Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

The 2010 Southern Living Idea House in Senoia, Georgia will celebrate the holidays, Southern-Style! Laid-back style, open spaces and easy textures create a livable, old world brownstone that sits comfortably in this quaint historic Georgia town. Senoia, located an hour outside Atlanta, is a pleasant small town filled with friendly design, antique and home goods shops. Carriage House Antiques and Custom Framing , minutes from the Southern Living Idea House is filled with shabby chic finds, like my pretty depression-era glassware and teapot that I have eyed for several months. Located on Hwy 16, minutes from the Southern Living Idea House, Carriage House Antiques and Custom Framing is a true country carriage house filled with antiques, collectibles, depression glass, specialty foods and unique on of a kind gift finds!

      One of the many reasons I enjoy our old house, even though it continues to be too big for two people, is that I occasionally stumble upon old forgotten trinkets. Yesterday, I opened a cabinet under the staircase and enjoyed some of my beautiful keepsakes-artfully displayed for maximum enjoyment. I'm looking forward to cooler weather so that I can make the climb into our 1200 sf of attic space. It's hung with old pictures and strewn with boxes of goodies. Bolts of fabric casually piled in a corner remind me of my decorating days in Atlanta-so long ago! Since I rarely go to the attic it doesn't feel like my space-which makes for a fun afternoon rediscovering box contents and poking through the bolts of pretty fabric. I enjoy the cabinet under the stairs so much that when it's time to wash the contents I take pictures of the arrangement so that each beautiful piece goes back into its rightful place. Over the next few months I'll share the contents of my...