Love and Olive Oil

Picture-Perfect Roast Chicken and a Peek Inside our Home

Loft Dining Room Art Wall

Thanks to all y’all’s input on our art dilemma, we finally made a decision and went with Option 1. The combination of print and pattern and color turned out to be simply perfect.

And as great as the art looked in my mockup, it looks even better in person.

Loft Dining Room Art Wall

It feels so good to have some art on the walls again, like someone actually lives here now and didn’t just move in days before. And we couldn’t be happier with our choices!

Loft Dining Room Art Wall

I realized it’d been years since I’d shared any home pictures, and the ones I had were seriously outdated. Our under-the-spiral-stair storage was still a flimsy little metal thing from the second hand store (we’ve since built a custom shelving unit with light wood and metal rods, see it in the kitchen photo below), nor had we installed our semi-built-in storage that spans the living room wall. Really, the only things that haven’t changed in the 7 years that we’ve lived here are the pot rack, the lime green mixer, and the Hatch Showprint posters on the wall.

Oh, and Kalypso. She’s still as chubby as ever.

Our Home Loft Living Room with Cat Shelves!

The living room built-ins (which is actually an IKEA Besta base to which we added a new top and base pieces to make it look more built-in) were the only way I could imagine to fit all my props into our limited space.

But what do I do now that it’s full?

Oops.

And no, we didn’t forget to ‘stage’ those floating shelves above the TV. The only decorative objects that grace those shelves are of the furry variety. Anything else that happens to be sitting there will be promptly relocated to the floor.

Loft Dining Room Art Wall

These cats. They run our lives, I tell you.

Our Home - Loft Living Small Kitchen

Our kitchen. While we’re thankful for ample counterspace, the cabinet space is severely limited. Hence the need for all the extra storage.

We’re toying with the idea of painting the cabinets. Light gray, perhaps? I’d love white, but seeing as how much white we’ve already got going on I think it might be a bit excessive. What do you think? My dream would also be to replace the counters with a single level (no more raised bar) and a matte-finish countertop. I’m sick of this shiny stuff.

Our Home Loft Living Room

The faux-hide rug is our newest addition, replacing the old multi-colored Flor tiles we had there before. Dare I say our taste is maturing? The rug, anyhow, was so opposite of our typical style that I almost didn’t get it. But after some rotating and careful placement under the gray sofa, it’s starting to grow on us. I love how the organic shape breaks up all of the squares in the room (our old rug was ALL squares, I was longing for some curves!)

A new sofa is probably on the horizon, as what these photos don’t show (hello clever blanket placement) is the number our cats have done to the back corners of the sofa.

Here’s a million dollar idea for you: a sofa with refillable cat scratchers embedded into the corners. Then they can scratch to their heart’s content and when it gets gross and stringy, you just pop in a fresh post.

Brilliant, I tell you!

Picture-Perfect Roast Chicken Recipe

I wasn’t kidding when I said we were going to make that chicken recipe (I mean, if it’s on your wall you better as heck be able to vouch for it). It was our Christmas dinner, in fact! While the recipe is lacking a few key details (artistic license, ahem), I’ve filled them in for you below.

I loved cooking the chicken in the cast-iron skillet, so much more manageable than a giant roasting pan (save that one for the turkeys). Why didn’t I think of that before?

Perfect Roasted Chicken

Did you make this recipe?

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat to 500 degrees F. Place a 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet on a rack positioned in the lower third of your oven until hot.
  2. Rub the chiken all over with olive oil, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
  3. Carefully place the chicken, breast side up, in the hot skillet and return to oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue to roast until chicken is golden brown, and a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F (ours took about another 45 minutes for a 6 pound bird; depending on the size of your chicken, I’d recommend checking the temperature after about 30 minutes to see where you’re at).
  4. Transfer the chicken to a platter, tipping the chicken to let the juices flow out into the pan before moving it. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving and serving.

Recipe from Minted artist Elliot Stokes

All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

Did you make this recipe?

Let us know what you think!
Leave a Comment below or share a photo and tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #loveandoliveoil.

Loft Dining Room Art Wall

I have to say, getting a box with your art already framed and ready to hang on the wall is downright convenient. Custom framing is complicated and expensive and just a hassle overall.

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389 Comments

  1. I would definitely check out some art for my home office!

  2. followed on instagram! username is @orderinthekitch

  3. Was already following you on twitter but now also following minted….link to my tweet: https://twitter.com/orderinthekitch/status/561951221527764992

  4. subscribed to the newsletter!

  5. I would use it towards finishing my wedding stuff!  Programs, menus and favor bags/boxes haven’t been purchased yet!

  6. So many great choices but the print Sway would be one of the things that I would get if I won.

  7. And I subscribed to your newsletter! Cheers!

  8. I’m following you and minted on Instagram – jenny_funk

  9. I’ve had my eye on the Staredown print for over our dining room table for ages! I want it reeeaaally big. 

  10. I follow you and minted.com on instagram – sharylwolter

  11. I Follow @loveandoliveoil and @minted on twitter and tweeted – @Sharylmk1

  12. I would select a piece of original art. Lots to choose from!

  13. I already subscribe to your emails.

  14. I follow both on instagram @dddavis

  15. I’m subscribed to the weekly newsletter! 

  16. I follow via twitter and tweeted. @Terryia

  17. I would love to get my hands on some of that fabric selection! 

  18. I follow both on instagram.

  19. I follow both on twitter and tweeted.  @eksmith331

  20. I would definitely get the Heart Snapshot Mix for our wall.  I’m dying to fill it with old family photos of past generations.  Thanks for hosting.

  21. I’m an email subscriber

  22. I would purchase some art for the laundry room or master bathroom…or front entryway. So many choices!

  23. L-O-V-E your place, so bright and airy!!! (I first typed arty-it’s that too). Thanks for the pictures, it’s always fun seeing in other people’s homes! 

  24. my fiance and i are moving into a new house in mid-february, so i’m looking for some fun art for the kitchen and bedroom. :)

  25. Oh my – your house is so beautiful! And the kitty! They rule my life too:) If I had $200 to spend, I’d buy some art for our office wall – it’s been looking mighty drab in there. 

  26. I think a light grey or grey cabinet would be nice contrast. I currently have white cabinets. They certainly lighten up my kitchen, but between cooking, general household dust, and two cats, the bottom cabinets need a good and thorough wipe down weekly at least. It’s kind of the same as a white car — it looks nice in theory but every spot of dirt shows. Good luck with the kitchen updates!

  27. Some fun new art for my bedroom!

  28. I’m following on Instagram @lalalananas

  29. Minted has so many great things! I’d be tempted by some of their art, wrapping paper or fabric

  30. I’ve lived in my house for 28 years and still have no wall art up. It took me 4 years to find the right purse lol.  I would definitely purchase some wall art! 

  31. Following you on insta! (Was already following minted) @merlindaanne

  32. I would finish out my amazing foil pressed save the date and wedding invite collection with foil pressed menus and name cards for our wedding! Plus throw in a Texas foil print wall art piece – if only they made one for Turks and Caicos where our wedding will be held!

  33. Wedding invites! Last year was a very expensive one, and our wedding savings fund took a few hits, so we have had to postpone. A little Minted money would go far!

  34. Also, I just subscribed. :)

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