With every purchase we make for our home, I usually (over) stress about if it will fit into my style and into the style of our home. All this thinking about "style" has made me really try to hone in on what my style actually is. I've had to come to the realization that while there are many styles that I like, there are fewer that I actually want to live in.
I did a fun exercise with myself on a random night where I created a secret Pinterest board and titled it "I'd Live There." Then I went through all my saved pins and asked myself, "Would I want to live in that living room/kitchen/bathroom/bedroom?"
Should I be embarrassed that I spent my night like this? Probably, ha! But it was so helpful for me to dissect what I really liked and to put those images all in one place. I was shocked to discover that the answer to most of my saved pins was "No, I don't want to live there." I usually liked an element of the home or thought it made for a pretty picture, but in the end it wasn't somewhere that I'd want to live personally.
So here's what made the cut. I would be so happy to live in these spaces...
^^I don't think I'd be daring enough to put oil paintings over my faucet but I LOVE this mix of eclectic art. And that faucet is super dreamy.
^^This may be a tad too rustic/industrial but there is just so much that I like and would make me so happy every morning (those shower tiles, the faucets, the floors, the use of materials you don't typical see in a bathroom, etc.)
^^Can I please have a dreamy sunroom in my house??!
1) I love white walls. Nearly every image I saved had a white backdrop. There was an occasional dark moody room thrown in (like that closet above) but in general, it's white walls all around. I credit this to Dad who only wanted white walls throughout our house growing up.
2) I gravitate towards a lot of wood. I like wood ceilings, wood floors, wood furniture.
3) I love antique pieces. I like a home that feels collected, unique and eclectic. It makes everything feel special and lived in, not too precious.
4) I like fairly neutral rooms but yet with a lot of different textures. I also like colorful, persian rugs in a neutral space (but really, who doesn't love persian rugs?).
5) I love a mix of styles. For the past year or so, I've been following a lot of mid-century modern style homes and have been drawn to a lot more clean lines and minimalist looking rooms. For a while I thought that this meant that that was my style and therefore the only direction I could go in for our home. And yet when I thought about actually living in those homes that are 100% that style it just didn't seem to fit. So I've discovered that what I really love is those midcentury style pieces mixed in with other things from other areas. Essentially, I love the mix, with the common thread being that most things have straight lines.
6) I'm a little obsessed with original oil paintings, especially when grouped together in gallery walls. Good thing there is eBay to help me achieve this without spending crazy tons of money.
7) Plants make me happy and I love them in every room.
8) I like a room that is somewhat casual, where it feels put together without trying too hard. I'm not into fancy or glam so much.
9) I love me some builtins and window seats!
Now the trick is getting our home to a place that matches my style. We have a few corners where I'm like, "Yes we are on track!" but there are LOTS of "in progress" corners too. It really does take a long time just to collect it all and then tweak it, huh?
I told that to my friend Lucy once, kind of lamenting the fact that it feels like it's taking a while to get settled, and her response was, "But isn't that the fun of it? That it takes a while?"
I love that approach and am trying to embrace the process.
P.S. I was sharing this post with Aaron before publishing and laughed, realizing I should probably have asked him first if he liked these pictures I picked since it is his home too after all. He said, "Do you want me to find a picture of my dream home for you to include? I can find it in two seconds." He then googled "BYU man cave" and found this:
Image shared on Cougar Board (Aaron's favorite website :))
We might have some negotiating to do ;)
Aaron's actually super happy letting me do my thing generally in the decorating department while still weighing in here and there. Sometimes I'm surprised that he has a strong opinion about something seemingly random, but then he's always usually right in the end. His weighing in has really made our home better. But yes, he would love a BYU man cave somewhere. We don't really have space in this home for it so maybe I can hang a BYU poster in his closet to hold him over for now :)
BYU! BYU! BYU! You guys are the best.
ReplyDeleteHa Richard I knew you'd appreciate that BYU man cave! Aaron made sure to pick one with a foosball table. The dream will only be complete though if we are neighbors with you and Brad!
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