dry decorating...

within your home........do you feel comfortable?  or a little dry on the decorating??

i feel it all around blogland lately

I think some more thought needs to go into you

your style

your decorating

(I'm totally joining you by the way)

this room, for example, looks comfortable.........lived in........

a little white........a little color.........not fancy/expensive......but "that person's style"

(click on any image to go to source)

now, this shouldn't be complicating..........

.........using OVERKILL on vignettes (my hand is up and I'm totally guilty of this one...

can anyone say eggs under cloche??)

the only way to find out your 'style' is to sometimes imitate that other person's style.......and there certainly is NOTHING wrong with that!!

it always leads to something gorgeous like this:

or taking a "normal" bookshelf and doing this

image: tracy porter

the wonderful thing about this above photo from Tracy Porter is that it looks lived in....that's because it IS lived in.......

most of Tracy's styling for her photographs are taken right within her home........that's why they are so great!

SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS DRYNESS??

we are going to take a non-hard edged approach to design........by dusting off the shelves and combine old with new...........

take a look at this picture again:

here's what I notice...

what's old in this picture?

 * rustic barnwood table

*blue bottle on bookshelf

*vintage mirror over mantle

*the fireplace itself

what's new in this picture?

*new upholstered chairs

*chandelier possibly (could be old, but is neutral that way)

*blue candles which pop the chairs

*family photographs

*fresh flowers and

*bold new pattern on white end chair

*new sisal rug

there's nothing...and I repeat NOTHING in this picture that you couldn't do to achieve this look

did you notice not a single vignette in that picture?

only bright colors, a bit of boldness with the table and the pattern on the chair but sophisticated textures

the best part of this is:

there is NO book or NO person that decides what YOU surround yourself with

you want those goose eggs under the cloche?...........go for it

you want that gorgeous Golden Bamboo side table from Tracy Porter?........totally!



and wallpaper your room in antique paper!



Most of us have children right? or grandchildren visiting??  well, at least I do, so that's what I know best

and letting fragile things sit out sometimes is a good thing - it teaches the children to behave and "please don't touch sweetie" is said a lot, but I'm not doing that so much anymore

I have gotten rid of that pretty look and am going more "me".....

my style....

instead I have been using sumptuous fabrics for that "elegant" feel I like........but ALWAYS with the contrast of "rustic prairie"............(like the original dark wood on the bed)



our sunroom...bed draped in coverlet I made out of pink taffeta....it's like slipping into a ball gown!



 Wednesday is the start of a new journey for me into a time of reflection and inner personal growth...........and I will be in the desert.........but certainly not dead!  I feel so alive during Lent...it's a very empowering time for me

(but let's just hope I'm totally exhausted because I have a new baby)

apparently:

~patience is a virtue~

xo+blessings,