My Decorating Style
10:33 PMI have been thinking a lot lately about "my decorating style" and what makes it unique from other people. I love antiques, shabby chique decor, rustic farmhouse trends, pale colours, and pops of bright colour. But...so do a lot of other people. Pinterest can make me feel so inspired to create and yet so "cookie cutter" all at the same time. I see an idea I love, and then I see that everyone else loves it too.
So how do we set ourselves apart in a Pinterest world of cookie cutter decor trends? Today I would like to answer that question by asking that you simply express who you are throughout your decor. There are things that are unique to you as a person that sets you apart from others, and if you remember those things when decorating, not only will your decor be unique but it will also be meaningful to you personally. I think having meaning carried throughout your home is important. Your home should FEEL like a representation of you.
Sure, I may love gold accents, pale blues, and barnboard right now (like most everyone else) but I can add pieces in my rooms that have personal meaning, and that will keep my decorating unique to me. I have an eclectic style that I can't shake no matter how many adorable/classy antiques I bring in here. I love mixing things up so that they don't make sense. I never want my home to look predictable or like a direct copy of something else.
So first, I'll state 5 random facts about myself off the top of my head:
1) I love old stuff. This means I love history and historical places, antiques, old glamour style makeup, old movies or new movies set in older times, 40s/50s/60s music, books from the early 1900's, clothes that are either actually old or made to replicate older styles, and of course old homes.
2) I am an artist by trade but am also an artist by hobby (a few) and love to spend time in photography, modern calligraphy, sketching, and writing.
3) I've always dreamed of publishing my own fiction novel. I love writing, and I love literature. I am a philosophical person who absorbs ideas and enjoys questioning and challenging beliefs and norms.
4) I love nature and animals. I have always said I've felt closer to God out in the great wide open than in church. There is something wondrous about being surrounded by things that God created simply for our own enjoyment...and I love the way nature inspires me as an artist.
5) I think in symbols. My mind just works in the way that I see symbols and meaning in everything. I love to write with a lot of imagery and symbolism, and I use my photography to try to convey emotion and thoughts. I see a momma duck with three babies and I question whether it's a sign I will have three children. I look for meaning in everything, even the ordinary.
So now looking at those facts, I can tell you how these things come out in the way I decorate my home.
1) This one is obvious! Loving older things has formed the majority of my style because "old" stuff has influenced me for so many years.
2) I love decorating my home with photography. I still have so many more photos I need to print and hang (I am a procrastinator) but I have lots I want to put up. I also love hanging my calligraphy or framing it.
3) I have lots of books and have keep some favs inside a birdcage right now in my livingroom. I move them around a lot and most rooms have a book or two in them.
4) I bring nature inside...literally. I have tons of sticks, pinecones, and wooden pieces in my house. I still have pieces of evergreen on my mantle because it doesn't seem exclusively Christmas. I have a few random animal things in my livingroom...a deer, fox, owl, and some bird stuff. I have a lot of "forest" themed stuff in my livingroom actually. I also love flowers and try to have some florals in each room.
5) This is where things can get the most unique in my decor. I have a plant inside a birdcage, a lamp coming out of a birdcage, flowers coming out of my typewriter, string lights everywhere (I love light...studying light, watching for great lighting, using things in my decor that bring light like lanterns). I also love using hidden meanings in things. For example, the inspiration for my livingroom is loosely drawn from combining elements from the movies Return to Oz and Cinderella. The evidence is hard to see right away...but if you look for it, it's there. Emerald and gold for Oz, blue for Cinderella...my clock is turned off set to midnight...my birdcage and a picture frame look a lot like Cinderella's carriage, some props remind me of Return to Oz (lantern, pail like candleholder, old window, dead sticks/twigs, etc.) I like to have this meaning behind things that isn't at all obvious to people upon first glance (or ever...)
So those are just 5 facts about my personality and how I stay true to that in my decorating. There is more I could touch on but I think that's a great start! I hope that helps you remember to stay true to who you are in your decor. Be intentional with how you do things...don't simply copy something because it looks cool. It's okay to have a few pieces in each room there simply b/c they look cool, but make sure each room also carries meaning, and represents you well.
As time passes by, I am sure our home will change over and over again to fit who we become. Scott isn't one who wishes to have a say in any type of decor; he's just happy to let me do my thing. The new green wingback chair in the livingroom is "his chair" and that's about the only involvement he requires. His motto is "tell me what to do and I'll do it." He will move stuff around until I am happy with the placement and hang whatever I want. He will lug thrift finds around and unload the vehicle while I excitedly put things away. I am blessed to have a husband who just lets me do my thing! Once we have children, I plan to do the nursery themed around mine and Scott's favourite childhood memories and a few memories from being together and incorporate those into the decor.
Here are some recent shots from around the home. I just bought some new pillows for our big sofa that I am in love with! Can you tell my dogs love being in photos? I can never get them out of the way to get just empty room shots...but they are very cute models :)
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