It isn’t.
With all the decorating and DIY blogs out there, with all the beautiful, pristine photos of perfect rooms, with all the concentration on trends, with all the stainless steel and chevrons and faux animal heads (yuck) and things made from pallets, it would be very easy to fall into that trap. To see your decorating style as ‘less than.’ To think you can never keep up because you can’t afford new appliances or a white slipcovered sofa or a big house with high ceilings.
I love looking at pretty pictures with the best of ’em. They are inspiring. I’ve poured over decorating magazines since I was 12 years old. I love seeing how others decorate, what choices they make, how color can change a space, how texture can change the feel of a room. It’s eye candy, whether on the pages of a magazine or on a computer screen.
But with the coming of the internet and, even more, the emergence of decorating and DIY blogs, there is an overabundance of eye candy. Much of what I see is a variation on a theme. It’s basically the same on-trend look with a tweak here and there. That’s okay. There will always be trends in decorating, just as there are trends in clothing design.
These are from Anthropologie, so I suppose they’re trendy. But I bought them because I fell in love with them, not because they are ‘in.’
Here’s the thing I always keep in mind: I am not competing with anyone. I know my style. What is right for someone else is not necessarily right for me.
Decorating is not a competitive sport.
This post came about because of your comments on my recent Cottage Tour. Some of you lamented that you don’t seem to have a decorating style. Some of you asked for advice, while others commented on my eye for decorating and pulling a room together.
Yes, I have a good eye. I say this in all modesty. I’ve always had an eye for pulling a room together. I’m very visual.
But more importantly, I know what I like. And what I like isn’t necessarily what’s on trend or what I see on decorating blogs. Far from it. And, I might add, what I like at this stage of my life is not what I liked when I was younger. My tastes have evolved. That happens to all of us.
I subscribe to very few decorating rules. As you might have noticed if you read this blog with any regularity, I tend to break rules. By that I mean rules that some expert tells me I must follow. Excuse me? Why? Who made you an authority as to how I should decorate my personal space?
No, thank you.
I’m absolutely sure that my decorating choices are not everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, some professional decorators might throw up their hands in horror when they see pictures of my home.
I don’t care.
Decorate with the things you love
My home is full of things I love that tell a story. That story cannot be told by a professional decorator. It can only be told by Don and me. If you love something, you’ll find a way to make it work in your home. If your eye can light on something that has meaning to you, I guarantee it will make a difference in the way you see your space. And in the way others will see your space.
Use what you love.
Use colors that make you smile.
What colors do you tend to gravitate to? At one time, my colors would have been in the brown family. I loved taupe and deep chestnut brown and rust. There are remnants of that in my den, but for the most part, my color palette has changed due, in great part, to the colors of the McCoy pottery that I collect. Those colors spoke to me. They made me happy. And so it goes.
Your preferred color palette may be very different from mine. Good for you. Go for it. Go for what makes you happy. Who cares whether gray or orange or lime green seem to be in? Your home is for you.
Take your time
If you’ve read any of the Cottage Tour posts, you know that I have gathered the furniture and accessories in my home over time. This is partly out of necessity, since my funds for this sort of thing are modest and sometimes non-existent. I can’t afford to run out and buy the newest thing. I’ve come to view that as a blessing. It keeps me from falling into that trap I spoke of earlier, the trap of keeping up with the latest thing. I get exhausted just thinking about it.
I gather, I tweak, I take something I’ve had for a long time and renew it, perhaps with paint or a slipcover. I make what I have work in this space.
Be realistic about what works in your space
I live in a tiny cottage. Except for in the kitchen, the ceilings are low. There are a lot of windows that break up available wall space. I have to take all that into account when I make decorating decisions. What looks good out there in decorating blogland or in a magazine might not work in this cottage.
We have lots of windows and lots of light. I chose not to overwhelm the windows with heavy draperies. I like light. I need it. So the windows have become one of the key features of our space.
Your living space will be different from mine. Maybe you have high ceilings. Maybe your home has some quirky things you have to work around. Or, better yet, enhance. Take all this into account and let those things that make your space different be positives. Use them. Celebrate them.
Edit
This, to me, is key. I have a lot of stuff. I don’t have an attic. I don’t have a basement. Lots of it is packed away in boxes in the shed. When we first moved out East and rented an even tinier cottage than this one, we put a lot of our stuff in storage. There was no way we could use everything. It would have overwhelmed our living space.
Everything you own does not have to be on display. Take, for instance, our walls. I carefully edit what I hang on those walls. Too much is too much. If you could peek under our bed and the bed in the guest room, you would see lots of framed artwork that has been covered and stored away.
We simply cannot hang everything we own and love in this space. Why? Because the eye needs someplace to rest. If there is too much visual stimulation, whether it is with tchotchkes or things on walls or furniture, your eye has no place to land. You cannot take in everything because everything is too much.
Since I don’t have a spare room or an attic or a basement where I can stash things in order to rotate them in and out of rooms, I edit. I take that into account and think long and hard about what I buy. And I sell things. We sold several pieces on Craig’s List about a year ago that we knew we had outgrown and that were taking up valuable real estate in the cottage.
Edit.
Be fearless
If you want to try using an old cart as a coffee table, go for it. If you want to hang a lamp made out of an old frame and cover that frame with vintage crochet pieces, do it. If you want to hang a canoe paddle from the ceiling because you love the look of it or because you love to canoe, go for it. What’s the worst that could happen? You might end up not liking it. That’s okay. Now you know.
Eclectic is good & have fun
Everything does not have to look like you bought it at the same store. You can have a mix of modern and vintage. You can mix wood pieces with painted pieces. You can have a hutch made in the thirties in the same room as a contemporary sofa. If you love it, you will make it work. Too much of one style, whether it is country or mid-century modern, tends to look less than personal.
Most everything in my home is vintage, but not everything. And the vintage pieces are from different eras.
Avoid matchy-matchy. My favorite spaces are those that aren’t perfect but are eclectic and fun. Have fun. Be whimsical.
Your home is a reflection of you.
Remember that your home is your space. It should reflect you, your family, your interests, your taste. Everything in it should speak of you.
I feel the same way about my home as I do about my blog. I want this blog and what I write and share here to be such a pure reflection of me that if you were to meet me face-to-face, you would say “She’s exactly how I thought she would be.” Nothing less.
Same with my home. Nothing makes me happier than when someone walks in the door and says “This is so you.” That’s the way it should be. My home tells a story – about me and Don and Scout and Riley and our past and present. Your home needs to tell your story.
I’m not an expert, that’s for sure. I just know what works for me.
Happy Monday.
Good reading today! I agree with you. I don’t have one trend in my homes. I like what I like and I think I have a great eye, too. I get many compliments on our casual lake home and our Florida high rise condo. A high rise condo can be warm and comfortable. Pallets, chevrons, too much burlap, too many paint cloth drapes, too much painted furniture…everything looks the same. I forget whose blog I am on. I love the classic homes with a collected look and I love cottages, some day I will own one.
When everything out there looks the same, my eyes glaze over.
Love, love, love the title of this post! I’ve noticed often lately that I just skim through a lot of the blogs I used to read in depth basically because the ideas, pictures, designs are very much the same — following the current in style look. It really can become overwhelming. So I, like you and some others, just decide to do what we like and let it be. We are all individuals and our homes, if they are havens of comfort for us and our families, should reflect our individuality.
Amen.
Bravo, Claudia! I was looking forward to this post and it did not disappoint. What wonderful advice. I would only add that some people do not have the gift for decorating, and that’s OK too. If we don’t have a gift we generally don’t have too much desire in that area. Their gifts lie in other areas. But the key point of your post still applies: it’s your home and you can make it (within of course the constraints of finances, which can be significant) what you want it to be. Let it be yours.
Absolutely. If it’s not a priority or you feel it’s not your thing, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Claudia,
I decorate with what I love, too. Luckily but also sadly, I have many pieces from another life and pieces from parents and grandparents. I treasure my “stuff”. I like to mix things I have made with my “stuff”. Gives me a good feeling. We like some of the same “stuff”.
Good post.
Carol
Thank you, Carol.
Well said girl, my home has no style I just use colors, textures and things I like. I love the homes all done in white but it just doesn’t work in my space and who has the money to buy new things all the time. Thrift stores are favorite places for me to find unique items to display. I also hate to dust so Im not into cluttering things up.
I love seeing photos of homes done in white, too. They are lovely. Frankly, we spill too much here to have anything all in white! And I love color.
I think it must be a matter of taste as well as canvas…ie the space to work with.
Whether on a blog or in a magazine ; if the house is some great, huge modern McMansion type of house, I am bored. There were quite a few home tours going around Blog Land a few months ago and the only modern house that piqued my interest had a lot of color ( on her walls etc. ) However, my space ( living room ) would be closed in by that color, so I have to find the color in the decorative touches…pillows, quilts, etc. If I DID have the money to afford a large home it would be an older one…they just have so much character. Or I’d have one built to resemble one…the kind with the wrap-around porch. Let’s see….I will add a few acres and a pond with horses too : )
Each person has their own tastes…I will be drawn to “Cottages and Bungalows” or “This Old House” in the magazine section while the person next to me might prefer the magazine with large modern homes. Each person prefers something different. In the end MOST of us have a mix of what Elaine at Sunny Simple Life once called “Early Marriage” and what we’ve acquired over time. Then there are gifts from family members that might be on our wall and would not be what we’d choose today but we have to keep them lest we hurt someone’s feelings…I think that most of us have a blend to work with after time and maybe some of the threads in the tapestry are a bit worn and others are not our favorite color anymore but we replace the threads here and there until we win the lottery and then we get that wraparound porch and horses. Oh wait, I don’t play the lottery. Time to start ? :)
Taste as well as canvas – I like that, Deb.
Maybe we should both start playing the lottery!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. amen, amen, amen. I feel exactly as you do and I have to say I have grown weary of some big blogs who post the same things over and over. I no longer read them, because I feel they are too one dimensional. I am me and that is what I want in my home and on my blog. Keep up the good work, Claudia. xo Laura
I no longer read those blogs either, Laura. More power to them, but they don’t speak to me.
I totally agree Claudia..I would rather have old than new..all white looks cold and boring to me..I will never understand the need to hire some stranger to come in and decorate your home..who on earth wants their home filled with things chosen by someone who is not even going to live there?? That just seems so odd to me..lol
I’ve always felt the same way. With all due respect to decorators and I know some very talented decorators, I couldn’t conceive of someone else choosing the things that go in my home.
Girlfriends, I totally agree about designers and PS, Claudia – my very good designer friend would agree with everything you wrote here. I tell her she’s not so much a designer as a “Room Doctor.” She prefers to diagnose the situation and offer possible treatments. Hard to imagine there are folks out there who don’t know – for example – what color kitchen they want. But according to Robin, these people are everywhere. But she’s always trying to get the CLIENT to make the decisions – at every step of the process – after providing as much expertise and advice as she can. In fact she LOATHES getting jobs where she’s given Carte Blanche. She says these never turn out as well, because in the end the client feels “done unto” rather than a part of the process. Which in turn can “hurt” her from a business standpoint as this don’t usually lead to repeat commissions or recommendations.
Should be “this doesn’t” lead to repeat commissions etc. Bad proofreading by yours truly. :>)
Love your post, Claudia. It’s so much more interesting to see someone’s personal style-a collection of things someone loves, not what the latest trends dictate. Yawn! I stopped getting decorating magazines because they all became the same and were repetitive over time. Buy what you love and your personality will shine through :)
-Lynn
I love going into someone’s home and seeing all their things. That usually tells me so much about a person and their personality.
OH, Claudia! I agree with you 100%. Our home is OUR home… not one copied from a magazine or blog. I have stopped looking at a number of blogs because they tend to all look the same with everything painted white or slipcovered in white and I find that very hard to relate to. Our home is filled with ‘stuff’ we love. Many of our ‘things’ are family treasures and have wonderful stories to tell. Thanks again for this great post and keep up the good work.
Love from one of your faithful followers (who also loves Nevada City, CA.)
Love right back at ya, Cathy!
Claudia, couldn’t agree with you more. On all your points. I, in addition to maybe, uh, 2 or 3 other bloggers in the entire blogosphere, have a patterned sofa – actually TWO, which consist of tiny, English inspired flowers, which, by the way, are never ending, as they are connected by one twirling vine! This, should make me a prime candidate for ‘The Least Popular’ look, (as white, beige, greige, off white, etc., seem to be, by far, and for the longest time, ‘The Most Popular’ look), but, I wouldn’t trade them for the world, and in fact, I’d do it all over gain, if I had the chance, in the same print, or something similar.
My eye knows what candy it likes. And, for me, that is the sweetest advice I can give.
xo
Poppy
PS: Yes, they’re trendy, BUT they are my PASSION right now and I SO regret not buying them when in Toronto last winter, your Anthropologie cups, (THIS particular pattern/colour), are the most ADORABLE things I’ve seen in crockery these past few years!
I love your sofas, Poppy! “My eye knows what candy it likes.” – I couldn’t have said it better.
In 1972 we bought an Ethan Allen sofa and chair. We still have it. Kids, dogs and cats have left their marks. My guess is I’ll still have this sofa and chair till the day I die. It’s still my favorite style and I’m (perhaps foolishly) sentimental about it.
If it’s your favorite style, it belongs in your home, Linda. Good for you.
Great and insightful post! An example for me is I love to put things together on our mantel. When I read blogs, and the person shows their mantel and says “I’m sure I will change it all out next week…..” I am bewildered. Or the people who change the color in a room 5x in a year. That has to be exhausting. On the other hand, each person is different, and it is wonderful to be able to make our home just that…. OUR home. I know so many people absolutely love pillows and can’t have too many. When I walk in a room and the couch and chairs are loaded with pillows, it conveys the feeling (to me) that one shouldn’t sit down and mess the pillows up. So when I sit, I inevitably feel like I am perching on the edge. I never know what to do with that plethora of pillows. And that is probably just me because the pillows are so very popular!
You are so right! When we can live with and use the things we love within our home, it reflects our personality and conveys who we are. And, thankfully, we ARE all delightfully different. :-) Your home is wonderful, Claudia, and truly shows your great style. Such fun to wander through your rooms….
I have a problem with the pillow thing, too, Chris. If I feel I have to move the pillows off a piece of furniture so that I can feel comfortable, then I can’t go there!
Claudia, I couldn’t agree with you more~!
I have grown oh-so-weary of many blogs, especially those that claim to be on a TIGHT, THRIFT STORE ONLY type budget yet their home is an ever-changing stage for their obsessive table scapes, seasonal decorating and ‘gee….look what I got for 99 cents! today !!!’ It’s as if they are in competition….Yawn! Who are they kidding?
I follow your blog because you are so NORMAL!
I love how you’ve found treasures and have repurposed them to suit you and your lifestyle… (how many bloggers have made planters out of dog dishes !!??!!)
More power to you Claudia, it’s obvious you are on the right track.
(sorry if I’ve offended anyone, just an opinion)
Lori
Thanks so much, Lori. (I do love that dog dish turned planter.)
I couldn’t agree with you more! What a wonderful Post! It made me smile!! I’m an Interior Designer and have told clients that my entire career!! Loved your tour, too.
Thanks so much, Jan. Your perspective means a great deal to me.
Amen sister! You always manage to put into words what the rest of us are feeling!
Thanks so much, Sharron!
Great post, Claudia. You said it perfectly! I’ve never had a lot of money to spend on decorating…but, I’ve spent a good deal of time, looking through magazines over the years, and recently, blogs. I am tired of seeing the same trends over and over again…with no personality! A person’s collections or furniture, reflect so much about that person….that is where the real interest is for me. The older I get, the more comfortable I want to be, and I think that is reflected in what kind of furnishings and collections I want to be surrounded with. I find home tours very enlightening…they should be a reflection of the people that live there, and not one decorators vision, IMHO. I enjoyed reading other’s comments…nice to know I’m with like minded people! ;)
You are, Donna!
Love, love this post, and your “advice” (not rules). There are several blogs I no longer read because the posts are just variations of the same old thing. I’ve read decorating magazines since my teen years and still find them enjoyable and inspiring, to a point. But I’m comfortable with my decorating. I’ve stopped showing much of my home on my blog because of negative comments. I like a calm palette with color brought in with accessories and flowers. When commenters told me that my living looked cold and uninviting and to get some pictures up on the walls, I was quite taken aback, especially since I was not soliciting advice other than what to do with our bay window.
There are stacks of books everywhere, pieces of driftwood and collections of sea glass, and now, a toy box for the grand babies. These are the things that make me happy.
I am always astounded by those people who feel they have to leave a negative comment on someone’s very personal decorating style. What is with these people? If they don’t like it they can just click off the post and move on. I’m sorry that people left that type of comment. Somehow people seem to think they have the right to say anything they want to!
You said a mouthful, Claudia. And every bit of it is SO TRUE. I’ve always felt sorry for those individuals out there who are such complete slaves to the latest fashions, styles that they never really do or buy what THEY want. The latest, most popular or most expense Anything. You can’t live your life – or at least be true to yourself – if you are continually concerned about What Others Think. How awful would it be to reach the end, only to realize that you never did or had what YOU really wanted?? To me the only rule that SHOULD be followed is this: AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE THINGS YOU LOVE. Because you have to make yourself happy before you can bring happiness to anyone else.
Surrounding yourself with the things you love is the right thing to do.
I wholeheartedly agree!! Even though some trends have influenced me, in the end, it’s what works for me and my home. great post!!
Thanks so much, Debra. You have a beautiful, very much you, home.
Good Evening Claudia, Hoorah!!! someone who has the same feelings as I have, when it comes to decorating. I have moved many times in my married life and I have lived in a range of houses and apartments, and I pride myself in being able to make a home quickly, using the things which we already own and love and which have been part of our married life for many years. I love looking at a picture or an ornament and remembering where it came from, who gave me it and I never tire of what I have, because I love what I have. My home is eclectic and that is how I like it. My friend gave me the biggest compliment when she said that she loved visiting my home because there was always something interesting to see. Our home isn’t perfect ……but we love it and that is all that matters.
Thank you for such a fabulous post.
Best Wishes
Daphne
Always something interesting to see – perfect, Daphne!
I agree, that you have to follow your muse when feathering your nest. I don’t follow trends but I do like to decorate for the different holidays.. it cheers me up. :-)
Decorating for the holidays is fun, Teresa – I saw your post about Thanksgiving decorations and they are beautiful.
Great post today Claudia. I’m NEVER in style, be it clothes or decorating. It’s not a talent I have. We recently had to buy a new refrigerator because ours was beyond repair. We were told that we should get a stainless steel one because that’s what is “in”. Of course then we would need to replace the stove, microwave, etc. to match. HA! No way. I saved 5 years to buy my WHITE Jenn Aire stove. We bought a white refrigerator and the sales person was appalled. No one buys white for kitchens anymore! Well we do. White is timeless. Stainless will go out of style. White will remain.
Otherwise, I have no style. We furnish our home with what means something to us. Gifts, things we’ve found on trips, etc.
Blessings,
Betsy
We have a black stove, a black microwave, a black (non-working) dishwasher and a white refrigerator. They came with the house and with the exception of the dishwasher, they are all still working. So they will stay that way. When it’s time to replace I’m going with white!
Betsy, your salesperson would be surprised to learn that the decorating community has now said stainless is out and the new color for this year’s appliance is, drumroll, please, . . .White! Everything old is new again. And my range is white as well and works perfectly well. Best to you, Tina
Great post! I dislike the ones that are preachy or know it all. You gave us some great advise. If my home reflects me right now though I would be very boring. More time in the winter to think about the inside of the house.
Yes, winter is the time to nest.
Lovely post. So needed….it is so much more difficult to be yourself, an original, than to follow a trend. I applaud your attitude, and agree. I love the blogs and magazines but have neither the time, resources of room to do much anymore, but it doesn’t stop me appreciating the wonderful creativity and skills of others.
Ruth
I love seeing what others come up with and some of it is truly amazing!
I go with what William Morris said “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. Claudia, I think that your style fits the quote to a “T”! That’s what first attracted me to your blog several years ago. I read it every day and will keep doing so. Every day is a new story about beautiful and useful things. Thank you!
Oh, thank you my friend. Winter is coming and it will soon be time to think about the dollhouse again!
hello Claudia–
I really enjoyed this post. I think most of us agree with you… I’ve been an avid decor/dwelling magazine reader. I think when I began homemaking, I enjoyed seeing how the homes were decorated. That is the same reason I am drawn to blogs, pinterest, google, online magazine, etc. I love seeing how others homes are decorated. It was only in recent years, (naivety on my part) that I learned that most of the homes we see in magazines are staged and that the actual home owners decorating style, is usually reworked by a designer! I guess I just thought everyone decorated the same. :/
But the truth is, it is the same designer going from house to house and recreating rooms with their own artistic bent.
For years, I tried to get ‘a look’. Whatever “look” I was enjoying at the moment.
Now, I am more or less drawn to color, like you, I used to have brown, taupe, there was a time when I had everything mauve and blue!!!
Those days are gone. Also gone are the ideas I had that my home would be lovely with an all white walls, furniture, cupboards, and touches of grey, etc.
I have embraced the color person that I am! I have things I love now. I don’t aspire to have trendy…unless HOMEMADE and Inexpensive is trendy. :)
I loved reading this post, and all the comments…I see there are more to read since this morning. I’ll have to come and read the newest ones. Love the conversation here. :)
Pat
Color is the key for me, too, Pat.
I’ve read articles by bloggers who have had their homes photographed for magazines and they are really interesting, So often the rooms are staged in a way that they look completely different than from the way the owners decorated. Hmmm.
Love it. Came right at the correct time. I just had “unfollowed” many of the older blogs I used to read because I didn’t want to see any more tables apes, burlap, chevrons or owls. Enough already!!!since we retired and moved to the desert about a year ago we have gotten really careful about comfort and what works in this climate. 3 cheers for individuality and comfort
Yikes on the burlap. I know some people love it and that is perfectly fine. I am not into it. I have two burlap pillows that I bought about 4 years ago. I use them, but that doesn’t mean I want any MORE burlap!
Well said, Claudia. I think you have hit the nail on the head when it comes to decorating our homes.
There are so many wonderful things about the internet, but in my opinion one of the downsides is the competition it seems to set up for so many people. Not only on blogs, but social media too. Sometimes I wonder if people are so busy trying to portray a perfect life, perfect home, perfect social life, fabulous husband, world’s greatest kids, etc. that they aren’t really living real life as it should be lived.
Thanks for always keeping it real and down to earth.
Competition is out there and I hope it starts to wind down because it gets old real fast.
Claudia, thank you for this post. The first paragraph sums up exactly how I feel. The majority of the blogs out there with their picture perfect rooms left me feeling down because I knew I could never achieve what was presented on my very tight budget.
On the other hand, your blog has been a breath of fresh air. I absolutely love how your home represents you and your family. I cannot say that my home tells a story about me at the present time. However, that is what I want to achieve.
Your blog presents wonderful examples of how to make a home inviting and cozy. I am so glad you started this conversation!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Denise!
Such a good post today Claudia! I love taking something I find in a thrift store or that someone gives me and making it a part of our home. There have been very few things I couldn’t work with. One of my sister’s who had a much larger income than we do once said to me, “Janie, I wish I didn’t feel like everything in my house has to match. You can take pieces that look nothing alike and make them work.” It was one of the best compliments anyone has ever given me. I just strive to feel comfortable and peaceful in our home. You have really accomplished that well.
That’s a wonderful compliment from your sister, Janie!
Claudia, this is probably the most astute article I’ve ever read on decorating. You’ve nailed it! I can’t imagine having a decorator. Every one of us has the potential to be a decorator if they follow your guidelines. I think I’ve said before that my decorating style is totally different from yours but I love what you have done because it is you and has been done with such passion and perfection. Or perfect imperfection if you will. Anyone could walk through your house never having met you and when they were done, they would know exactly who you and Don are. Brava! There is a great short story by J.M. Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan, in which he speaks of his mother’s acquisition of dining chairs she had coveted for many years. She said her heart had leapt when she first saw them and after finally buying them, every time she would walk into the dining room, her heart would leap again as it had the first time. I’m sure you have pieces that make your hearts sing when your eyes light upon them. Whenever Noble and I have a birthday, anniversary, valentine’s day or Christmas, we give each other something for the house and in that way we have filled the house with tokens of our love. It seems you and Don have done this as well. And of course your most treasured decor item is the incandescent Scout! Have a lovely day, Tina
Thank you so much, Tina. Giving each other gifts for the house is simply a lovely idea. We do that, too. xoxo
You got it just right, Claudia. For me it boils down to living with what I love…and what I love changes from time to time. I like my home to feel restful and happy-and that is what I try to achieve. You do a super job of dong that because you edit. I have some “restful” spots on my walls, too…because otherwise it is just jarring to me. Don’t even get me started on “trends” and people that jump from one style to another like tossing last year’s sweater. lol xo Diana
Living with what we love is the key, Diana.
I”ve always surrounded myself with things that are beautiful or special to me. It’s just a good rule to live by and I like to accumulate things over the years too. I feel very out of sorts these days because so much of our stuff is in storage and I am just not sure how much I want to bring out into this small condo we are in now. I feel very unsettled and look forward to making a proper nest again one day when our life is a little less tumultuous. In time. In time. Ann
It must be very hard to be without some of your things, Ann. When we had some of our things in storage for 4 years, I really missed them and couldn’t wait until all my things could be back together again.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, a bazillion times over! I just found your blog, and it is now bookmarked!
You are most welcome, Edie!
I really enjoyed your post today, Claudia. I also like the lived in eclectic look of your cottage. We have a newer home that is rather small, around 1800 sf, so I try to fill it with simple things that I love that remind me of my grandparent’s farmhouse and make it a little more personal. Like you, I don’t have a lot of storage space. I knew when I started my blog that I wouldn’t match up to some of the bloggers who have so many things, but that’s fine with me because I’ve always just decorated in a way that appeals to me. I don’t follow trends either, but if a trendy thing appeals to me enough I will buy it, but only because I actually like it and will use it. I’m at a stage where I need some new furniture for our dining room and living room, and I love your advice to not make things match, so I’ll be looking for flea market finds and some farmhouse pieces that display my style.
I’m kind of a minimalist decorator anyway, at least compared to a lot of bloggers, if you have too much on display you don’t notice the individual things that you love. I just love simplicity and your style is certainly a reflection of you, I can tell. Your home is charming. What a wonderful place to curl up and read a good book!
I have to fight my natural tendency to have lots of stuff on display. I have to be ruthless about it and I’ve grown to be comfortable with that. That being said, I’m sure those who tend to be more minimalist would think I have too much ‘stuff’ in my space!!
There was a song when I was younger that said “You gotta make your own kinda music, sing your own special song…” It must have been from the flower child era, huh? But it says everything about making a room your own. A room should say who lives there not just be pretty.
I do try to only have things I love now BUT I do not have a flair for gathering and arranging nicely. I still gather and arrange but I do try to gain info on how to make stuff look better. So I read lots of blogs. lol
And I keep meaning to ask this and forget. Where do you do laundry? I’ve never seen a machine or a clothes line. Shed? Laundromat? Creepy stone cellar?
The washer and dryer are a one piece deal with the dryer on top and the washer on the bottom. They live in a closet designed just for them in the downstairs bathroom. We have a clothes line but it needs to be replaced.
I used to care terribly about the interior of our home. But my family got in the way and messed things up instantly. (first clue something was wrong!) My MIL offered some wisdom: “Fingerprints never go away, they just get higher on the walls.” I find this to be true too now that I am over 70.
By becoming a pet owner and a grandmother, decorating became an entirely different activity. There are quilts everywhere to hide stains and cat scratches. Paintings and “original” art work is now made up of hand prints from the family and poems and songs by them. Photos of the youngsters are the artwork, and no one can do better at improving the atmosphere here than they do!
Families do get in the way and thank goodness they do!
Amen!
And the danger of the internet is that it makes some people feel bad about their choices. That is just wrong on so many levels.
I like traditional decor whether it’s cottage or formal. I love antiques. They work for me. They make me feel comfortable. And I love color. I am not afraid of taking chances, and I know what I like. I like it when other people personalize their spaces so I can see who they are and not depend on some generic hotel room decor that is the flavor of the month. But if that is what floats their boat, then who am I to argue?
While I don’t like seeing a previous owners’ taste held in question, I do like seeing how a blank slate becomes a home.
Thanks for this post. It was needed.
xo
Sheila
You are welcome, Sheila.
I am with you Claudia. My home is my home and I love it and it makes me happy. I’m not one to follow trends. I’m working on redoing my kitchen and I’m probably going to use Formica in my kitchen. I know so many would say FORMICA???? But, you know I am not crazy about Granite and the other surfaces and we use our countertops for a lot of various things – like painting, hot gluing stuff, etc. – and I know the Formica will hold up. I have a red guest bedroom – yep, red walls and everything is black and white and vintage. That probably would not appeal to alot of others but I love it.
So, I say, do what you love and like. AMEN
Judy
I think Formica gets a bad rap, Judy. I can’t wait until I can get rid of the tile counters in our kitchen and replace them with formica.
I love this post! Obviously many others did too! when I look through the “big” shelter magazines and see the rooms done by professional decorators, more times than not I don’t really think they’re pretty. That probably reflects on my taste, not theirs, and obviously they don’t have much respect for what laymen/laywomen bloggers even in the big style blogs are doing. That’s okay, to each their own. They would be horrified that much of my Early Marriage, as Deb said above, remains.
I once talked to a young woman who was dating my son in high school. She said she wanted Georgian style in everything. I warned her though to please not try to buy everything at once when she got married because most people’s style changes, evolves. Her eyes got big and she replied “Oh, not me. I know exactly what I want.” Maybe so, for a few rare people.
What a fun post!
Oh that girl will most likely eat those words someday. I was sure that my tastes would never change and they have – several times!
Perfect post – couldn’t have said it better! I used to have quite a few of the more popular decorating blogs on my blog roll, and I got so tired of looking at the same decorating ideas and trends, so I took them off my blog roll. I decorate with what I love, and that happens to be a mix of vintage, modern, cottage, and granny chic. I want my house to be comfortable and welcoming for me, Brian, and Tim – and for any guests who walk through my door. I agree with you on the “too much” in decorating. I fight with myself on that one because I have so many things that I love, I just want to display it all sometimes! But then I take a step back and look at it and realize it’s just too much. Too much stuff to look at. Like you said, nowhere for the eyes to rest. I think too much visual clutter results in mental clutter as well.
Such a good point, Melanie, about too much visual clutter resulting in mental clutter. Very wise!
Well said Claudia! I’ve tried to surround myself with things I love. Things that speak to me. They may not speak to you or someone else and that is fine! I like my home and while I’ve had to add some new very generic items to my home, I’ve then added my things to make it more personal. My home would never be featured in a magazine, but that’s OK. I love it and it is a work in progress just like me!
If you love your home, that’s all that matters!
As always so very, very spot on! We are about to start to redecorate our whole house…top to bottom. My husband has lived here about 14 years, I’ve lived here nearly 7. It’s not our dream home, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is warm and welcoming and we are happy here. As I’m pulling together inspiration for how I will decorate each room, I find that the style I used in some rooms when I first moved in here are not working for me any more. These are usually the ones where I pulled back from the vision I had. Tempered it a little. This time…I’m planning to let my vision fly and make each room the best it can be with our budget. You can do a lot with a little paint and fabric and a bucket load of elbow grease!
Let your vision fly, my friend!
Very well said, Claudia! As usual. :)
Thank you, Tina!
So well said……and by the amount of comments, I think you speak for many of us.
As far as all white…..I do like it….but there is something about it that it all seems like blur. I think because you can’t focus on anything.
I have no rules. I think that is why my DILs want to rearrange my house. I love what I have collected from my grandmother, vintage sales, and gifts.
I had to smile when you said your colors were built around the McCoy colors.
Thanks for giving us permission to decorate the way that we want to. It all goes back to COZY, he he.
You should definitely decorate the way you want to, Debby….and you didn’t need my permission! xo
I had to laugh when you talked about following trends. Ever since I began blogging, I have been seeing decor using burlap. I am not a big fan and have nothing made of burlap in my house. I have nothing against it, but it just isn’t me. I did make a burlap planter bag for a patio table, but I have already removed that.
And, like you, I live in a little cottage. It took me awhile to realize that I need to put things in the garage or attic (we added pull down attic stairs for storage over head) and rotate. It keeps vignettes fresh.
And, one of my favorite decorating methods is to “shop the house”. I get new looks just by moving furniture from one room to another. A professional would cringe at my decor, but it is us and we love it.
I shop the house, too, Carol. It costs nothing and ends up helping you to see things with a fresh eye!
You are so right..(as usual)..My decorating is a reflection of me and my taste..I’m only trying to please me!! No competition!
There are so many blogs about decorating and so many are the same..But that’s a reflection of them and that’s good…Not that mine is that great but again..”It’s a reflection of me”..
And a reflection of you cannot be wrong, can it? It’s what’s right for you.
Claudia nails it again, no pun intended on the decorating theme…but I loved this post. And I APPLAUD you for writing it, thank goodness someone is sensible out there. That’s one of the reasons I never post much, or anything of my decor…
I love my style, my taste, and my house, but it’s mine, not those decorating bloggers out there…decorating is such a personal extension of ourselves.
Jen
It’s highly personal, isn’t it Jen?
I agree completely. We, too, live in a small home and I must continually edit so that it doesn’t look like a hoarder lives here! My philosophy is that I simply must LOVE it to keep it. Things that I merely LIKE, I have to pass on and/or pass along. I’ve begun to take that attitude with everything in my life at this point! I have to tell you that your blog makes the cut! It’s full of heart, soul and brains. It’s a pure pleasure to visit everyday. Thank you so much!
Thank YOU, Tammy!
AMEN sister! I couldn’t care less about trends. I follow my heart 100% and know my style. I’m still sometimes amazed that I can walk into a store like Homegoods that is filled with so much stuff and only add things to my cart that are completely me. Part of why I love your style so much is because it’s uniquely you and collected over time. I can’t stand a room that looks decorated, like one of those cold rooms in magazines like Traditional Home that look like nobody lives in them.
Me either. And I can spot a room that looks decorated in a second. I bet you can, too!
hi claudia… i agree with you… it’s so much more authentic when you surround yourself with a mixture of what you love, what you are inspired by and what makes you feel cozy and happy in your space… also, your mugs from anthropologie… i love them… they’re timeless and if i ever find myself in one of their stores… one will be making its way home with me… the little flower detail by the handle is what makes me like them so much… as well as the colors and dainty little pattern… have a great weekend!
I love those cups, Angie!