A Love Letter to Pottery Barn

Dear Pottery Barn,

Hey, there! Just dropping a line to see how you're doing, and tell you about the awesome experience I had during our last visit.

Dave and I made a shopping trip to Syracuse over the weekend specifically to bulk up my summer wardrobe with a) some more "modern yet not tooooo trendy" pieces and b) items that I can use both to dress casual-but-nice, particularly to summer school, and particularly because Dave has a way of throwing on jeans, a tee and an open button-down and winding up looking way dressier than me in my jean capris and tee. He was incredibly supportive to not only go shopping with me but to share his opinions, left and right, even when I immediately shot him down. Have I mentioned what a saint this guy is? Oh, you already knew that? Wow, you ARE great, PB.

And, of course, even though I hadn't had much luck and we were running out of time, he sweetly said "Okay!" to a detour into your store! (Don't worry, I ended up having luck in the last couple of stores we tried, and even had time for Christmas Tree Shop.)

The cool thing about you, Pottery Barn, is that you're one of the only things that will turn my husband into a guy who's actually interested in design and what, aesthetically, our house could look like. Lowe's brings him close, but the instant that we walk into you, we both start talking and sharing and discussing a mile a minute. It's a shot in the arm (in a good way) of inspiration - for both of us!

I tend to glance around with two goals in mind: #1) To see if there's anything that we can actually afford, perhaps on clearance (mostly to no avail) and #2) To see if there's anything that I can either emulate on the cheap or purchase for less elsewhere. Dave takes in the ambiance of the place, with a tendency to be drawn toward anything old-looking.

Here are a few items that flooded our conversation with ideas:

A desk similar to this stopped Dave in his tracks. (It was decorated with items that were more vintage-looking, including the clocks mentioned below.) It brought us to discuss the fact that I had wanted to find some filing cabinet-type pieces upon which to add a cheaper desk top idea to, in order to end up with a custom-made desk unit that we could use rather than the three (count 'em, three) current desks. We'd get rid of both of our cheap-ish desks, keeping the small child-sized desk of Dave's for future use...by child-sized people, if you catch my drift. *sigh* What a dream!

Upon entering you, PB, we saw a sectional like this decorated with great beachy blue-and-cream pillows and chunky blankets that made me want to scream "I need a white slipcover, stat!!!" Rather than screaming, we calmly discussed that something like this sectional would work for us, but the only reason I currently want a sectional is because of our seating issue in our tiny abode (ie, there's hardly any), and that I've never really been a "sectional person." Our current couch is Dave's other girlfriend - meaning that he's had it forever, loves the heck out of it, and I'm not sure he'll truly ever be able to part with it. (If it wasn't a couch, I'd be worried, but since it doesn't talk or breathe or scream when I punch it, it can stay. For now.) Which is why I'm leaning toward the world o' slipcovers.

 

This may or may not have been one of those embarrassing "Why did I marry her?" moments for my spouse in which I, again, may or may not have screamed "This table! This table must be miiiine!! This is MY table!!!" Maybe. Maybe not. But I found the exact modern-lined yet rustic farmhouse table that I've been dreaming about for quite some time. Rectangular. Perfect medium wood tone with some richness thrown in. To be paired with possibly mismatched chairs of varying levels of modernity. *swoon*

We were chatting while I casually flipped through the huge rug displays (secretly wishing there was a super duper clearance sale) when, out of the blue, Dave suggested ripping up the carpet that lives in our living room and staircase. Apparently a rug such as this one inspired him to start thinking about the hardwood floors that are lurking (some partly damaged, we think) beneath the rug. We've always hoped to rip it up and have the floors refinished, but it was more one of my passions than a priority on his part (which is understandable; how many projects CAN we undertake at once?). When he suggested this, and wondered if we could "live with the hardwood as is for awhile", I seriously wanted to slap myself to see if I was asleep and dreaming. The good sort of dream.

A display of clocks such as these were displayed en masse on a desk (as mentioned above) that just made me think, "I want to start collecting old clocks. Those. Are. Incredible." I think Dave was as taken with them as I was, and he was on board with my interest in emulating the set-up.

So, as you can see, my dear Pottery Barn, any trip to see you provides me with so very much, even when I inevitably leave empty-handed. Any close conversation (one where the energy of both parties is palpable in their jaunty dialogue) between a wife and husband is something wonderful to behold, so there's that. There's also the sheer inspiration of the variety of styles within the store, from modern to rustic or vintage to country, seeing that it all seems cohesive within one big room makes it feel a bit more achievable at home. Your inspiration is uplifting!

Until we meet again, PB.

Sincerely,
Megan McCoy Dellecese