Reader help: Wealth corners

by Maggie

We are going to put our house on the market in the next couple of weeks. HOLD ME. I am equal parts elated and terrified, not least because of the pressure to make my house pretty. I mean, it's pretty enough for me, but who knows what kind of HGTV-educated, crafty, actually-knows-what-the-word-'vintage'-means sorts are going to be traipsing through my house? I am not pretty enough for them.

I had a realtor in here telling me what I'd need to clean up and put away. He pointed out two corners in my house - the farthest corner of my kitchen and the farthest corner of my living room - and told me these were my "wealth corners". If you Google 'wealth corner' you get all these feng shui links (gak) but I'll just say these are the 'focal point' corners in my house and the realtor said I want to make sure these look good. The living room one is fine - a bunch of plants, some photos, trinkety stuff that's not too trinkety, etc. But the kitchen one has been giving me grief ever since we moved in. 

WOE:

 
Wine bottle and tiny cake stand happily agree to pose for scaling purposes!

I've lived in this house for nearly five years and I still don't really know what to put in this corner. Wine bottles live there most of the time - the first several years in series of unsatisfactory wine racks I eventually sent to pasture at Goodwill. Now they stand at attention behind a heavy red platter I picked up on sale at Pottery Barn. I put fruits and veggies in the platter along with anything else that winds up in the corner and needs a home. It's deep, so it's not a good place for appliances, and it's shallow because of the cabinet above, which means a lot of the wine racks I like won't fit. 

I change it up every so often and try to keep it looking neat, but now that STRANGERS are going to be dropping by and INSPECTING things, I need some ideas. They don't have to be practical, just PRETTY. I have white cabinets, black counters, white walls (with one brown wall, which I hate, but not enough to paint around all the cabinets) and cherry red accents. 

I have a red cake stand? Maybe a red vase? But flowers under the cabinet seem kind of strange. Some sort of wide and shallow bowl? Help a decor-challenged girl out, Style Lush readers!

Comments

[Sarah P]

I have one of these too - just never knew what to call it! It does often end up being wasted space. Some things I've used it for- a nice knife block, and a iHome type stereo so I can listen to music while I cook/do dishes. Neither are really that lovely, though... Looking forward to ideas here!

[Bmore Baby!]

I'm no decorating guru, but I can criticize with the best of them ;) I think you've got the right idea, but just seems like the proportion of your items are wrong. The cake dish you have in the picture is definitely super cute, but just too small and doesn't take up enough space. I like the idea of the red cake dish (even though having not seen it) but it adds a pop of color that draws the eye to the "wealth corner". You definitely need something else with the red cake dish, like a low bowl or something and maybe tuck the wine bottle to the back for height. I'd consider doing some sort of grouping of three. I have a corner like this in my kitchen too and I put a large clear, lidded jar of fake yellowish green pears, an empty cobalt blue colored wine bottle, and the third item a colorful trivet of an image from Providence, RI (it had a little easel you could pop out in the back if you wanted to display it instead of use it as a trivet). You can even do something as simple as just get a pretty wire basket and put colorful fruit/veggies in it. Hopefully that helps!

[Kelly]

I had a similar corner and used it to store cook books - which might look nice with a fat cookie jar as book end. Or cookie jars of various heights - or a big glass hurricane filled with something fun like Suburban Bliss' gumballs.

[Sheila]

Might I also suggest a little under cabinet lighting? It's not very expensive or difficult to do, and would help highlight whatever you put down there!

[Elizabeth]

I was going to suggest the big jar with gumballs too like Melissa did:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suburbanbliss/4328232953/

You could also do a terrarium in the same kind of jar (you can get it at Target) or candy, like Abchao did in her kitchen:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abchao/4346831169/

Or fill it with some of those really pretty meringues from Trader Joes, I feel like those would loo nice in your kitchen.

You could get a nice bowl (I have a big white one from Target) or a rustic sort of tray or platter and fill it with pretty fruit (not fake) like lemons or something that matches your kitchen.

I also like the idea of a flowering plant (not a vase) from the store, but just set it inside a nice plant pot and not the plastic or foil that it comes in.

OR you could grow paperwhites. This is adorable and gives a cool "vintage" vibe to things...
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37569867

[Mama Bub]

I was going to suggest several, empty vases to fill in the space, but I love the idea of a LARGE bowl with lemons and limes. You can zest one of those bad boys before a showing and your kitchen will smell FAB.

[Suniverse]

IKEA has some great red blown glass vases that are about $8 each.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00115398

I bought some and the depth of color is great.

Hope that helps!

[Emily]

Large glass bowl filled with fruit or group of matchy jars with lids and maybe a cookbook stand with an open cookbook in it??

[Ashley]

I have a vintage-looking lantern in our deep corner under cabinet black hole of decorating. Perhaps something like this? http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1340&f=31068&q=lantern&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
(the lantern in the middle) paired with some small pots of herbs (fresh or fake?)

[HollyLynne]

My first thought was Stand Mixer. They're gorgeous and functional.

[Michelle]

A tip I've read numerous places is to group things in odd numbers eg. 3 or 5 items and different heights. So you could go the ikea vase idea and get the same colour in different heights/shapes.

Good luck!! Can't wait to hear what changed your mind re: selling/staying/renting etc (I read your personal blog).

[Ashley]

So clearly I am trying to keep my mind of MY life today- and I've been thinking more about your predicament. Here are some more ideas:

expanding on the garden idea:
http://www.origincrafts.com/glasscloches.html

how about clocks?
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/pocketwatch-clock/?pkey=cclocks

Try a potted succulent or bonsai arrangement!

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1502&f=8428
(succulents are the only thing I can keep alive. Seriously, only water them twice a month or less)

Add a letter!

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1646010&navCount=2

[Rebecca]

Canisters or lidded glass jars in varying sizes (3?), filled with candy or colored stones/seashells or the like.

[natalie]

Oh, no one is going to notice when they are buying your house....

Do you have any Home Good Stores? Go peruse them! You can find some great ideas.

What about a series of 3 hurricanes with seasonal things in them. You could put shamrocks and green candles. Or get ready for Easter and have easter egg candy and then put pastel candles.

What about a large platter on a stand with 2 small plants next to it? Or topiary plants?

[Annie]

I have a little corner like that as well. It's where my kitchenaid mixer lives, along with a stainless collander filled with fruit. I suppose, though, if I were selling I'd eliminate the collander and just go with the mixer, jutting out from the corner.

Oh! And I like the idea of the cookbook stand with a cookbook. Smart.

[Steph]

What about a bonsai?

[Katie]

What about a charger - something from Target or Pier 1 - on a stand? It would take the corner space up nicely and, being angled, would be the only thing you'd have to put there. I also like the idea of cookbooks held up by a decorative bottle of olive oil or of a footed bowl filled with colorful fruit. I know you love to entertain, do you have a tiered server? That would be nice, too!

[Steph]

I have a corner like that and I have 3 different size glass canisters with pewter lids.

In front of the canisters I have a platter where I keep a loaf or two of bread usually.

I am stressed just thinking about selling our house...which won't even be for a couple more years!

[Kristen]

Have you tried the Pier 1 stacking wine racks?

http://www.pier1.com/Catalog/Dining/tabid/493/List/0/CategoryID/111/level/a/ProductID/4352/ProductName/Stackable-Wine-Rack--Black/Default.aspx

They are great, and you could probably fit one or two in that corner. This is the only wine rack I could find that was simple and unobtrusive...I didn't want a cheesy metal sculpture of grape vines clashing with my Three Blind Moose and Smoking Loon wine bottles!

[susan]

Cookbooks with cute book ends and maybe a vase or pitcher on the side with some wooden spoons coming out of it.

[Leah]

Big bright bowl of big bright fruit!