January 23, 2013

French Cheeseboard Centerpiece


  Over the summer, I found the beauty that is Kristine's style over at The Painted Hive. Since then, I have ogled her home over and over and dreamed of ways I could incorporate her style into my own home. One thing I really loved was the way she styled her dining room table. The centerpiece was a simple collection of things: a pair of lanterns, a floral arrangement, and some fruit centered around a cheeseboard. It was an aha! moment for me. I needed a cheeseboard.


How lucky I am that I happen to live in Europe at the time of this revelation. I started the search. Of course, it needed to be French. This was non-negotiable. I've been to several bazaars since summer and I've seen lovely vintage cheeseboards. For whatever reason, they didn't seem right to me. 


Last weekend, I finally stumble upon the perfect option. Don't you love when things mesh so perfectly? You see, there are these amazing wine racks that Americans love to buy over here. They are actual champagne riddling racks directly from Reims, France. They are beautiful. But we have a wine rack we love and it's hard for us to find a place for a riddling rack in our home. Nonetheless, I couldn't imagine leaving Europe without an authentic riddling rack. 


 So, we found ourselves at the place in Germany that sells these lovely items with the stamp of authenticity. I stood in the shop debating with myself over this wine rack and I happened to see this beautiful cheeseboard! It is made of the wood from the riddling racks in Reims and even has the stamp of the vineyard. How perfect! I was so excited about my find and couldn't wait to get home and style it up myself.


The items currently in use are what I had on hand. I am sure they will be changed plenty of times throughout the year to accommodate different holidays and the changing seasons. Right now, I have some lovely pink tea towels from IKEA and a rustic heart frame as a nod to Valentine's Day. Of course, I will be adding a family picture and some other fun things, but I am quite happy with the way it all turned out.