The opening lines of Minnie Riperton’s iconic song go like this…
I stumbled on this photograph
It kinda made me laugh
It took me way back
Back down memory lane
Minnie was singing about an old love, and I guess I am too! The house that I packed up and put into storage at the end of summer last year, awaiting my new one to be completed. I used to say that I loved it so much because I was almost finished decorating it, HA!!! A decorator at heart is NEVER EVER finished decorating. We may be satisfied for a while, but then we’ll be inspired by something and off we go, another project born.
As I continue to wait for the completion of my house I have engulfed myself at times in all things home decor. Most times at night when I should be sleeping. At any given moment my mind will ponder things like… How long will it take them to do the back splash after I move in? How long will it take for the closet folks to do their install? What about those extra media built-ins? When should I schedule the electrician to put up the TV/sound items and hang the chandeliers? Do I really want to paint myself or should I throw that expense on top of the rest? Design and décor ideas freely moving about my brain, while weighing all the costs against my checkbook in my head, as I try to fall off to sleep! This is the inner “crazy” that is me when I feel in limbo and unsettled in my wait. I’ve always been like that. Like my “real life” is on hold and I’m just making do and getting by until I can get settled. Does anybody else feel that way? Or am I just “cray cray” all by myself? Lol! Now I know I’m not going to move in and voila! A week later my house is all set up and organized, everything right in the world once again. Even if I had an unlimited budget, I know that’s quite unrealistic. So I have an organized plan of attack when the time comes for implementation that I refer to… often, and it typically starts with a recollection of where I’m coming from. And this takes me back to house #2, that I call my “Big Girl House,” and how my decor desires and styles have changed / are changing.
Once upon a time in my decorating life, I was all about Tuscan and Old World décor. Everything had to be ornate and scroll-y, in deep, dark, rich colors and woods, with intricate design and detail. I wanted nothing more than to have large ceramic tiles running throughout my house, with medium-toned granite counter tops. As I looked back I had to ask myself, “where did this influence come from?” Then I remembered.And in retrospect, it doesn’t really make any sense. But the 2003 movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” starring Diane Lane was/is one of my all-time favorites… that’s it. I told you it didn’t really make any sense, but after I saw this movie, more than a few times, I became consumed with all things Tuscan-ish, lol!
I always used the dimmest possible light. I hated a lot of light. I kept all the lights dimmed as low as possible throughout. I wanted my home to have the feel of being like some Tuscan, or old world spa, for relaxation and meditation or something. And the swagged and draped fabric, let me tell you, I was obsessed! All over the house. I loved it. Especially in the master bedroom (below). Once when my mother was visiting, she told me not to add another piece of fabric in that house for fear that it would be a serious fire hazard!
See? More fabric. I shared my love for window “swagger,” in this May 2016 blog post. I’m a big fan of creating my own window treatments and fabric embellishments. I don’t know where that comes from. Oh wait, yes I do. Budget limitations!!! You learn how to create your vision when you’re working with limited funds… or you enlist the help of someone who can do it for you with your limited funds, right? I carried my drape and puddle obsession on through to the guest room as well… oh dear. You can check out how items in this room were re-purposed (another of my favorite decor moves) in this February 2016 blog post here.
And then there’s my favorite room in the house, the formal dining room. Of course, the room that was used the least.
Look at all that fabric. Wow. It does look like a fire hazard! It’s funny how you can see your decor taste change over time, and how as you’re exposed to new things, like Pinterest and Instagram, you come to know what it is that makes you happy about a room. Five years ago I would’ve never thought that I’d be this enthralled with bright, white, and sheer colors and tones. And I love the sound of water. I was headed in this open, light, bright and airy direction towards the end of my tenure in this house, as I turned the third bedroom into an office a few months before I moved. This not so great picture doesn’t really do it justice, but I thoroughly enjoyed this room the most in those last days.
I would say now that my décor style now is more of a casual-elegant, Santa Barbara-ish, sort-of beachy, glamorous? Soooo, I don’t know what it is, lol!!! I just know I want it as light and bright as possible. I’m really considering all-white since it’s a smaller, open space… Voice inside my head gasps and says, “white walls, oh say it ain’t so!” No more rod iron pieces and draped fabric everywhere, with 15-watt lighting all over the house.
But we’ll see. Who knows what this space will end up looking like once I get in there. Thanks for taking the ride back down memory lane with me. See you next time!
