Antique Love

See? See what happens when I finally get my wheels back? I hit the ground running and went straight to my favorite place...Slegers! Of course, I armed myself with my handy dandy iPad so I could take pictures of whatever caught my eye so I could run it past my oh so awesome husband...

The Eric. 

I know...I know... Eric had actually grounded me from Slegers a while ago, but I actually had his blessing for this trip because of 1) my serious withdrawls...and 2) I was on the hunt for a buffet. Over the last few months, I've been searching all over for a really pretty hutch or buffet since I *know* I'll need the extra storage space for my pottery. Lets be honest...whatever kitchen I end up with..it won't have enough room. 

Now that we're getting down to the wire, I NEED to find that piece and FAST. I actually found a gorgeous piece on Belgiums version of Craigslist, but that all fell through between location, transportation...and then the seller back peddling and tried to price gouge me. Na unh..don't do that to me because I'll just walk away from the entire deal, which is exactly what I did. 

After assaulting several Kringwinkels (their version of a second hand store), I migrated over to Slegers and strolled up & down their warehouse multiplel times to make sure I didn't miss a hidden treasure. I ended up finding several pieces I was really diggin'....

As much as I was liking this piece, I was thinking about how much work it was going to be in order to strip it down and stain it darker so it matches our dining table...mehhh..

I've been eyeballing these two buffets for a LONG time...like since the day we arrived in Belgium. They're absolutely gorgeous, but they weigh as much as my Xterra and would end up costing $1,300. Sure, it's a steal of a deal since they're beautifully carved and totally solid, but, there's no way I could ever sweet talk Eric into getting them. 

I came across a "pillow cabinet" which was pretty beefy looking. The thing is, it's almost too beefy if that makes any sense. It can hold a good amount of stuff inside of it, but it still didn't really match our dining table and I know it'd eventually REALLY bug me, lol. 

Just when I started to think that I was going to completely strike out... that's when I found it. The hutch of my dreams. The thing that happiness is made of. The cream in my coffee..

It's the perfect height, no gouges or wood rot, the key lock still works and the carvings on the front are absolutely gorgeous. Plus, it doesn't weigh as much as an elephant, so that's a major plus! I think I stood and checked it out for at least a half hour because I was so smitten with it. 

Don't you think it'll go quite well with the kitchen table? I think so! 

At this point, I'm very...VERY happy with the various furniture pieces I've managed to acquire since we've been in Belgium. Oh, and I'm not allowed to buy any more pieces (again) since we're pretty much out of room in the house. That's one of the things I'm looking forward to when it comes to moving back to the States...American sized homes with room! 

I'll be making the final arrangements for the cabinet tomorrow...and...I might bring this little guy home since I know it'd pair up well with my retro phone I picked up several months ago. Kill two birds with one stone...right? :)