What do you see when you look at this picture? Edina dressed in another ‘imaginative’ outfit? Patsy flouting the non-smoking law on TV whilst her hair defies gravity? Bubbles being her usual outrageously ‘air-headed’ self? Perhaps you just see one of those silly British ‘comedy’ shows, that you never bothered to watch and didn’t understand what all the fuss was about anyway? Well – let me tell you what I see. I see a beautiful painted French armoire in the background, with open shelving and fabulously co-ordinated crockery at the end of a scrubbed French style refectory table.
Seriously. That’s what I see. I don’t see any eccentric TV characters. I have complete tunnel vision when it comes to spotting a bit of inspiration – no matter from how unlikely a source the inspiration may have come. Now personally, I thought that Ab Fab was fairly amusing in my youth, but not so much now. However, I found myself staring transfixed at the Christmas Special for one reason and one reason alone. That divine, painted, open shelved armoire in the kitchen.
You see, I have a long, thin wooden French refectory table in my family room which leads on to my kitchen (see one end of family room below – not long after we moved in – there is a LOT more stuff around now, but still decorating to be done!)
I also have a lot of casual but pretty breakfast crockery that I’d like to display.
I was all set to go the traditional route and buy a nice old fashion welsh dresser – especially since I already have an armoire with chicken wire doors in my formal dining room – but then my head was turned again by Ab Fab. So now I’m confused. Admittedly, it’s a delicious confusion – any dilemma which involves the ‘need’ to stare at French armoires versus traditional dressers cannot feasibly be called stress (It’s true – my husband told me this…)
Here are some examples;
Doors on this armoire and on the less ornate one below, but I would probably remove the doors and have less formal, open shelving…
…pardon the pun, but they both look pretty Ab Fab in their respective ways…
I love this next one – so I’ll give you two views…
LOVE, love, love open shelving!
I’m still not sure which way I’ll end up going…
This one seems to be a combination of French chairs and table and English style dresser…I’m all for the mix!
Armoire or Kitchen Dresser???
Images courtesy of; 1 and 2) BBC TV Absolutely fabulous 3)My Family room/breakfast table 4)City Sage
5) Skeppsholmen 6) Foster House on www,beachstudios.co.uk 7 and 8) The Shoot factory 9 and 10) 1st option
11) The Shoot factory