Matchbooks and Menus

This spring, my husband finally repainted a hallway off our kitchen. Years ago, the ceiling had been damaged from a bathtub overflow; we repaired the plumbing but the ceiling remained an embarrassment until recently.

Back in December 2010, we were lucky enough to dine at the famous Alinea with our neighbors; my neighbor had the great idea to frame the menu and, so, once our hallway was presentable once again, we copied. We also framed a signed menu from Chicago's TRU. I hope to add many more menus to this wall! I get so hungry every time I'm passing through and I glance through the choices.

Earlier this summer, I was scrolling through a blog entry from LillyPulitzer.com featuring charming Lilly-ish decor in a newly opened store, including a striking collection of framed matchbooks. I've been collecting matchbooks for a long time--sadly, they are harder and harder to come by--and it occurred to me that I could finally put them to some aesthetic use. Thus, some of my matchbook collection displayed in a shadowbox frame from Michael's. Most of them come from places in either Chicago or Los Angeles, but Bermuda, Nantucket and New Orleans are also represented! (A friend brought me back a matchbox from the famous Raffles hotel in Singapore, but since I haven't been there myself, I thought that would be cheating.)