Time for a new column! Can’t promise how long this one will last, but I’m liking the sound of it. The idea is that I’ll post five things in one category. I’ll try to keep the category very narrow, so we can keep this going for awhile. I have a feeling the categories will usually be from home design, but I could also see MM posts falling under fashion, weddings, parties, or holidays. Today: my top five favorite built-in bunk beds for four. There were a surprising amount of contenders.

Top to bottom: Elle Decor (photo by Miguel Flores-Vianna) | Domino Mag via Flickr | Urban Grace Interiors | Platt Byard Dovell White via Handmade Charlotte | Traditional Home

These bunks make me so happy, especially the small details: the privacy curtains, the individual reading lights, the clever ladders, the little knick knacks in each space. Now I just need an expansive vacation home to build a set in! Which one is your favorite?

Our Macy’s registry informs me that there are 11 days left until our wedding – exciting! It seems as good a time as any to tell you a little bit about where we registered, and what we registered for.

We signed up for our first registry in August 2011, very quickly after we were engaged. We knew we had an engagement party planned for September, and we wanted to give people a few options should they be looking for gift suggestions (I don’t think anyone took us up on it, but that’s okay!). We decided on Macy’s because we had heard good things about their policies (returns, incentive programs, etc.) and knew they had a wide variety from which to choose. We’ve been happy with the choice! More than a year in, I would say Macy’s has been the most popular with our guests. Here are a few of the favorite goods we registered for:

The ones marked with an asterisk are gifts our guests have already chosen for us!

1. Le Creuset 5.5 Quart Round French Oven | 2. Martha Stewart Collection Ice Bucket with Tongs* | 3. Martha Stewart Collection Glass Food Storage Set* | 4. Keurig B60* | 5. Lenox Tuscany Classic Champagne Flutes* | 6. Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel Cookware* | 7. Spode Nectar Dinnerware* | 8. Kate Spade Trimble Place salad plates | 9. Kate Spade Larabee Road bread and butter plates*

One thing I have to note: As the dish washer of the household, I especially appreciate the Le Creuset and the Calphalon, because not only do they cook beautifully, but they are SO easy to clean! Nothing sticks to them – it’s amazing!!

On to Crate & Barrel! We originally registered at C&B because we wanted a certain china pattern, but we found several other things to like there, as well. A few of our favorites:

1. Cuisinart Griddler* (this thing is AMAZING!) | 2. Wusthof Classic Black 7″ Hollow Ground Santoku* | 3. Heritage Hill glass jars* (we’re storing flour and sugar in these) | 4. Gourmet 5-Piece Placesetting* (very light and elegant in the hand) | 5. Staccato dinner plate* (goes with everything) | 6. Small all-purpose scoop

Our final registry is at Amazon. It hasn’t been too popular with our guests yet, but I have high hopes for these last few weeks!

1. Brahms Mount cotton herringbone throw | 2. GoPro HD camera | 3. Peterboro insulated picnic basket* | 4. Teak Fermob folding bistro chairs | 5. Weck 1-liter juice jars (set of 3)* (perfect for picnics!) | 6. Porcelain heart-shaped 6 oz. quiche dishes (set of 4) | 7. O Holy Night canvas print (want this SO badly, even though we’d only be able to use it one month out of the year!) | 8. Magnolia print | 9. Marche baskets | 10. Large woven seagrass baskets (planning to use these as laundry baskets)

If you’re engaged or married, where are you registered, or where did you register?

One of the coolest things I did when I was home in Connecticut was stop by a new store in town, Seasonal Home. If you are familiar with where I’m from, you know that that sentence alone is pretty cool. (Like many small, old New England towns, my hometown hardly changes at all. Ever.) Which is why it’s so cool that three local women refurbished an old church-turned-funeral home and opened a shop selling carefully curated new and old home goods. And they did it well. Let’s take a little tour, shall we?

One of the neatest parts about the store is the store itself – it’s been beautifully remodeled, and you can still see vestiges of the old church, like the choir loft and the altar area.

The three women who jointly own the store all source vintage goods to sell, and the vintage goods are mixed in with new pieces, including artwork, from local artisans.

I loved the paintings from this local painter, though I didn’t catch his or her name.

Seasonal Home also sells new upholstered furniture that’s made in America. I thought it was beautiful and classic!

All the goods are mixed in together and curated beautifully, and I found many things I would have been happy to take home with me.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the prices – for someone who’s used to going to flea markets herself, I sometimes find vintage store prices to be a little hard to swallow (though I can certainly understand why they’re so), but I thought Seasonal Home’s prices were very reasonable. The large pot on the right was $15, and I really wanted to take it home, but there was no way I was going to fit it in my suitcase. I did, however, take home the trio of sea stars on the left, and it was $6.

I also took home the pretty green and white dishtowels on the right – 2 for $6.

These pretty blue pieces were quite lovely:

I know not many of you are likely to pass through my corner of Southeastern Connecticut, but if you find yourself there, I’d say a visit to Seasonal Home is well worth your time. And if you do not, then go poke your head into a locally-owned store in your town – you might be pleasantly surprised!

P.S. Another peek into a local home + vintage store

My final paper pick for 2012 is One Canoe Two Letterpress! I love so many of their products, but I’m always especially captivated by their state prints. At $15 per 5×7 letterpress print, you could fill a whole gallery wall with all the states you’ve lived in, or the favorite states you’ve visited!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends! Check back on Monday for my next wedding planning update – less than three months to go!!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4