Have you ever noticed that when you are searching for something specific that you can never find it? I've been looking for a set of beautiful vintage stemmed cocktail or martini glasses for quite a while now. It's not as if there aren't lots of beautiful modern glasses out there, but there is something incredibly cool about vintage barware and glassware.
I've been inspired by a lot of the traditional American cocktails that I've been drinking at a lot of lounges here in Chicago: The Violet Hour, Sable, and Le Bar all seem to have great traditional drinks with a little modern twist. Then, when I was at Boka earlier this summer, my friend Nora ordered this delicious drink in an even better looking glass.
It's a little tough to see how gorgeous it is, but it really inspired me to find a set of glassware with this same look and feel. I visited all the great shops in Andersonville - an area in Chicago that has the cutest little antique shops that are wonderfully curated - and searched for that perfect cocktail set with no luck. Barware is getting so popular that there are very few sets these days, and even fewer with the specific look you might be looking for.
On a recent trip to visit my parents in Ohio, we passed by a promising-looking antique store on our way to another attraction. I insisted that we leave whatever family activity that we were doing in time so that we make it back to the antique store before it closes. Man, that was a great move on my part.
Entering into Stagecoach Antiques in Akron was probably one of the more overwhelming shopping experiences I have had. China and glasses are everywhere, with shelves stuffed so full that you couldn't even see was stashed in the back.
Luckily, I'm a patient girl when it comes to shopping, so I was happy to spend an hour wading through glasses to find something perfect. But then it dawned on me: why settle for one style of beautiful glass when you can have several and still have it look like a set?
Few of the remaining cocktail glass sets had enough for even a small party, so I decided that I would get a variety of glasses and use them as a set. Plus, like the lady in the store said, if you break a glass, you can just go out an buy a gorgeous new one without having to match it.
So, here's the variety that I came up with. I'm starting with six glasses and will add to the collection whenever I find something that I love. I think this works for cocktail glasses and could also apply to other things that we buy in multiples. What do you think? Any suggestions on what other items are even more versatile when they're not in a totally matched set?
I've been inspired by a lot of the traditional American cocktails that I've been drinking at a lot of lounges here in Chicago: The Violet Hour, Sable, and Le Bar all seem to have great traditional drinks with a little modern twist. Then, when I was at Boka earlier this summer, my friend Nora ordered this delicious drink in an even better looking glass.
It's a little tough to see how gorgeous it is, but it really inspired me to find a set of glassware with this same look and feel. I visited all the great shops in Andersonville - an area in Chicago that has the cutest little antique shops that are wonderfully curated - and searched for that perfect cocktail set with no luck. Barware is getting so popular that there are very few sets these days, and even fewer with the specific look you might be looking for.
On a recent trip to visit my parents in Ohio, we passed by a promising-looking antique store on our way to another attraction. I insisted that we leave whatever family activity that we were doing in time so that we make it back to the antique store before it closes. Man, that was a great move on my part.
Entering into Stagecoach Antiques in Akron was probably one of the more overwhelming shopping experiences I have had. China and glasses are everywhere, with shelves stuffed so full that you couldn't even see was stashed in the back.
Luckily, I'm a patient girl when it comes to shopping, so I was happy to spend an hour wading through glasses to find something perfect. But then it dawned on me: why settle for one style of beautiful glass when you can have several and still have it look like a set?
Few of the remaining cocktail glass sets had enough for even a small party, so I decided that I would get a variety of glasses and use them as a set. Plus, like the lady in the store said, if you break a glass, you can just go out an buy a gorgeous new one without having to match it.
So, here's the variety that I came up with. I'm starting with six glasses and will add to the collection whenever I find something that I love. I think this works for cocktail glasses and could also apply to other things that we buy in multiples. What do you think? Any suggestions on what other items are even more versatile when they're not in a totally matched set?
