Ramblings on a Rainy Day

It's day two of the rains and it forces us to stay inside and address the indoor chores that have been pushed aside.  These past two weeks I have been sick with a nasty cold.  It has finally loosened it's grip on me and I put in a decent afternoon of purging and polishing my spaces.  I feel that spring is approaching quickly for us in the Southern states.  Dreams of a veggie garden and flowers galore fill my mind but for now that must wait.  I have addressed my most used spaces in the house and tossed out, pared down and prioritized them into submission.  I will never claim to be a minimalist.  Quite the opposite.  I proudly wave the maximalist flag.  That is, if I could find it buried in all my stuff.  All jokes aside, it's beautiful in pictures and I can appreciate the beauty in it but I need more.  More family, more food, more quilts for cuddles, more music for dance parties.  More of everything that is good. Can you blame me?  Even when I think a dreamy, creamy white farmhouse is just what I need I find I can't live without rich, bold color.  I have decided to embrace it and just keep it contained.  This way my more modern husband can handle my crazy collections without wanting to take a match to it all.  I put a few guidelines together to help keep me in check when I am collecting and curating.  

1.  Do I love it?

You know that kind of love I'm talking about right?  The can't put it down, don't know how I ever lived without it,  it's absolutely perfect kind of loving it.  If I hesitate, it's a no.  When it's right, you know.

2.  Where will I put it?

If I have to think about it for too long it's probably not gonna work.  No sense in forcing it because in the end, it'll never be right.

3.  Does it go?

If there is absolutely nothing in my house that speaks nice with any item I want to add it's probably not gonna work out.  Now,  I don't stick hard and fast to themes when decorating since they don't hold up to the test of time.  Instead, I choose things that speak to who I am and the people we are as a family.  Even if the little messages each item says about you is subdued or only understood by you it will all come together. 

 Case in point.  My china cabinet.  It is an antique that has been passed from my mother to me.  Most would have painted it with some form of chalk paint and distressing but I like the age and it's original color with flaking edges of veneers remind me of all the moments in my childhood growing up with it in our dining room.  Inside I have a mix of old books, antique Johnson brothers dishes, globes, wire baskets, farm animal figurines and family photographs.  It's not the usual display but I like it.  It's a reflection of me.  Inside it are all my favorite things, happy moments and special treasures.  Many things are triggers to memories made that bring happiness when I recall them.  That's the trick really.  If when you look at something in your home, big or small, does it bring you to a happy place?  If all you can think of are negatives no matter how beautiful or useful it may be it will always be a problematic space.

Lastly,  don't follow design fads or mimic others.  Your home should reflect you and your family.  Not someone else's.  Design rules are really more like guidelines.  If you like it who is to say it's not good design.  Rug size, picture placement, and curtain height are all negotiable.  Enjoy the process.  Have fun and your spaces will inevitably end up cheerful.