Foodie Freebie Friday: Crate & Barrel

A few years ago before moving into the city of Chicago, I moved to the suburb of Northbrook, IL. In an attempt to get acclimated to the new surroundings, I took a drive and stumbled on this place...

That's right, it's the Crate & Barrel headquarters! Who knew that one of my favorite housewares, furniture (indoor and out), and home accessories retail stores was headquartered in the city I lived in?! Nestled on a tree lined road minutes from my house, was the mecca of housewares!

Crate and Barrel offers a variety of "upmarket" housewares, furniture, and related merchandise. These are displayed in the "vignette" style, where items are grouped together as they might appear in the home. The company was an innovator of this style, which has since become more widely used. - Wikipedia

I'm a big fan of Crate & Barrel for their simple yet stylish designs and our home is decorated similarly to the contemporary style these stores reflect. Out of all the rooms in our house, the style of Crate & Barrel is most evident in my kitchen and dining room. I have several of their housewares from servingware, dinnerware, glassware and flatware that I've bought over the years. My favorites include this dinnerware set, which I use for our daily meals...

Enjoy café society right at home with the fresh, friendly appeal of one of our most popular dinnerware sets. This pattern creates a charming café-style table setting. Deep plates, large stackable bowls are oversized and durable, great for every day. ~ Crate & Barrel description

And also this colorful "Parker" mixing bowl set, which changes slightly every year. The set I have is more of a jeweled color with straight sides, however this season's is a bold color set with a stepped design...

Popular kitchen classics in bold colors and a "stepped" design. Mix, prep, serve—then nest for easy storage. ~ Crate & Barrel description

So for this week's Foodie Freebie Friday, I've giving away your choice of the above Crate & Barrel housewares which will come straight from their online store. The winner of this week's giveaway will have their choice of either the Cafeware II Dinnerware Set or the Parker Mixing Bowl Set. These two items are probably the most used Crate & Barrel housewares I own and have served me well. I'd like for a lucky reader to enjoy these as much as I have too!

Some guidelines:
- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States. My apologies to my international readers!
- You must have a valid email address so that you can be contacted if you win.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment about:
- Your favorite housewares/kitchen item. Was it a gift? Any special story behind it? What makes it your favorite? I'd love to hear all about it!

Deadline: Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.

TWO Winners will be randomly chosen by Random.Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Friday, February 6, 2009. Good luck!