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I realized it’d been years since I’d shared any home pictures, and the ones I had were seriously outdated.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. Just started following you on Instagram. :) @aka_rhi

  2. I would probably get a few small framed limited-edition prints to brighten up my bare apartment walls.

  3. I already subscribe Love and Olive Oil :)

  4. I would buy save the dates and then spend the rest on wall art!

  5. I follow Love and Olive Oil and Minted on instagram! @mgerloff

  6. I subscribe to Love and Olive Oil via email and BlogLovin’

  7. i would get stationary and envelopes :)

  8. I have such a long wishlist of art from Minted, I couldn’t choose just one!

  9. I follow you and minted on instagram

  10. Lindsay, look at all the gorgeous light in your home!! A little jealous over here. My house feels… gray and brown and boring in comparison. ;) To Minted, I would buy art prints and personalized stationary! Just got our wedding thank you’s from there. 

  11. I would spend the $200 on a day planner, address book, address labels and the map out foil art for my love on Valentines’ Day!

  12. I follow on Instagram, pcaradonna1

  13. I followed on Twitter @pcaradonna

  14. I subscribe to Love & Olive Oil.

  15. We recently moved into our first home (!!!) and it seriously needs some love on the walls. I’d really like to get some prints from Minted!

  16. Bonus Entry # 2 (for Instagram @Lainey_a_Fox)

    My favorite journals I would buy: Trellis Notes by Jennifer Wik
                                                                     Great Loving by August and Oak

  17. Bonus Entry (for email sub)

    Some of the art I would buy: Botanica by Kelly Ventura 
                                                           Bold Leaves by Kelly Ventura
                                                           Fox Geometry by Jennifer Morehead

  18. Oh my–I’d never heard of Minted before and now I have over 100 items on my “favorites” list! I think I would buy some art and then a pretty journal :)

  19. I would spend it on picture frames and cards! 

  20. i follow both on instagram

    jpinnick86

  21. I TWITTER FOLLOW BOTH AND TWEETED @whmsicalcupcake

  22. I AM SUBSCRIBED TO EMAILS

  23. HOW DO I LOVE THEE ART PRINT AND ENOUGH CARDS TO LAST THE ENTIRE YEAR!!

  24. Wall art for my new home!

  25. [email protected] (I subscribe already using bloglovin)

  26. Kblairpt24 (instagram entry)

  27. @kristinpt24

  28. I think I would pursue the wall-art. The things you have in your home from them are adorable, so that sounds like a good way to spend it to me ;)

  29. I am already subscribed to your posts via email.

  30. I subscribed to emails.

  31. So. I just visited the website so I could leave an informed comment.  If I won, this would be one of those expensive freebies. How do you even decide on the artwork? I love it. The colors and shapes, the photography…every single style. Or maybe I should learn to sew. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. Those fabrics! Wow. I would have no trouble spending $2000. But I’d gladly take $200!

  32. I follow loveandoliveoil and minted on instagram @Lisakeys55

  33. I follow loveandoliveoil and minted on twitter and tweeted you @Lisakeys15

  34. my twitter name is yooangel and i tweeted about this giveaway

  35. I am subscribed to this blog already…and I can’t wait to make this chicken!!

  36. I subscribe to loveandoliveoil

  37. I would def buy some art too!! My walls are super bare as well!!

  38. I would buy stationery and 30th birthday invitations for my daughter’s upcoming celebration

  39. I would love to buy new art.

  40. I follow loveandoliveoil and minted on twitter

  41. Hi Lindsay,

    you do really have made the best from the (limited) space you have!

    I’d buy some wall art prints for our new flat- since it is bigger than before- there are a lot of white walls to cover!

    Laura

  42. I follow on Instagram…cjpillow.

  43. I tweeted…cjpillow.

  44. I subscribe already to Love and Olive Oil.

  45. I would purchase either the framed maps or bridges.

  46. I already subscribe to Love & Olive Oil.

  47. Ooh, I’d get some art but can’t decide what, and save a little to get a set of those wrap-around address labels that are so very appealing.

  48. I follow on Instagram- @trowera

  49. I am a subscriber of Love and Olive Oil

  50. I would love some of their art prints!

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