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I realized it’d been years since I’d shared any home pictures, and the ones I had were seriously outdated.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

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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 subscribe via email

  2. Definitely something new for the walls!

  3. I’m in love with that roasted chicken print. I need it! I’m also ashamedly behind on sending thank you cards for my daughter’s birthday, so I really should be getting those. Oh, but that print. 

  4. I would buy art for my bedroom wall

  5. Some pretty note cards would be great!

  6. I would get some prints for my nursery. I really like Abstract Muted 3 in mint green

  7. I know exactly what I would be getting!! My fiancé and I will be buying a house shortly from his grandma and it is in desperate need of updating!! We will definitely be needing artwork to help us spruce up our new home <3

  8. I also follow you and minted on twitter and tweeted! My twitter handle is @retire_with_me

  9. I subscribed to your newsletter :) 

  10. I would buy wedding invitations or other cute paper items for my wedding! I love minted! We used them for our save the dates and they were fantastic! 

  11. Water Meadow Art Prints
    by Kelly Money

  12. i follow both you and minted on twitter & tweeted the giveaway! my handle is @mamasobus and here’s the url to my tweet: https://twitter.com/mamasobus/status/559048403460820992

  13. I would use it to towards birth post card announcements! our first little was due 4 days ago so we can’t wait to meet him :) also, I think if you paint the kitchen cabinets, def. go with the gray! (i too, am a fan of all things white but I agree you’ve already got so much white goin’ on).

  14. I follow your blog!

  15. Let’s Get This Party Started Personalizable Table Runner i would get everything for this style 

  16. Minted has some incredibly gorgeous artwork… I would love to buy some for my bedroom!!

  17. I dont have the instagram so I loose out on that– all the same thanks so much for the great giveaway — and best a luck to all

  18. Following Lindsay Landis
    @loveandoliveoil and Minted

    @Minted on twitter as @DiannaThomas== also tweeted the message as suggested here==https://twitter.com/DiannaThomas/status/559042470571302916

  19. I’m a subscriber.

  20. I would like some wall art!

  21. O have been subscribed to loveandoliveoil for some time @[email protected]

  22. Well, I really could use some beautiful art in my kitchen

  23. Lovely!

  24. I follow love and olive oil and minted on Instagram! @megrhadbrack

  25. I get the newsletters! Love them!

  26. I would love to get the Under the Brooklyn Bridge print and some stationary for my kids!

  27. I am following both on twitter via @ CaffrineAnn

  28. I am a subscriber.

  29. I love notebooks and journals. I would have a blast picking out some of those items.

  30. following on twitter @beefkandi

  31. I follow both on instagram.

  32. I follow both on twitter.

  33. I subscribe.

  34. I would buy stationary.

  35. already a subscriber

  36. I’ve added some hexagon mirrors to the family room wall. The Apertures No 2 print would go so well with those

  37. I would love to purchase some art for our living room… A giant wall space that’s begging for a gallery wall! After a year of living here, I think it’s time. 

  38. I’ve been eyeing this long horn bull print (staredown) they have for a long time! I’d love to get it large scale and in a beautiful frame!

  39. I have several pieces of Minted art on my wishlist for my son’s room! They have some great coastal-inspired pieces.

  40. Instagram follower.  gmujess

  41. I love the foiled state art on Minted.  Would likely go with those!  Love the prints you chose.  

  42. Simply put, ART! I love art in any form, so this would be perfect. Thanks for the view into your world, really loving your style.

  43. Holiday cards and photo gifts!

  44. I follow on twitter! @kellyeliz07

  45. I subscribed via email! [email protected]

  46. I would love to have a Heart Snapshot Mix Photo Art print!

  47. I’m subscribed and I follow :-).

    I’d use it to buy new art for my kitchen!

  48. Love the artwork!

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