Greetings from the tropical rain forest that is my neck of the woods.
Horrible humidity, lots of rain, intense thunderstorms, and mosquito bites if you dare to stay outside longer than three minutes.
We’ve been inside with the air conditioner whirring away in the background. I’m grateful for A/C, but I really don’t like being stuck indoors at this time of year.
One good thing has come of it. I actually cleaned a bit yesterday. Do any of you find that you are far less inclined to do the normal dusting, swiffering, vacuuming, and cleaning in summer? It’s just not on my radar. I’m outside a lot of the time. I do it, but my daily schedule becomes pretty flexible, which is putting it kindly.
We don’t mind a little cozy clutter around here, but we’re basically neat. This is the way the living room looks on pretty much any given day. Don has stacks of books and his Kindle and his iPhone and guitar picks on the coffee table. I like that. I will sometimes straighten up the stacks and dust the table, but otherwise….that’s his particular space. He sits in that yellow chair and plays his guitar, reads, or goes online. There is a quilt on the floor in front of the sofa. That’s for Scout, who has achy joints most of the time these days.
There’s also a quilt on the floor in front of my blogging chair in the den. Little Miss Scout likes to hunker down there when I’m working. The quilts on the floor might not make for a fabulous ‘decorating magazine photo op,’ but they are real life. And real life is about comfort, for Scout and for us.
I’m not someone who needs to change things up constantly. I’m careful about what I add to a space. I think long and hard about furniture placement. The color scheme comes from the colors I love – it evolves naturally. I never buy accessories just to add something to the room and I shy away from mass marketed pieces, especially wall art. I want our personalities to be reflected in our space. I’ve collected pottery for years. It naturally follows that it is a key element in every room of the house. The paintings by the front door were painted by my father and great-aunt. The vintage lithograph above the piano was a major find for us and we got it in a local antique shop. The coffee table was refinished by a close friend of ours. The chair with the red cushions reminded me of a chair in my grandmother’s house. The dollhouse is a major project and passion of mine and it has become a decorative element in the living room. The piano was my grandmother’s and is a family heirloom.
Since most of the pieces of furniture were chosen one-at-a-time over the years, the living room and den have evolved into a space that makes us happy every day. I may tweak a thing or two, of course. But neither of us needs or wants to change things up all the time. I’d like a new sofa in the den someday. And a new blogging chair. And by ‘new,’ I mean, in better shape. I want to build bookshelves in the den.
Other than that, we like it the way it is. It reflects our personalities, our likes, our quirkiness. Everything in that space is something we’ve chosen together, as time and funds have allowed. You know that I’m big on the stories behind things. I think everything in a room should have a story – where we found it, when we found it, did we inherit it, was it a gift…that kind of thing. For me, there’s not really any story in something found in a chain store.
But that’s just my particular take on decorating. I’m sentimental. If something is in my house, I want to look at it and immediately be taken back in time to the point it came into my life. The ‘how’ of it. The ‘when’ of it. The ‘discovery’ of it. The ‘joy’ of it.
Speaking of stories, there’s my vintage lamp (a Country Living Fair find) on my desk. There’s a story behind that piece. That shade is only temporary, by the way, I had it stashed in a closet. I’m looking for the perfect shade and I’ll find it. But that takes patience.
I liken decorating my home to planting and tending a perennial garden. It takes patience. It’s easy to fill up every available space with something you can grab off the shelf in a store. And that’s fine, if that makes you happy. But I’ve developed patience about this sort of thing. The perennial garden is the way it is because I let it slowly take shape over eight years. I added to it a little at a time. And now it’s lush and beautiful. It may need tweaking at times. It may need some cleaning up and clearing out. A few plants may need to be moved.
Same thing with a very personal living space. Patience. Slowly adding pieces that have meaning. Letting it evolve over time. We live in a world of instant gratification. But some things take time. Slow and steady wins the race.
I’ll announce the winner of a copy of Elizabeth is Missing tomorrow.
Happy Tuesday.
I love homes like yours, where there are layers of pieces from different times and different lives, your own or someone else’s. It’s such a welcoming space and redolent of the interests and passions of both you and Don and your beloved dogs. I know your space is small, but you do a wonderful job of maximizing what you have and filling each corner with a lovely vignette. And good editing!! Both your “big” small house and your “small” small house are as timeless and comfy as a great pair of well-worn jeans.
Thank you so much, Nora. ‘Timeless and comfy.’ That makes me very happy. xo
Your ideas about decorating a home are very similar to mine. I treasure pieces handed down from one generation to the next and pieces that have a story. Your home looks cozy, warm & inviting.
Pieces that tell a story cannot help but add beauty to a room, Debbie.
Your cottage is lovely and inviting!
Oh, thank you, Carolyn Marie.
Claudia, Your home shows love and comfort to me. It is beautiful! Doris
Thank you so much, Doris. That’s exactly what I want to shine through here.
Yes: inviting, cozy, full of stories. Lovely. I enjoy walking into different rooms in my house and seeing pieces of furniure from my childhood home, or my grandparents home, or things my husband and I have collected over the years — a painting that brings back memories of a wonderful vacation. Our house is very small, too. I need to do a better job of “editing” though – lol. And our issue is that my husband likes everything (and I do mean everything) out in sight (or he might forget about it???), whereas I like things put away – even more so since our space is limited. it’s an ongoing battle, but we’ve been battling for years on this issue – ha-ha.
I’ve had those battles, Vera! I understand. In our house, we have to be careful of how much we bring in – there is limited storage space. That’s my ongoing issue. How to store things efficiently and what to donate or chuck out. We don’t even have an attic or basement – so storage is a real issue here!
My grandparents had furniture like your grandmothers chair, they lived in the San Diego area and my high school boyfriend parents lived in a huge Spanish style house filled with it. He now collects it, it’s from the 1930’s. I believe the style is Monterey but now they call it Mission.
I play in the dirt outside then go inside and play in the dirt…outside dirt is more fun!
Yes, I saw a lot of that furniture when I was living in California. My grandparents had a sofa and a chair, covered in some sort of prickly fabric, as I recall. The wood had a dark finish. This piece was in a shop in Ocean Beach. Someone had stripped the wood to this natural look, which I really like. $50!
I must say the interior of your home is as Heavenly as the exterior views you shared yesterday. Thank you for sharing a REAL home! So many other blogs today strive to achieve the perfect “unreal” magazine shoot settings. Oh do not get me wrong—your home is magazine ready also. You really should submit photos to a few of the vintage type magazines! I am drawn to comfy, vintage, previously loved and rescued treasures. Adding the pet friendly aspect seals the deal too :-) We also share our home with a senior citizen “puppy” and do our best to keep him comfortable…even if that means rugs in odd places, pillows where you would least expect them, and small treat jars scattered about the house. Your home is just that—a HOME, full of love and admiration for treasures from the past. I would be one of those guests upon arriving plotting a way to move in and enjoy your surroundings :-) And I just bet your place smells welcoming too :-) I suspect you and your hubby would make excellent Bed and Breakfast hosts!
Thank you so much, Jeannine!
As for being a B&B host? Does that mean I’d have to talk to people early in the morning? That would be a deal breaker!
Claudia- I have an eclectic style and most of the things around my home have been bought by me –and maybe at one time they were part of a line of department or dime store items; but now they are more nostalgia for me. I like old things. They make me smile. I like the quilts on your floor. We had a pillow for Trouble as she aged– I miss that girl. Buster stays out most days now- but he is young and spry. But once it starts to get cold he will be back in the house sleeping near the stove on his own quilt or blanket! Oh, and I like how you make sure Don is comfy at home too. I see so many homes that looks so ‘picture perfect’ and ‘staged’…and it makes me sad, because you don’t know if they have a loving husband, children or a beloved pet. That just isn’t home to me.
Pat
I agree, Pat. Perfectly staged homes don’t do it for me. I like old things, too, especially nostalgic things. xo
I can appreciate your fondness for items with a story. I’m sitting at the desk in my spare bedroom. On the bed is a quilt my sister-in-law made for me. There a garland at the top of the window from a blogging friend. A pyramid paperweight on the desk is from a former colleague who moved from Egypt to Canada with her husband, the walls have 2 photos taken by a dear friend, one is of a clematis from my garden. A small drawing of yellow irises was a going-away card from someone who made it for me when I moved away from Saskatchewan, a white trillium original was done by my cousin who makes her living as an artist; that particular flower is also the provincial flower for my home province.
Yes, Claudia, I also have a home that overflows with stories so can enjoy listening to the ones told by your own lovely cottage.
Karen
I can visualize it all, Karen. I love the stories your home tells!
I’m one that doesn’t need to constantly move furniture either. I like to find a placement of furniture that functions well for us and then if it doesn’t, I have to move things around. I like to change accessories around, usually for seasons, but think you need to live in your rooms, so seeing Don’t things on the coffee table are as it’s suppose to be. It doesn’t fee like a home unless you see evidence that people are using and enjoying their spaces. I too stay away from trendy accessories and enjoy seeing things I’ve collected through the years around the room. You home looks like you. That’s the best compliment isn’t it?
That’s suppose to day Don’s things not Don’t things. Sorry for the typo!
I knew what you meant! xo
It is the best compliment and I thank you, Gina.
Warm and cozy…and lots of stories. In my opinion, that’s what makes for a comfortable and interesting home. I love going into someone’s home, usually a friend or neighbor’s, the first time…and looking around with wonderment at all that they’ve collected or displayed…it really tells a story about who they are. And, just like you, I love that my home tells a story too. Sorry about the weather…maybe I could put a couple of fans outside and point them east? It’s only going to be 67 today…brrrr! ;)
I wonder if your cool temps are coming our way? Fingers crossed!
Your home is such a treasure and a reflection of you and Don! I love the feeling you get in a home that is decorated with loved things and not just ‘designer’ things. I’m working on that feeling in my home. I don’t mind it taking time….after all the best things often do!
hugs,
Linda
Good for you. Take your time. Make your new place a home that reflects you!
Claudia, I just hate cleaning at all any more…but I do it. I would rather be outside in summer…even if I am just sitting watching the birds. I like that you have your grandmother’s piano. I am like Don, I have a stack of books and papers all the time…it just changes.LOL You decorate to suit you…when you say you like to look at it and remember something….that is the way our homes should be. Blessings, xoxo,Susie
p.s. I knew the bugs would be bad this year after all our rains.
Thanks, Susie. I have stacks of things in the den, too.
Boy oh boy, are the bugs bad!
Your home says come on in. Sit down. Be comfortable. It is exactly the kind of home that I love. I don’t buy new things either. (well except mattresses) I know where each thing I have came from and I love looking around as I sit in the chair that was in my teenage bedroom. xo Laura
Well, yes, mattresses for sure! Love that you still have that chair that is so dear to you, Laura.
I love homes like yours Claudia. My house has lots of sentimental pieces in it too. A quilt I made my mother years ago with scraps from my daughters clothes that I sewed when she was small. Lots of knitted and crocheted doilies and afghans. I find it very difficult to part with gifts people have given me. My Hubby used to travel all around the world and he always brought back something for me. Now, my daughter’s home is on the market and she visited us for the 4th. And proceeded to let me know that our home is unacceptable in todays decorating world. It’s too personal. Too much “stuff”. Apparently everything is to be in plain jane colors and no pictures or anything out that isn’t mass produced. And not just in “for sale” houses, it’s supposed to apply to everyone. Well, that’s just not me. My home is my haven against the world. I look at each thing and see a story. Your home is beautiful to me Claudia. I see thought and care in every piece and enjoy the stories you tell about it.
Blessings,
Betsy
Oh pooh! on today’s decorating world. Those ‘rules’ are just something a decorator or trend spotter thought up. They have nothing to do with reality. If someone wants a home void of any personal touches or a home that looks just like everyone else’s, I say have at it. But for those of us who must inject our personality into our space, must make it right for us, not a magazine, those rules are simply bulls***t. (See, I won’t say it here. But you know what I mean.)
I don’t give a fig for trends. Trends are what young people are often ruled by – it’s part of being young. Trends mean nothing to those of us who know who we are and are older and wiser.
Okay. I’m going to get down off my soapbox now.
You have a beautiful home that is so welcoming and comfortable looking. That is as it should be, and I cannot imagine a home without at least one furbaby. I once was a terrific housekeeper — you could eat off my floors. But with age has come wisdom and the understanding that it is far more important to enjoy life because it is much too short. So these days I play outside and dig in the garden which is much more fun than housework. When the grandkids come over, we play and make memories. Your home is just as perfect as your garden. Thanks for sharing with us.
I agree, Dottie. I’d much rather play in the garden!
I find peace in the things in my home which have a story. I feel connected through them. So many of the homes I see in blogs seem to never ever stop changing. If you look at their blog posts and look back several months ago, the room was completely different down to the pillows and, of course, “the mantle”. (And, what do they DO w/ all the stuff they keep changing out to keep up with what is “trending”??) It pretty much exhausts me. It seems that people who do that on the inside, generally only have annuals in a few pots on their newly decorated themed porch, and no perennials in sight. I love my perennials and anticipate seeing their little sprouts coming up every year. I know I am old when having pictures of family and some dear-to-me things out on tabletops is not the thing to do. Or maybe it is that too much of my *rebellious* spirit from the 60’s is still within me!! :-)
I have no idea what they do with all that stuff! Return it to the store? Stash it in some sort of storage facility or attic? Give it away? Why reinvent yourself and your home so often? If they’re bored that easily it makes me wonder…
Although some would say it’s a form of artistic expression and I suppose there is a case for that.
I too am a rebel at heart, Chris, so I understand!
Seeing those “homes” makes me wonder if they have a life!
jane-in-tx
Or if, as Claudia says, they bore easily?? I think some of them do it to get “pinned” often and thus drive traffic to their blog. Can’t imagine how their family feels about such upheaval all of the time. As I said, it surely does exhaust me just reading about it!! The posts I really dislike are the ones where they take all of the Christmas decorations down either the afternoon of the 25th or on the 26th because they just “can’t stand it ~ and really need a change”. (I did see Christmas decorations at HL and Michael’s so maybe they start decorating now and ARE tired of it by then.)
I completely agree … adding things one piece at a time equals cozy! I have low-end, high-end, flea market finds, things I’ve inherited, items from antique and thrift stores, and from garage sales. I don’t care where it comes from … that’s the fun of turning a house (or, in my case, apartment) into your home.
It is indeed the fun of turning a house into a home, Debbie.
I think we have the same view on home decorating, Claudia. Interior designers can fill a house with all kinds of beautiful things but it only becomes a home when the owners can tell stories about those things. “This basket came to the US in 1890 with my Irish great grandmother – for a long time it was the only thing on the sideboard in my first apartment..” “We found this painting at the Clothesline Art Show the Fall after we were married. It wasn’t very expensive but it was the first really nice piece we ever bought for ourselves. And I’ll never forget how glorious the weather was that day.” “This is the bowl my mom used for 45 years to make her famous potato salad…”
Exactly. The stories are what make the particular items rich and valued, whether worth a lot of money or very little money.
A home should always be for the comfort of the family living there..Your home is a perfect example..
I think your cottage always looks fabulous Claudia – homey, comfy, and the kind of place I know I’d be welcome if I knocked on your door some day! I’m not doing such a good cleaning job these days – my excuses for busyness are varied, away traveling, arms and hands are somewhat painful, knees have lost their padding and hate hard floors, too hot, too humid (even though we have a/c), too much to attend to regarding health/doc appts., the garden, the garden, the garden…………………
……….but anyone’s welcome, we’re usually ‘picked up’ as we’re both tidy and organized, and the kettle is always ready for a cuppa!
Hope it stops raining your way soon – terrible storms here this evening – hoping it clears by morning when our Jasmin leaves for California…..and we have to be up at 4 AM to get her and her friend to the airport! Told you, I’m always SO busy…………………
Hugs – Mary
Claudia,
I love your home. I feel like I could come knock on your door and we could stroll through your woods and come in and sit down for a cup of coffee and visit for awhile. That’s the feeling I strive for when I decorate my home.
Clara
I agree with the others who have all said your home is very comfortable looking and inviting! I prefer vintage decor and things with meaning, but I don’t mind integrating a few mass-produced items if it’s something that really catches my eye. And I love to change things around…I get kinda bored and stir-crazy with things being the same all the time.