Living It Up

One of the many places I love in Quarters One is the Grand Salon.  It's not really referred to as the Grand Salon (aka the living room) but it should be! Unless we're in the dining room or outside this is where we do most of our entertaining when we have guests. Originally built as two separate rooms, a library and a sitting room, the house underwent major renovations in 1935 and the two became one.
Quarters One is built in the Queen Anne style with Richardsonian Romanesque details.  Fortunately, our Italian and French country decor mixes well with the bones of the house.

A few things we always do when entertaining:

Greet each guest at the door. 
Have our favorite tunes playing.

Adjust the lighting to create the right ambiance. Although I adore chandeliers, over head lighting can be very harsh so I always keep them dimmed if we are using them. Lamplight is the most complimentary!
Offer a drink (we almost always offer Prosecco, the Italian version of champagne) along with beer, wine, water, and soft drinks.  We never serve liquor at OFFICIAL functions because of the cost.
Have a bar set up in the living room and let guests know they can serve themselves.
Always have some sort of appetizer.  You should never serve alcohol with out something to eat. Our favorite go to appetizer is a tray of 
Sliced English Cucumbers

Sliced Salami 

Sliced Cheese
We like a mixture of Asiago, Parmesan, and Manchego which we slice beforehand.

(A little side note, etiquette  says you should never take the glass you were offered in the living room into the dining room when dinner is served. That includes beer bottles and water glasses.  They should be placed in a designated area near the bar or on a napkin...you can start fresh at dinner.)

Don't be afraid to change the furniture around a little to accommodate your guests, bring seating from somewhere else in the house or take a few things out to allow for more room if you're having a cocktail party. If you need to "fluff up" your decor with things from another room you should do so!

One of  our favorite flowers, the sunflower, represents two places we've been stationed that we love dearly...Italy and Kansas! If possible, we always have fresh sunflowers in the house.

Two of the five fireplaces are in the living room.  The fireplace in the far left,  what used to be the library, is gas and the only working fireplace in Quarters One.  We fill the rest with candles to give them a lovely look.

A few things about decorating:
Your house should tell the story of the places you've been and the experiences you've had!
Buy the best you can afford.
If you collect small things, keep them in a grouping so they are more interesting.
Paint is the easiest decorating mistake to fix, so experiment with color on the walls if you want to.
Window treatments can really change a room. Panels are classic and the best choice for most windows and a mobile lifestyle. I recommend making or purchasing the longest curtains possible and hanging them from ceiling to floor. Add fabric to the top or bottom so they are long enough. I made all of the curtains that are hanging in Quarters One. Very easy to do if you can sew a straight line, use a glue gun or wield an iron! I rarely hem my curtains, they are all pinned up in the back so they are versatile for any window and ceiling height.

Here are some more views of the "Grand Salon"...

These little chimney sweeps were left by real chimney sweeps who came to clean in Germany. I pack them in my suitcase when we move.  Bits of plastic that help to tell the story of our lives! I like the blurry photo it looks like they are quickly heading to their next chimney.

A reproduction of Rembrandt found, along with the frame, at a flea market. The sconces on either side are for decoration only!  Fairly simple but with lots of statement. There's a little "bell ringer" on the side of this mantle that was used to call the kitchen in the early years of Quarters One.

The Italian fresco (a sundial) above the working fireplace reads 

"Sol me vos umbra regit"

The sun guides me, the shadow you"

An old saying meant to boast the sundial's good fortune of being...well... a sundial!

A bird bath found in a flower shop in Colmar, France full of  fake pearls.   I collect travel books those are displayed in the background.


Chess set sits always ready for someone to play! This was a gift for my husband, from dear friends, when he took command of the 173d ABN BDE in Vicenza, Italy.

The Three Graces fresco is my favorite.  The pictures on the right are sketches from Germany and Austria.

My grandparents' breakfast furniture fits nicely in the "Grand Salon's" nook!

A collection of damigianas, or demijohns, from Italy. The large mouthed jar holds olives while the others typically store wine.  The piece of furniture is actually a bedroom dresser! It was better used here. We clear the jars off the top and set up a bar when we have guests.

A collection of masks in the background from Venice and candlesticks from various places. Group like things together!

The Grand Salon at Quarters One holds nothing of great monetary value, only sentiment. I look for bargains every where, shop at flea markets, and always try to repurpose and reuse when possible.  In the picture below are two paintings I picked up on from a street vendor in Italy ( I mention that a lot because we were there for four years and two deployments) and the frames came from an Italian grocery store! The lamp is a samovar from Turkey and the photograph is a picture I took from the porch of Jane and Neil Higgins' beautiful casa overlooking the Bay of Napoli.

Thank you for visiting! For more, like us at Quarters One on Facebook and until next time...

Duty First!