A few days ago, we had a camera crew in the house filming our kitchen renovation (more to come!) and the group gravitated toward a few of my favorite pieces in our home. All three happen to be in the living room. They also happened to be my most treasured possessions. One of the guys commented that I had pretty “badass” style. I can’t take full credit. That goes to the old dudes. Here’s what he was talking about:

Abe. This piece is from 1899 and was from my great Uncle’s art collection that he gifted to my Grandfather many, many years ago. It hung in Gramp’s basement and every time we stopped over for a beer, we all sat around admiring his beauty. Can you call Lincoln beautiful? That beard though. Grandpa Bob knew just how much I loved it and said that one day he would gift it to me. It was when I was going through a let’s paint everything to put my stamp on it phase and I told Grandpa that I intended it paint the frame (gasp!) orange. Let’s just say that kind offer from Grandpa was reneged lickity split. When we were living in Chicago, he drove out for a visit and surprised me with it. The frame is original, and absolutely perfect, and thank God I grew out of that orange phase. He must have known. To this day, it is our only piece of art and I am so deeply grateful for it and the memories it evokes for us. In order to give it an updated feel without the paint, I made it the star of a cozy reading nook. With luxe layers like this faux seal pom pom blanket, sheepskin rug, and gold accents, it is refined and yet suddenly feels more now. Don’t worry, Gramps is still kicking and we still admire President Lincoln while having a cold one.

Old Glory. This incredible vintage flag is the focal point of our main living space. It’s from 1912 and has 48 stars. When I was sourcing finds for Grey’s Presidential Playroom, I found it on eBay. I was drawn to it and couldn’t let it go. It is worn and weathered in all the right places and fills me with pride every time I look at it. I debated putting it in its original destination, but I needed more from it. It deserved more. We searched high and low for frames that would fit, but ultimately it required a custom frame. We chose a local shop and they did a wonderful job. That being said, my biggest regret is that I didn’t do glare-proof glass. So there’s a #NixonPack nugget for you, when framing a great piece, don’t make that mistake! And tip #2, many times a local framer can give you a better deal (and cooler frames) than a big box store, yes, even with those coupons. Who knew?! We kept with the gold accents to bring 1912 into 2017 and it is the perfect complement to Abe on the other side of the room.

Grandpa’s Great Grandma’s Mirror. You read that right. This mirror is literally hundreds of years old. My Gram gave it to us when we bought our first home. Talk about an intimidating housewarming gift. This has been the one thing I have been most scared to unwrap each time we move for fear it has shattered in the van. Imagine the years of bad luck with a mirror that old? Hallelujah, it’s still intact. This sweet old lady found her way to the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. When standing in the kitchen, you can see the reflection of Old Glory. It’s magical. I affectionately refer to her as the old lady because she is wrinkled, dimpled and a perfect patina has developed over most of the glass. Sometimes I find myself staring at it thinking of all of the people who must have looked inside her over all these years. Pretty cool, right? Keeping with the theme of updating these old relics, I added a string of garland and used tiny clothespins to display some of our favorite memories. This is a great opportunity to change out pictures when you have guests coming over or want to celebrate a special occasion.

What golden oldies do you have displayed in your home? We’d love to hear about them below!