Growing up, I always envied my friends who lived in houses with ledges. You know what I’m talking about, right? Those landings under the front window of a house, way up high. For the girl who lived in a tiny little ranch, the fact that there was even a second story was oh so fancy. I used to imagine that if I lived in a house like that, I’d find a way to fly up there and read a book undisturbed basking in the sunlight. As an adult, I realized that would be my worst nightmare as that sweet little landing is likely covered in dust. And dust and cobwebs breed spiders. Yuck.

So lo and behold, I wind up with a house that has a landing, only accessible via 12 foot ladder (and Jon). What to do with this space? I immediately envisioned Christmas trees in plain, twinkly white lights. But that’s only one month out of the year. What about the other 11? Tons of ideas ran through my mind, most of which got vetoed on account of the aforementioned dust…and spiders. Those nixed ideas included: stacks of books (but what if I wanted to read them?), mirrors (dust), art leaning on the wall (dust), fake plants (dust), real plants (dead), pottery (spider playground), furniture (creepy)…none of it made sense for us.

Inspiration hit at the farmer’s market when we stumbled upon these gorgeous hand-woven baskets. I bought one to carry all of our delicious bounty home, but the idea kept growing. As you know, we have a thing for salvage shops and awesome vintage finds and repurposing the traditional in an unexpected way. A few local salvage yards, estate sales, and vintage etsy shops later, the ledge was no longer naked. Enter groovy straw placemats and a few sweet woven baskets.

Now that we’ve lived with her as is for a while, I may add a few more. I’ve come across some that I simply couldn’t pass up. And that basket from the farmer’s market? What about a few of those grouped together on the floor in the corner? Yass. That’s coming, but here’s a reminder to friends of the Pack. Do what you love. Fill your home, and odd spaces, with things that inspire you. Not the things you think you’re supposed to put there. Design with you in mind.