One of the most special things about our lake house is the bank of memories that come flooding through when we are here. A lot of family artifacts and furnishings fill the space, both out of necessity when we were decorating a seven-bedroom house and out of pure love for these items, both sentimentally and aesthetically.

The drapes hanging in our master bedroom bring back memories of my aunt who was a pearl-wearing Kansas City interior decorator before women-owned businesses were common and cool. She cleaned, preserved and stored these drapes for who knows how many decades. We found them in her attic when she went to assisted living, and we don’t know if they originally hung in her house, my grandmother’s house or a client’s house. My aunt has since passed, and these vintage finds are now even more precious.

When we were piece milling the bedroom together, we used a green cotton comforter and three comfy green chenille Euro shams from our king-sized bed in the house where we raised our children. We added some fresh Nell Hills white pillows with green ferns in front of the Euro pillows and to top it off, a green and white ticking rectangular pillow from Nell Hills with our combined monogram. The store also specializes in what I call their signature quilted bedspread, just the right weight and very reasonably priced. We picked one up in an off-white.

Nell Hills is a Kansas City gem. A lifestyle store full of every furnishing and entertaining piece you need to make your home a beautiful reflection of your unique style. I’m convinced there is no other store in the country like it - certainly not in a city the size of Kansas City. We have been blessed for many years by its owner, Mary Carol Garrity, who has made sure to provide us with vintage and modern styles, always with a fresh twist. I worked with Mary Carol and other wonderful designers who all became friends in the process. I will continue to write more on my blog about the wonderful adventure we had in combining family heirlooms with touches of Nell Hills. (Mary Carol has recently sold the store to Katie Laughridge, who is dedicated to keeping it the same wonderful place. Mary Carol will also be around the store for the next year.)

It just happened that the drapes we found complemented the shades of green in our bedding. The only problem was the length. I picked out a neutral tan fabric and had a border sewn to the bottom of both sets of drapes. I feel it was meant to be, because the drapes were the perfect width to close over the sliding door in our bedroom.

We added clip rings to the top of both panels, and a simple dark metal rod to finish off the modernized vintage look. It completely makes me happy every time I open and close these drapes. It may sound silly, but these prized possessions adds depth to the room. They make what could be just a combination of new and old, a special treasure that brings good feelings and memories of family.