Kath Hale
Where I live: Miller's Crossing in Sherwood with my husband, Butch, and our two rescued dogs.
Occupation: Homemaker and blogger at cookbookwall.com
My favorite space is: my dining room.
Why: I love to cook, and the dining room is where my family and friends gather. The wooden inlay dining table unfolds to accommodate up to 10 guests. The art is all personal, including a triptych of my grandfather as a teenage sailor in the British Royal Navy during the First World War. One wall of my dining room is dedicated to a big, built-in bookcase, which holds the majority of my 531 (and counting) cookbooks. I call it the cookbook wall, and I named my blog after it. As I try new recipes, I write notes on the pages, and I keep track of successes on the inside covers. Sometimes I'll note the occasion of the meal and who attended, so my books are diaries of meals enjoyed with loved ones. Our daughters are grown and married, but when they were growing up, and when our foster sons lived here, weeknight family dinners were sacrosanct. Meanwhile, the family dinner tradition continues on Tuesday nights!
If I could make one change to improve this space, I would: Install bookcases on an adjoining wall, extending them to the 12-foot ceiling, and add a rolling library ladder.
-- Kelly Brant
HomeStyle on 12/30/2017