It seems our metal reproduction French bottle drying racks are getting a lot of attention
at the moment.
And I'm good with that! :)
Recently here on the blog,
I shared how at least two customers who purchased our bottle drying racks turned
them into chandeliers -- one for her home, the other for her restaurant.
Also, we were blessed to have been contacted by Conde Nast (UK division) to have these
And now all of the sudden we're getting orders from the UK for the racks. ;)
But for all who know what a "bottle drying rack" is, there are many, I'm finding
who have never heard of them or seen them.
And in all fairness, if you think about it, they can look a bit
intimidating if not other-worldly.
Some have even likened them to what looks like a torture device.
We who love them, though, need no explanation and to us, they are
s-h-e-e-r b-e-a-u-t-y.
One recent purchase of one of the last of the Jeanne d'Arc Living bottle racks was my
sweet friend and customer, Debra.
She did what I adore -- she sent me pictures of how she's using her new
drying rack and just look at what she's done with it...
Now if THIS doesn't look like it came from the pages of Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine,
I don't know what does.
I adore the cheerful, feminine look she's created here and what I really love
is her use of the bottle rack is strictly for display purposes -- a base or foundation to hold her treasures
in a VERY unique way, but a base that is completely unique in itself.
The display "spills out" onto the table just enough -- not too much -- perfect balance.
The starfish, potted plants and Spring/Summer linens can all be later swapped out
with items that lend themselves for Fall/Winter... and I cannot even begin to imagine
what Debra will do with it then.
{HINT HINT, Debra... feel free to send pics then, too!}
Just this evening, when I got back home for the day, I quickly got out my camera
so I could shoot a few quick shots of how I am personally using my bottle drying rack
at the moment.
"At the moment" being the operative, since no doubt it will be relocated and
changed up again before long. I can't keep things the same for very long, you know. :)
Here is how the rack stands for now, in my dining room.
{And for the record, I took these pics all soooo quickly without worrying if
things were "just so" anywhere in the house, so be kind if you find
dust or something out of place.
It's there in the background to the left of the window. Remember I had it in my
kitchen when I first brought it home? Yep. I've moved it. It looks AWESOME
in the living room, changing the room from looking all formal and stiff
and giving it more of a funky Antrhopologie-style vibe.}
:)
It was placed there rather on the spur of the moment, as I brought one home
one day recently when I realized that if I wanted to be sure to have one of the
Jeanne d'Arc Living racks to keep for myself, I had to snap it up and out of the
shop before they were all gone.
And I'm glad I did, as they are sold out now!
Not knowing WHERE I was going to put it (it is just so huge and bulky)
I quickly shoved a few things aside on the dining table and walked about
the house gathering all the vintage books I could find to place on
the pegs.
Quite honestly -- this may be my favorite way to use the rack.
I adore it with books all over it!
{WOW! LOOK at the chipped paint on those floors!
Ha ha!! LOVE IT!! I really do.
And NO, my dining room walls are NOT THAT yellow!
For some reason, they always photograph far brighter than they
actually. In real life, they have a very warm umber glaze all over them
and are actually quite a warm mustard vs. the BIG BIRD YELLOW
you see here!!}
:)
But I have used other of my racks for mugs and glasses at parties
(always a crowd-pleaser)
and for bolts and bolts of ribbon in the shop for
packing and wrapping.
And another new idea I've thought of is putting the rack in a prominent spot
like the entry hall and deck it out with mementos (hung from lovely ribbon if
the item needs a bit of help to "hang on" to the prong).
Although I don't show it properly here, I can just see
vintage watch/clock faces, bundles of lavender,
old pictures, nestle starfish among the prongs or laid on
the table nearby as Debra did... the sky is the limit.
And WHAT A STATEMENT it would make as guests first walk in.
It would be a "tree" blooming with all that says "you".
{Photo note: the last three pictures above show the rack we
simply assemble it when it arrives. The rack shown in the first seven
pictures is the now sold-out Jeanne d'Arc Living rack which will not be re-stocked}.
Well, that's about it. I wanted to be sure and share Debra's pictures with
you and some of the ways I've been using one around my house.
How fun it is to experiment and play with the things we already
have -- turning them into something "new" all over again!
From one drying-rack-lover to another,
