Andrea linked to this adorable retro kitchen set on her blog and I’ve been drooling over it ever since.
For only $649 (fat chance! you could almost buy another sweet van for that price!) it could be yours.
I spent the better part of yesterday evening covetously clicking through images of four-poster beds, ridiculously adorable children’s furniture, and comfy chaise lounges on the Pottery Barn website.
Last week it was Oprah’s “Favourite Things” show and I found myself teeming with jealousy. Why wasn’t I in the audience?! I deserve $59 cupcakes and a spectacular fride with a BUILT IN TV.
‘Tis the season. For materialistic greed, that is.
It’s so hard to not get caught up in all of the wanting. But really, I have more than I could possibly dream of, and a retro kitchen set for my kid will not add a new level of fulfillment to my life (or will it?).
I know that for me, so much of longing for particular items is about much more than the products themselves. It’s about the dream of a life. If my house looks like something out of the Pottery Barn catalogue it must mean a few things:
1. We are rich and can buy really nice stuff from Pottery Barn.
2. Because we have really nice stuff from Pottery Barn, people always come over and I will be an amazing hostess who throws lavish dinner parties that people will rave about for months after the affair. They’ll mention, wistfully, “Remember the caviar Amanda served? And how we all sat on her couch from Pottery Barn? That was AWESOME.”
3. I will have really well behaved children who will play, in a gentle and civilized manner, with their beautifully classic toys from Pottery Barn. They will never fight. Only feel the love that radiates from their retro kitchen and sky high doll house.
4. I will weigh 110 pounds and be freaking beautiful. While I sit on my designer sofa.
5. My husband and I will eat every gourmet meal I cook in our professional kitchen by the light of the glowing TV IN MY FRIDGE and we will be so happy.
6. Did I mention I’ll weigh 110? Because I totally would. If I had a Pottery Barn House.
See? It’s all just a dream, based mainly on the lie that stuff = happiness.
It’s good to take a step back and be reminded of how spoiled rotten we already all are. Warm beds, full tummies (a little too full sometimes), closets full of clothes, and maybe even an ipod or something…we’ve got it made in the shade and we need to remember that when the wanting comes a’ knockin’.
30 Comments
I wholeheartedly agree! I covet things for my child and still feel a little wistful that my home isn’t decorated with the style and elegance I always imagined my first house would be. But its home and its cosy and warm and full of things I love including my husband and child. What more could I ask for? (possibly those JCrew boots?)
amen to that.
Well said, my friend.
They have a cute little pink retro kitchen at costco and I am almost positive it is way less than the one on your post! You would look sickly if you weighed 110lbs!!!
Amen to that. And I must add that I think Pottery Barn stuff is totally overrated, anyway. I have an area rug from there and the hairballs that thing generates fill up my vacuum cleaner bag in about ten seconds, seriously.
Couldn’t agree more Amanda. Funny thing though,as much as we know the truth, it’s hard not to keep on dreaming. Guess it’s just good to be reminded of reality….PS- that’s totally a rad retro kitchen.
So sorry to start the whole coveting thing, at least someone can share in my longing for the retro kitchen. I will second the comment above about the costco version, it is super cute and much cheaper, but alas only comes in pink so perhaps not suitable for what my dream kitchen for Charlie might look like (mainly not pink).
Really the rest of Pottery Barn is totally overated. Have you ever walked into a house and it looks just like a catalog and really feels a bit uncomfortable and stiff? Not to mention you are already likely a great hostess and gorgeous to boot. But I know, it is always fun to fantasize a bit, as long as we know how blessed we really are.
That kitchen is totally darling. I’ve been feeling the wants too lately Amanda and I’m kinda ashamed of myself. It is hard being a single parents and trying to “keep up” with people. Not really, but just spending money I really don’t have ya know? It is humbling to really sit down and think ya know, I don’t really have the money for that….and it is so easy to feel sorry for yourself (or myself) but then when I really take a step back, I see how much I DO have..but it is so hard not to fall into that wanting trap. So, I’m there with ya :)
I have had a bad case of the “wanties” lately too. I so hear you and I think you have a great attitude. That being said, there is a pink retro kitchen like that, like the other commenters mentioned, almost the same at Costco for $120 ish dollars which is still a lot but might put it into the real world, rather than the pottery barn world. Also, for even cheaper I have seen super cute homemade play kitchens from old entertainment units and stuff. We are building one for Stella from wood this year. Not as cute as the pink though, that is for sure, but I think she will play on it just as much. I love your writing and perspective – as usual!
I shall not want…
right?
right?
Why can’t I “not want”?
Good reminder.
[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptOnly feel the love that radiates from their retro kitchen and sky high doll house. 4. I will weigh 110 pounds and be freaking beautiful. While I sit on my designer sofa. 5. My husband and I will eat every gourmet meal I cook in our … […]
very well written. Am I strange that I haven’t ever heard of the Pottery Barn? Any a question.. why isn’t that stuff made of clay if it’s the “pottery” barn?
Love the kitchen! I too saw one at Costco, very similar, if not the same! Isn’t it fun to dream!
Great post, it does get a little hard not to want things some times, but even in your post you hit on what you really want, and it’s not stuff!
This is a good reminder for this time of year. I also think the Pottery Barn stuff is overrated. My mom ordered an outfit from the catalog for my little girl and we returned it because the quality didn’t seem good for the price.
Imagine being in Oprah’s audience for one of her “Favorite Things” episode??? Some ladies looked like they were hyperventalating and going to pass out. So funny. But seriously…those things were awesome. I always wonder how sad the audience from one day before or one day after feel…so close…yet all they “got” was to see Hanna Montana. Big Whoop.
We’re healthy, have been blessed with beautiful babes, have husbands who love us (most of the time), have friends to laugh with…and fridges that keep our food cold, albeit…don’t do double duty of being a TV.
Thanks for such a great post! You’re so totally right – and I’ve completely been there.
The only thing that saves me is visiting friend’s houses who do have the magazine look and watching my kid wreak havoc – I want a child-friendly house more than a beautiful one!
C and I have had non-consumer christmases before where we don’t spend more than £10 on gifts for each other. Honestly, they are the best ones because there’s no stress for shopping and we get to really enjoy the holiday for what it’s supposed to be. That being said, this year I’ve asked for an expensive bag…
not sure if you have a costco there, but they have a very similar set on their website to the little pink kitchen set and it is only $179.99
here is the link, if it doesn’t work go to costco.com and visit toys and games then go to pretend play and the pink stuff pops up
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11135553&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|25429|74630|74732&N=4020000&Mo=3&pos=2&No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=74732&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC17294-Cat74630&topnav=
I totally agree with you. We live so splendidly compared to most humans on the planet right now.
BUT, that retro kitchen… drooling…
I am guilty of thinking that if I have ________ my life will be complete even though I know that isn’t true because there is always something better out there (another Pottery Barn edition comes out with even cooler stuff in it). That pink kitchen is cute, but won’t she much rather bang around with the pots and pans in your kitchen?
Oh such a good post. I may have to feature you again on my post of the day. You are just too fabulous, you won’t give anyone else a chance ;)
We’re doing away with presents this year for Mike’s family and we’re doing Secret Santa with our group of friends. AND OH MY GOSH, am I ever excited. Christmas should be about family and friends and food and fun and food (with a side of food) and I am relieved and happy and ecstatic that this year it will REALLY be about those things.
We’ve also decided that our future kiddo gets one gift for Christmas from us. We only want one kid and other than beating it regularly (I jest! I jest!) we have to make extra sure they know what’s important.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one wanting this season! I love Oprah too, but I also wish I was in the audience. Every. time.
You have some amazing insight. Thanks for sharing!
I used to order all of my clothes from J.Crew when I was in High School and College. And every time I purchased an article of clothing, I would wistfully imagine myself wearing said garment while sitting at my beach house, or throwing a football in the yard with my Ivy League boyfriend, or opening Christmas gifts while sitting around a gorgeous Christmas tree and laughing with my wonderful family while it snowed outside and the fireplace roared inside and the puppy came bounding into the room. Yeah. There was a whole fantasy world that accompanied my purchases and every time I bought something from J. Crew I honestly hoped I’d find my life becoming more and more similar to the fantasy one I coveted so dearly.
So the long of the short of this comment is …
I totally relate.
You should ask Pottery Barn if they take a “Charm Credit Card”….that way you pay with charm…get it. Oh man…I know I know. Sometimes it works, Ryan tells me I am the queen of getting free stuff thrown in. I doubt they will throw a $649 kitchen your way…maybe a spatula or the box this comes in for Avelyn to play with. Beggers can’t be choosers. Waiting on my email from you FireCake!
Ok, you have like a thousand comments here, so I’m not even sure if you read all of them…but we had a similar though recently.
My husband had some friends over the other night to play video games for the evening…he has an xbox 360 and a 42″ plasma tv. He got the comment a few times that “ohh…things are pretty good in the life of Dan, hey?” And he got kind of frustrated, and flat out asked them “So, if you had a tv like mine would that make your life better?” The answer was unanimously no, at least not on the grand scale of things.
I am guilty of getting caught up in the Want too. They seem to shove it in our face at Christmas time. This year we decided from now on we are going to only get a few things for Christmas presents and try to battle this sense of entitlement that so many children have now-a-days.
And that kitchen is absolutely fabulous and adorable and I Want one. Haha!
If you had a kitchen like that pink one in the first picture, i would have no other choice than to call you “cotton candy mandy”.
What you say is true of course, but that kitchen is pretty cool, even though Avelyn would probably be happier playing with the boxes they come in. And wouldn’t you feel silly sitting in the kitchen watching your fridge?
Too true. Things do not = real happiness. But it’s still fun to dream! So how’s the sweet van?!
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