I was rather fortunate because I was ok, except for a sore neck and a blue ankle. All of a sudden, it was going back in time: I had suffered several ankle injuries as a young girl, so bandaging my ankle every morning for a week actually made me feel young again... that is, until I met any mirror!

J'ai eu de la chance, je ne me suis pas vraiment fait mal. Mon cou a été douloureux pendant deux jours et ma cheville est devenue bleue mais ne m'a fait souffrir qu'une semaine. En fait, cela m'a rappelé ma jeunesse d'entourer une bande autour de ma cheville tous les matins, car j'avais une forte tendance à me fouler la cheville quand j'étais jeune.

 
So there, you have the story... The other half of my readers are probably there to hear about my table, though. So, as I told you, I have been looking for the perfect old pine table on my favourite website for some time. Every single day, I would type "old pine", "English pine", "pitch pine" in their search engine, keeping my fingers crossed.

Bon, voilà, vous savez tout. Certains d'entre vous sont peut-être tout de même là pour prendre des nouvelles de ma salle-à-manger. Alors que je cherchais désespérément la table de mes rêves, je rentrais tous les soirs sur le moteur de recherche  du Bon Coin les mots "pin anglais", "pin ancien" et "pitchpin".

Until one day, I noticed among the ads one for a china hutch.... And it was like going back in time (I know that's twice in one post), it was the hutch I had been dreaming about when I was a young student in Paris! At the corner of the street I lived in was a store that sold old English reedition furniture. I spent so much time to drool over that simple, but too expensive for me hutch! And there it was in an add, at a very reasonable price, in a nearby seaside town...

Un jour, en regardant les petites photos, mon œil a été attiré par un buffet. Je l'ai reconnu immédiatement : c'était celui qui me faisait rêver quand j'étais étudiante à Paris et qu'il y avait une boutique de meubles anglais à l'angle de le rue dans laquelle j'habitais. J'avais passé de longues minutes à l'admirer à travers la vitrine et il était là, à un prix très raisonnable, dans un petit port situé à quelques kilomètres...


I still had one problem, always the same one: how could a china hutch fit in my tiny car? I phoned the seller. He had a way to deliver the hutch to Cottage... We agreed that he would come the next Saturday.

Il restait un problème, toujours le même : comment faire rentrer un buffet dans ma petite voiture ? J'ai appelé le vendeur. Il lui était possible de me livrer le meuble. On s'est mis d'accord pour le samedi suivant.

That day I was as excited as a kid on Christmas day and I kept going to the front gate to see if the hutch was coming. At some point, a fishmonger truck stopped in front of the gate, I ran outside: "you can't stay there, I'm waiting for someone to deliver me a hutch."

Ce jour-là, j'étais excitée comme une puce et je n'arrêtais pas d'aller voir au portail si mon buffet arrivait. A un moment, je me suis aperçue qu'un camion de poissonnier se garait devant chez moi : "Vous ne pouvez pas rester là, j'attends une livraison."


"Well, I am the one delivering the hutch!"

"Oui, c'est moi qui vous livre le buffet !"

 
All I can tell you is even if the hutch smelled of fish for a whole week, I was totally in love with it for the moment it arrived at Cottage. It was perfectly English-y, Cottage-y, not shiny at all and was exactly the one I had dreamed about when I was a young student. 

J'aime autant vous dire que le buffet et tout le Cottage ont senti le poisson pendant une semaine. Mais je m'en moquais ! J'étais amoureuse de mon buffet, parfaitement anglais, parfaitement cottage, pas du tout brillant, exactement celui dont j'avais rêvé quand j'étais une jeune étudiante.

 
All I had to do was to remove the little curtains the previous owers had put behind the glass doors, apply some bee wax and everything was perfect in my perfect Cottage... Not!

Je n'ai eu qu'à retirer les petits rideaux que le précédent propriétaire avait mis derrière les vitres, redonner un petit coup de cire et tout était pour le mieux dans le meilleur des Cottages possibles... ou pas !

 
Once the hutch showed its gorgeous old blonde pine, my table looked all the more yellowish and shiny. I had to do something!

Une fois que mon buffet a été installé dans le coin repas, étalant son pin blond, le bois de ma table m'a paru d'autant plus brillant et moche. Il fallait faire quelque chose !

Without tablecloth... Sans nappe...
See you soon to tell you  what I've done,

A bientôt, pour vous montrer ce que j'ai décidé,



PS1: As I'm a bad blogger, I didn't take any picture of my epic fall in the school corridor. So I replaced them by pictures of a beautiful and huge birds that often spends its afternoon in the fields behind Cottage. I think it's a heron and I call him Gaston.

PS1: Mauvaise blogueuse que je suis, je n'ai pas pris de photos de ma chute spectaculaire dans les couloirs de l'école. Je vous propose à la place en ce début d'article des photos de Gaston, le superbe héron qui aime passer ses après-midis dans le champ derrière Cottage.

PS2: As I'm a bad blogger, and a busy teacher, I won't have time for a fall decor post, so please notice that I tried to find autumn-y dishes to put in my hutch before I took pictures... That's all the fall you'll see in the Cottage this year, I'm afraid... Other falls happens at school ;)

PS2: Mauvaise blogueuse que je suis, je n'ai pas préparé d'article sur ma décoration d'automne car je n'ai pas eu le temps d'en faire... J'ai quand même ressorti de mes cartons la vaisselle qui me rappelait cette saison par ses couleurs avant de photographier mon buffet... Je suis débordée en ce moment et là, je suis à mon max de déco pour ce mois-ci!

PS3: I have a feeling the last picture doesn't really show the difference between the wood of the hutch and the wood of the table, but trust me it's there!

PS3 : La dernière photo ne rend pas très bien la différence entre le bois du buffet et celui de la table, mais croyez-moi, elle est flagrante.

PS4: I'm trying to come back to some of my favourite parties:

The Dedicated House          . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                   











65 comments:

  1. Ohhh the pine hutch is wonderful. I am so happy for you. And someday the perfect pine table will find you too. I am so glad that you were not injured worst from such a fall. I hope they will learn from this and stop waxing the floors so much. Somebody could end up with a concussion or worst. I do believe that is a heron in the field we have them in our creek. They are lovely to watch. When we had a pond with koi the blue heron swooped in and ate them. So sad but I still love herons.

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  2. The hutch looks very pretty there. What a wonderful find! It's funny how you almost chased him away! I hope your ankle has healed by now. I'm always staggering, because my left ankle always goes sideways on me, but it pops back like a rubber band, so I am usually momentarily phased, and rarely injured. Knock on wood... xoxo Su

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  3. My first comment at your place *U*
    And I still have a smile about your story you've told about the school .... no pictures ??? (Lol)
    Happy you are oke now ; 0)
    And I'm of course following your kitchen !
    Nice to read your dream came true
    (Sorry for my bad English ... I think ; 0))

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  4. J'adore ton buffet et ta vaisselle so british... mais ma préférence va tout de même à Gaston... il est vraiment beau, mais un peu solitaire tout de même...

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  5. I hope you are going to paint that table. I love painted furniture mixed with pine furniture. Sorry to hear about your fall.

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  6. I hope you are going to paint that table. I love painted furniture mixed with pine furniture. Sorry to hear about your fall.

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  7. I come to yur little house on the seaside to hear your fun stories and see all your fun changes. I am sorry that you hurt your ankle, but as a former teache, I can totally relate.

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  8. Lovely dresser, very English. You will have fun changing round all the things you put inside it.

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  9. Plus rien ne m'étonne quant à ta faculté à accumuler les embrouilles.
    Il est très chouette ton buffet, mais rassure-moi, "Mr Saint Hubert" est toujours là ??? Il me semble que j'en vois un tout tout petit bout juste en face du petit nouveau !!!
    Plein de caresses aux griffus. Bises. Babette

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  10. Il est bien joli ton buffet. Nous en avons un laissé par les anciens propriétaires de la maison, anglais. Il attend d'être repeint en blanc pour rejoindre la cuisine, j'espère que tu ne seras pas épouvantée si un jour je le présente sur mon blog :-) !
    Bon dimanche et vite des nouvelles de la table...
    Nathalie

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  11. I love your dresser Magali and your china. I am looking forward to your etsy shop opening again. The pieces I bought from you previously are my favourite. I highly recommend to anyone that wishes to purchase from you as the quality is excellent. Sorry about your ankle. You should be writing a novel series titled 'The Adventures of Miss Magali'! I really enjoy your posts and the effort you put in to them. Ann

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  12. No matter what stage you are at Magali, it is a joy to see the sunlight come into Cottage's heart. I LOVE THAT HUTCH!

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  13. Hope your ankle is better soon. The hutch is lovely. Cheers.

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  14. GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! What a great find and it looks stunning. Good for you finding exactly what you love!!

    xoxoxox

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  15. Is it wonderful that after all thee years you finally have the hutch you dreamt about as a girl, and you weren't even looking for it...it found YOU. It is very pretty, and looks quite happy in its new home.

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  16. Sorry about the typos! That should have read 'isn't it wonderful' and 'these'.

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  17. Oh my God! An English Cotatge hutch! Oh my God!Breathless! I LOVE THOSE!And in Greece they are not trendy. Very very few furniture shops have them and not in many varieties and when I see how easily you can find one in England or teh States I am so so angry!The very few new ones I have found here cost the earth! Oh well! My childhood dream won't come true anyway because we don't have space in the hosue to put one even if I found one! Ooops I forgot!Sorry about your ankle.Be careful out there!Being a teacher is one very dangerous profession!AriadnefromGreece!

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  18. Magali, I can just imagine slipping on that wood floor. So glad your ankle will be ok. The hutch-what can I say? It's absolutely perfect. I'm so happy for you that you found your dream hutch. Cottage must be pleased.Can't wait to see what happens with the table.

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  19. That hutch looks very much like one I made except I didn't make the glass doors on the top part. I love it. Hope your ankle is okay.

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  20. Your new china cabinet looks perfect in your dining room, Magali! It was nice that the previous owner delivered it to your cottage, too. I'm anxious to see how you solve your dilemma of the table color. I'm deciding between 2 old cupboards for my TV cabinet. One fits in my car, so I think the decision is made for me since the owner of the shop does not deliver. Put your ankle up and enjoy the view of your pretty china in your new cabinet!

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  21. The hutch is so very pretty and absolutely perfect for cottage - I am sure the both of you are very, very happy!!

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  22. hola Magali que precioso el hutch ya me doy cuenta comparado a la mesa lo que tu deseas y me dejas con curiosidad que es lo que has decidido jaja que interesante estare esperando con ansias. Si yo queria preguntarte que paso con tu pie pero no queria escribir una nota muy grande porque se que tienes mucho que leer y poquito tiempo con todo lo que haces y se que a todos los que te seguimos nos interesa tu como persona y nos gusta tu blog. y yo personalmente me encanta Cottage ... deseando que te sientas mejor hasta la proxima.....cuidate nelly

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    1. Muchas gracias , Nelly , por siempre llevar el tiempo para escribir tales comentarios dulce para mí. Estoy trabajando en la mesa y debería ser capaz de demostrar que la semana que viene .
      Magali

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  23. Magali,
    The hutch is gorgeous and so happy you now have it. I cannot wait to see what you do with the table. Glad your ankle is doing better too.
    Kris

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  24. I hope your ankle is healed or doing much better by now. Silly school waxing so much and making a dangerous floor! Adore your new hutch, it is indeed perfect and such a treasure to own, your dishes look perfect in it. I hope your upstairs renos are coming along. We had a big storm blow through will lots or rain and wind. All the walls facing the storm received water damage in the new addition and have had to be redone. We hope by Christmas it is completed. How are your reno's coming along? Take care and enjoy your Fall days (not your fall 😏). xo Patty

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  25. Hi...oh my gosh i'm glad the ankle was all you hurt...hope it is as good as new..or close to it.! that is one Great hutch..love the dishes too..i'm thinking a painted table would look rather nice with the hutch..look forward to seeing what you've been up to..also hoping this week is the week of boring..

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  26. So sorry that you slipped and fell Magali! I know how slippery those waxed floors can be. Just happy that the injuries weren't any worse! The hutch is perfect and I love your fall tranferware!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  27. The table problem is a simple fix--drop on a lively tablecloth!! I like to make things easy! I am so glad you found your dream hutch. It is lovely!

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  28. Your hutch is beautiful Magali, dreams to come true even though it seems like forever. Take care of your ankle. I've been there and done that. lol Xo Jo

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  29. Yes you can definitely tell the difference in the table and your beautiful hutch. What a great find,hope your ankle is healing nicely,have a great week.

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    1. I know I can trust my readers to see with the same eyes as I: eyes who can tell a difference between yellow pine and blonde pine!!!

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  30. That hutch is epic!!! It's SO BEAUTIFUL!! (sorry to yell, but it is.) There is no doubt of the difference between it and the table. Can't your carpenter make you a table out of old scraps from the barn or something? I see some very nice tables made that way on blogs. Is that what you did? I am so sorry about your fall, but glad you did not hurt yourself worse, especially your neck and head. Good luck going forward and best always, Sarah Turkey Plate

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  31. PS-Did you take those beautiful pictures of Gaston from your upper dormers? They are lovely.

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  32. Your pine hutch is soooo nice. Your dishes look perfect in there. Your table sort of blends in and , really , it doesn't look bad at all. About your fall, ouch! But, as long as you were not seriously hurt, we can have a soft laugh .

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  33. Sorry to hear about your sprained ankle. I had that injury in the spring and it was painful! I hope you do heal well!

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  34. Magali, I'm glad you're not seriously hurt from your fall. The Fall dishes are very Autumnal. So happy you found your forever china hutch:) Kathleen in Az
    p.s. the table or chairs to be painted?

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  35. Magali, I am so glad that you didn't break your ankle or foot. Love your hutch - she is beautiful and I know that Cottage just loves her. Like all the dishes inside - they look very good. I don't think the table looks that bad. The color looks almost the same in the pictures.
    Take care of the foot and looking forward to see what you have done to the table.
    Have a great week.
    Mary

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  36. alors, qu'à tu fais à cette pauvre table que tu déteste ???? j'ai hâte de connaître la suite
    Passe une belle semaine

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    1. D'accord, je vais essayer d'écrire l'article pour le week-end prochain ;)

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  37. I love it and what a funny story. Hope it didn't smell like fish.

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  38. Hope your ankle heals soon, in the mean time, enjoy your beautiful new find, fish smell and all! ;-) It's a beautiful piece!

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  39. oh la la quelle merveille ce buffet ! les bonnes proportions, une couleur pas trop jaune et de très jolies découpes en haut des portes... votre patience a porté ses fruits - j'adore la cafetière aux fleurs gris/marron et la soupière blanche toute ronde : c'est ça l'automne ! - j'ai vu les pieds de la table.... mais chut, j'attends la suite des aventures - monique59

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  40. Wait, I'm confused. The story of the hutch is one that took place in the past, not recently, right? I've seen your dining room a bazillion (okay, that's an exaggeration) times and that hutch is the same one you've had for awhile. Am I correct, or am I delirious? It sounds "fishy" if you ask me. (I couldn't resist that pun. Sorry.) xo ~ Nancy

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  41. Really beautiful as always

    Hugs from Spain


    Marina

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  42. Love the story about your fishy delivery truck. The hutch is perfect -- size and finish. Jo @ Let's Face the Music

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  43. That china hutch is lovely! I hope your ankle is feeling better. The "Garson" is surely cute!

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  44. Love it, Magali! It's a perfect fit! It seems you were meant to have it. Looks very pretty with your "fall" dishes!

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  45. You found a beautiful hutch, Magali - I can see why you were so excited! So glad to hear you were not too injured in your fall. Your friend, Gaston is a delightful visitor:) I love your autumn china. x Karen

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  46. Ahhhhh darn floors eh. I sprained mine on a hike this past summer....lol I think we are cut from the same cloth....but be careful now as it happens much easier the second time...i know. Love your hutch Magali but don't love waiting. P.S. Of course I will wait. Cheers.

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  47. It looks so perfect in your dining room Magali - what a great find !
    Take care of your ankle !!!
    xox

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  48. Ooh! Sorry about your fall. Don't worry, I haven't done any fall decorating yet...or Halloween, which according to my kids makes me the worst! My kids want to be ninjas...or cats for Halloween, they can't decide. I think I just came up with the perfect plan...cat ninjas!! Can I claim to be the coolest mom with that one? I think so.

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  49. Hope your ankle is on the mend!

    Your dream hutch has found its little haven in Cottage's heart!

    Actually, yes, I CAN see the yellowy tinge on your dining table, but I KNOW that you will wave your magic wand and it will be the perfect colour, very soon!

    Poppy

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  50. What great lines your sweet little hutch has and I adore the dishes within!

    Happy Friday!

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  51. Hello Magali, I think your hutch looks perfect in that spot! Great proportions and suits the table nicely. Your china inside it is lovely, too. Blessings..Trish

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    1. Thank you, Trish! I needed a small hutch since my room is tiny and this one works great!

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  52. Beautiful hutch! I'm so glad it found you!

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  53. The hutch is gorgeous! So sorry to hear about your fall and ankle. Hope you are mending well. Thank you for sharing your hutch with us. You are one of the fan favorites at the Sunday Showcase from the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link so you can check out your feature. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/10/the-sunday-showcase-from-make-it-pretty_11.html Hope to see you again tomorrow night at the party. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  54. Bless your heart! A fall like that could have been much more serious, not to say your ankle wasn't serious. Also, having splattered myself a few times I know how you felt. Hope the ankle is better and not to sore. Magali, you found the perfect hutch for cottage, it is gorgeous and was just waiting on you to find it and bring it home. Sorry, I've been traveling and this week catching up in blogland.
    Have a great week...........

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  55. Thank you for your blog, Magali. It is always such a pleasure to read a new post. I very often find myself thinking about you in your little white house on the seaside, in Brittany.
    I love your new hutch - the perfect size and piece for your dining room. What fun you are going to have decorating it with the seasons.
    I also want to congratulate you on the amazing job you did on your little table. You worked very hard and I think you are a very meticulous and patient lady. The white paint emphasizes detail unseen before, and it truly does reflect the light in the room, now.
    Take good care of your ankle. I look forward to reading and watching more posts, as bit by bit your little cottage is transforming into a real bijou.


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    1. A huge thank you, dear reader, for that nice and uplifting comment.

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