Hello! My daughter and Anne of Green Gables welcome us to the beautiful shores of Prince Edward Island!
My search for pantry inspiration and ideas brought me back to Green Gables and the lovely visit we made in the fall of 2007...impressing me with not only one but two different pantries for this famous farmhouse...
And here's the cute front entrance where we begin our tour...
The kitchen is darker than I would prefer for my own kitchen...but the perky pots of geraniums instantly reminded me of Anne... and the quaint old-fashioned charm of the rustic sideboard and table and chairs by the window offered a beguiling sort of comfort...
We were limited, of course, as to how much we could actually wander about the old house but the whole area was roomier than I had imagined it would be. The tidy-sized stove I really adored...and it was totally in keeping with Green Gables:
"Mrs. Rachel rapped smartly at the kitchen door and stepped in when bidden to do so. The kitchen at Green Gables was a cheerful apartment--or would have been cheerful if it had not been so painfully clean as to give it something of the appearance of an unused parlor. Its windows looked east and west; through the west one, looking out on the back yard, came a flood of mellow June sunlight; but the east one, whence you got a glimpse of the bloom white cherry trees in the left orchard and nodding, slender birches down in the hollow by the brook, was greened over by a tangle of vines. Here sat Marilla Cuthbert, when she sat at all, always slightly distrustful of sunshine, which seemed to her too dancing and irresponsible a thing for a world which was meant to be taken seriously; and here she sat now, knitting, and the table behind her was laid for supper.
Mrs. Rachel, before she had fairly closed the door, had taken mental note of everything that was on that table. There were three plates laid, so that Marilla must be expecting someone home with Matthew to tea, but the dishes were every-day dishes and there was only crab apple preserves and one kind of cake, so that the expected company could not be any particular company. Yet what of Matthew's white collar and the sorrel mare? Mrs. Rachel was getting fairly dizzy with this unusual mystery about quiet, unmysterious Green Gables."
(From Anne of Green Gables Ch. 1 - Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised)
And this was the sideboard laden with a few of Marilla's brown 'everyday' dishes...as you might remember:
"Matthew would think it alright, Anne, if you took a notion to eat dinner in the middle of the night. But you keep your wits about you this time. And--I don't know if I'm doing right--it may make you more addlepated than ever--but you can ask Diana to come over and spend the afternoon with you and have tea here."
"Oh, Marilla!" Anne clasped her hands. "How perfectly lovely! You are able to imagine things after all or else you'd never have understood how I've longed for that very thing. It will seem so nice and grown-uppish. No fear of my forgetting to put the tea to draw when I have company. Oh, Marilla, can I use the rosebud spray tea set?"
"No ideed! The rosebud tea set! Well, what next? You know I never use that except for the minister or the Aids. You'll put down the old brown tea set. But you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves. It's time it was being used anyhow--I believe it's beginning to work. And you can cut some fruitcake and have some snaps."
"I can just imagine myself sitting down at the head of the table and pouring out the tea," said Anne, shutting her eyes ecstatically. "And asking Diana if she takes sugar! I know she doesn't but of course I'll ask her just as if I didn't know..."
(From Anne of Green Gables Ch. 16 - Diana is Invited to Tea with Tragic Results)
So since 'everyday' it is at the moment, let's just see the utilitarian pantry room first. I hope you're taking notes like I am! I love the crockery, the wooden bowls, the basic shelving looks easy enough to accomplish...baskets....mmm, and a meat grinder on the end of the counter. A string strung up for dish towels to dry...and is that a dry rack against the wall...??? It can't be a ladder. Anyway, I see some big metal tubs, too. Oh! And a window at the back of this small room...very important feature!
And now for the other pantry. Very pretty...not too fussy or fancy...and not too pretentious either! The plates and platters (can't help thinking of Anne falling through the roof while trying to replace a broken borrowed platter!) provide all the decor that's required...with the added touches of fruits and cheeses. A soft white linen towel hangs on the wall then wooden utensils and a rolling pin lay in a basket under the window. There's an elevated...not ostentatious...feeling about this small room that I long to capture. Oh this is perfect! I think I'm beginning to get the idea here! How about you?
And I know you're just dying to see Anne's room, aren't you! I know I sure was when I was there! Would it live up to my expectations and envisions of Anne's little gabled room at the top of the stairs..?? Well, the above photo offers you a hint!
If you haven't gotten enough of this idyllic place, come see the rest of the tour and grounds as well as some wonderful scenes I took of Nova Scotia!