Story Behind The Brand

Welcome to the blueprint room. A drawing board if you will, where the visual design goes from pen to lasers. If Nehemiah had a strategy room for his action, this would be it! While we aren’t building anything as impressive as walls; we do our part in rebuilding the spiritual lives of tradition in the kitchen. At least we like to think so, and hope you will too. 

 We strive to take traditional decor that emboldens our faith and elevate it toward a more modern aesthetic. So it’s not walking into great grandma’s kitchen with an intimidating Last Supper in an ornate frame.

We want you to ditch that old frame; not the faith!

 Same beauty; only refreshed & redefined!

 We found in our experience of real estate & interior design, that traditional Christian decor is not commonly found in homes today.  Yet vintage is in. So allowing the two worlds to collide became our mission. 

 If you just wanna buy some goods switch tabs now before my gift of gab keeps you here reading past dinner time. If you need some help in the kitchen…well then you oughta keep reading! 

 It didn’t always look this pretty….

 

Circa 2011 

When we finally stopped renting and purchased our first home. I had lofty goals for decorating. Talk about champagne taste on a beer budget, combined with a squirrel brain that strays quickly. Not the best combo for conceptual design. On a whim I decided to paint my kitchen sour apple green, simply because that’s my husband’s favorite color. And if he loved that the kitchen was his favorite color, he would love the taste of my food right?… By now you can tell that psychology was my favorite course! I remember my father-in-law painting with me during the “surprise” asking me after one stroke of the brush,  “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Boy was it ever a surprise! We all hated the walls, with no money to change it. For years!

 After burning food ritually in my flashy neon green kitchen. Not being able to eat out nightly, wanting to avoid my own food. Something had to give. 

 

 It all started with a persistent saint that chose me. 

 After many months of the usual daily works, joys & sufferings that life brings; St. Teresa of Kolkata would always find a way to make her presence known to me in the boldest of ways. I finally got the hint and decided to adopt her as one of my many Christian role models. Then a light bulb shattered in my mind and took me back to 1997 as a frail 7th grader. Sitting in social studies at my public school, where Mr. Bass announced a historical event had just taken place.

 Mother Teresa had just died. 

 I remember bursting into tears and wondering why am I even crying about this. I don’t even  know her. On the bus ride home, I simply chocked it up to typical adolescent hormones. 

 I had suppressed that memory until it was relevant. A discouraged homemaker just trying to get by, and make a decent meal. But I was failing. All those southern cooking lessons from my mamaw that I didn’t pay attention to when I had the chance. My momma & mamaw can cook. Why can’t I? As a Kentucky native it was a downright disgrace that I didn’t already have this skill! So I decided to dedicate both my kitchen and two of my kids (Terez & Aggie) to the feisty, four foot, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu- all in blue & white! 

 Blue & white: another Kentuckiana disgrace when you bleed red as a UofL fan in opposition to UofK. (Squirrel brain refocus)

 Little did I know that such a subtle change of committing to buy one pretty thing for $10 or less each month would inspire me in the kitchen. I’m here to inspire you too! 

1.) If $10 a month is too much, spend $5. Before you know it your room will be filled with things that bring you joy. 

 2.) If you can afford to splurge more, I strongly encourage you to do so. Start in the room you like the least OR where you will spend the MOST time. This is usually the kitchen.

 3.) Put those flowers on your grocery list! Stop telling yourself you’re not worth spending the grocery markup! Just buy it. Flowers in your space regularly make a world of difference for your mood and food too! 

 4.) Lastly, invite the cloud of witnesses into your kitchen space. If not for anything else, at least to pray your food doesn’t burn!!!! In all seriousness, every sacrifice we make for our family is an act of love, even if it doesn’t turn out the way we hoped. Don’t be afraid to ask for their intercessory help. 

We are drawn to what is true, good & beautiful. If your kitchen looks pretty you will want to be there more. Let’s face it; you can buy just about anything on Amazon these days. So you don’t need another kitchen gadget business like mine. However, what you won’t find behind the product in production is a family of 9 that is laser focused on praying for you, while the laser focuses on printing your item! That’s a fervent guarantee. So what are you waiting for? Start shopping House of Bread Contemporary Kitchen Collective! We can not wait to style your home!