Bringing Home The Ivy Restaurant

What we remember most about rooms we like is the 'atmosphere.' 

~ Charlotte Moss, A Passion for Details

I am on the hunt for the provenance of this flag at The Ivy. In the mean time, I can  fill  our home with roses.

My daughter in love knew. The atmosphere at  The Ivy on Robertson is a match to my spirit.   Inspired by the beautiful roses EVERYWHERE the day I dined at this antonym of trendy, today I put together my own version of what were their signature bouquets that day- roses with mint. 

In the background is the stairway my husband built. It is based on a stairwell we saw in the old film classic The Seven Year Itch. My parent's bedroom dresser is re-purposed to hold linen and dining accouterments. 

August is not the prime month for roses from the garden. Which may be why God gave us grocery stores.Long stems: 18 pink and 12 yellow from Von's and 12 lipstick red from Albertson's.

The Ivy restaurant has swags festooning windows; we covered cornice boxes with  tapestry  scenes straight from American outdoor life.

Closer up, sunlight streams through the west facing lace covered window. Where the Ivy used pewter pitchers, I got out the silver polish. There is nothing more romantic than roses held in gleaming silver

Knowing that we blend the boundaries between inside and out, the birdhouse was a gift from my sister-in-law. Billie carted it home from her native Kentucky one Christmas. 

The china cabinet is filled with memories of our travels.

My china cabinet was one of our first purchases when we moved to Diamond Bar. We weren't even a city then; today my adopted hometown is ranked by Money Magazine as one of the best places to live in the United States. I keep waiting for the news crews to show up and start asking how our city government achieved this while operating in the black for its entire history. But that's another story...


Today the story is my gratitude to live in a place where I can go out to pick mint and Betty Boop Roses. I can set a table with the same love and abundance as where movie stars dine out. 

Linking up to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.