When you think things are right, chances are they aren't. When you know they are, you're golden. There's a difference between thinking something's right and knowing it is. Like those pants you bought at Costco. You convinced yourself they were right because they were cheap. But deep down you know they aren't. You know they're wrong and not right for you and frankly a little bit weird.
That was the case with my front hall. I thought it was right. I tried to convince myself it was right but it was a little bit wrong. See? I thought it was right. But I didn't *know* it was.
This is what it looked like before. I know. It looks good. It's not that it was awful, it just wasn't quite right for me. So, the day after I took my Halloween decorations down and two weeks before I'm set to drag out my Christmas decorations, I did a little rearranging on my lower floor. That ridiculously cute little ball of fur is my friend's dog who I was looking after at the time. He makes every room look good.
I decided my front room was a bit too heavy on the Mid Century and modern feeling. It felt beautifully clean but weirdly cluttered. There were just too many things for your eyes to rest on. Having multiple things on the buffet along with multiple things on the tulip table was bugging me. And even though there was all that stuff it still didn't feel cozy. I like cozy.
So I cozied my foyer up but still kept it clean feeling and not cluttered.
I've always missed the gallery wall that I used to have in my living room so I went around the house and found my favourite pieces of art and consolidated them on the wall over my buffet. Now everything was too "old". It still wasn't right. It was missing something. It was almost right but it wasn't right. Then I found a colourful, contemporary collage I bought from a friend this summer. I'd tucked it away until I found time to get it framed.
And just like that I've guaranteed it'll never get framed. I'm O.K. with that. I like it.
I propped the collage on a little brass frame stand and that was it. This time I knew it was right. I didn't think it was right ... I knew it. Just like I knew the sweater I bought last week was right. The sweater was not from Costco. I NEVER buy my clothes from Costco. My preferred place of shopping for clothing is my local grocery store where their line Joe Fresh is conveniently located beside the dairy aisle.
Motivated by my great success in the foyer I moved onto the adjoining room; my living room. It was never right either. And I mean this room hasn't been right since I moved in. It still isn't, even after rearranging it but at least I *know* it isn't right and I'm not trying to convince myself that I think it is. It's close. There's the tiny fact that it has no chair. I need a chair. But now I've waited so long to buy a living room chair - 17 years - that I'm having chair buying paralysis. After 17 years there's a bit of pressure to make sure it's the perfect chair. Which you know, probably does exist somewhere in the land where the perfect bra and perfect perfect plain white shirt also exists.
I did 3 major things in this room to change it and make it better.
- I moved the sofa table away from the back of the sofa. It used to butt right up to the back of the sectional which looked fine, but made the room feel smaller than it was. Moving it back expanded the look of the room.
- I got rid of the small end table to the right of the sofa and replaced it with a dark antique buffet that was in my upstairs hallway. (I tucked the end table under the sofa table which works perfectly. It looks cool, a bit unusual and I still keep all the storage it allowed me)
- I got rid of a painted dresser that was crowding the room and darkening a corner.
Doing those few things transformed the room and I didn't have to buy a thing.
This is the corner the blue, painted dresser darkened. Now it's light and cozy with a basket full of extra pillows. I don't think I like it. I KNOW that I do.
Ditto for this corner. Woven baskets immediately create cozy (in case you didn't know.) This one and this one are two that are similar mine that I really like.
As you may have guessed this whole rearranging thing didn't stop with the foyer and the living room. My little hall got a tiny change with the addition of my rug hooking wool stand. I just like how it looks with all those spaghettis of colour hanging down from it.
Yup. Then came the dining room.
Tell me I'm not the only person this happens to. I know I'm not. I even had a friend send me a picture of herself with snot and tears running down her face once when she was in the middle of a room rearranging episode.
This room didn't need much because once I built the bookcases last year and painted the brick wall this summer I knew my dining room was finally right. Except for the light. Which I still haven't replaced.
I just added a few new things to the table (new, as in I found them in my basement) and it was done. Although you'd be surprised at how long it took to arrange and decide on the few new things on the table. Simplicity is deceptively difficult.
If you think things are right in your room, your closet or even your life it's time to take a closer look at them. Because when things are right you don't think they are, you know it.
This is especially true of ground beef by the way.
Kathy
Love looking at before and afters. For me, the bowl under the chandelier was brilliant. They make each other look better. I'll have to come back to really look at the rest. In my house, it's the fact that I can't buy whatever I want that squeezes creativity out of me. Without restrictions or needing to use something I own, I'd falter forever.
Valerie
Your room reinvention with rearranging is so much more inviting.
I am a great believer in reupholstering so if you locate a chair (perhaps at your
Mother's house ?) you can redo the chair with your choice of fabric. Most of the newer occasional chairs in stores today are poorly constructed but a more traditional style that has been constructed with old fashioned care may be something that appeals to you.
As for the perfect white shirt I prefer something with darts to create a smooth form fit in a combination cotton/stretchy fabric allowing for the few pound loss or gain we all go through.
Bras - over the years I have had many that within a few months found their way to the second hand store until I discovered SPANX racer back bras and those are what I now consider the perfect undergarment. Available in Canada at the Bay or on line at a Canadian site in Ontario ( no USA duties etc.) which if I remember correctly is called 'What Girls Want.'
Brenda
If you ever find that perfect chair, bra or white shirt, you'll have to post where - been looking for all of those for a while too!!
MelissaM
When I come to dinner, I wanna sit on the saddle!
Eileen
I love the yarny thing on the floor in the hall...but...don't you have a C-A-T?
Karen
Weirdly I have two cats and both of them totally ignore the wool! ~ karen
Monique
You are great at styling..
Looks wonderful..
but..
I LOVE my Costco clothes:)
Must be our builds..because although I think Joe Fresh has cute..I find C's clothes better quality and fit for me..
I could name at least 20things I wear constantly from Costco.
They wash well wear well..
OMgee their leggings..my Rudscak winter coat..my winter boots..have you tried the Nuknuks?The wannabe Lululemons..pjs..undies..Cole Haan raincoat..etc:)the jeans and pants not my fave..but the rest? Winner w/ their tulips too.
Angie Simonsen
I too LOVE their clothing!!! It's the first place I head when I walk in the door...
Monique
Me too..:)
Marilyn
I love those mirrors. And your orchid is reblooming!!
Karen
I know! Lisa has an orchid that's been reblooming for years. I think by now she'd actually like it to die. ~ karen!
ED
I like to use birch branches for orchid supports - natural is nice and you won't need 'barrettes'.
Meg
Oooh, what a great idea; I kind of hate the clips. (So I never stake my orchid spikes, which is kind of a shame, cause then they come out a little more 'natural' than I'd reallllly like.) Do the branches rot at all though, when they stick into the pots?
ED
Takes awhile - easy enough to replace. It’s the big bloom laden ones that I support, the rest are au naturel.
Susan
I like your house (with the exception of the creepy doll). Mine is decorated in early dog, since the old guy gets bent out of shape if I change anything and the other two think that a couch or chair near a window is so that they can see out better.
My reason for posting is to thank you for not subscribing to the new decorating trend of putting all the books in the bookcase backwards. As an avid reader I find this abhorrent. Shades of buying a library full of books to make you look intelligent! Bah!
Heather
The advantages of not having a husband who is completely afraid of any change. I wait until he is out of town to do any re-arranging.
Kath
I've gone to the Joe Fresh store a few times, and it feels wrong not to have a bag of milk or some veggies to go with the clothes.
Bonnie Gutierrez
Just like being pregnant…. either you are, or, you aren't. No in between!!
Wendy
Original art makes everything click...Kathy Renwald collage?
Karen
Yep. ~ karen!
Marna
Wow, looks great, you are a wonder! :)
Paula
Could you please come over to my house and decorate it? I have tons of 'stuff' from all different eras and I love everything but I have no idea how to put it together. I know I love something when I see it but I don't know how to 'get' there. My husband would appreciate the basement, garage, and barn back. lol
Lisa
Totally in awe. Love the new look - and the pup too. Would love to redo my lounge/entry etc, but it's L shaped and hard to work. Mind you - we are celebrating here today so rainbow colours all round (Australia voted yes)...after a few champagnes tonight I may just end up doing it.
Teri
Yay Aus!!
Congratulations!
Lisa
Yep! A good day. Mind you we could have saved $100 million and gone with what the polls said. Major fabulous colourful celebrations last night. Such a good feeling for all my friends and people throughout Aus. Acceptance. x
Andrea
IMO One lamp in the entry needs to go. Otherwise. It is better. IMO, the living room needs to be painted a darker neutral warm color. Or at least the back wall. Everything is too much the same color, without being monochrome enough. I know that sounds confusing.... Dining room-fab!
whitequeen96
I would never dream of giving you advice in this area, but since Andrea already did . . . I agree that one lamp in the entry might be better.
But I love all the new/old paintings and the rug in there! :)
Karen
Thanks Andrea! But I'm gonna keep it as is. ;) ~ karen!
Therese
Is that a Passier or Stubben dressage saddle? :)
Karen
Hahah! I wish. No, it's just a black saddle. :) And not even a dressage saddle. It's more of a multipurpose saddle that I used for everything from jumping to dressage. I did a tiny bit of eventing. ~ karen!
dana
I thought I didnt care much for mid-century modern but I love so many of your things. Those white chairs are droolworthy. Theyre like sculpture. That chandy is stunning. The simplicity of that tulip table. Love it. Those 3-legged octopus lamps that hold the shade are really cool, too. We moved a yr ago to a house with a rectangular liv room and it stumps me so much. I feel like 10 yrs from now it will still stump me. Most of the wall space is windows which I love but it makes arranging difficult. Can't wait for your Christmas decor to appear. Did u mention 2 weeks? 😉
Karen
How mid century looks really depends on how much you use, which pieces and what you mix them with. :) 2 weeks to decorating being done, a tiny bit more before it makes it on the blog. ~ karen!
Diane Ward
Geez, Karen. I wish I had your style. I've had "rearrange the living room til it feels right" on my to do list for at least 5 years. Maybe you can have a yearly contest where you offer you services??? Millions would enter but I wanna win!
Julie
I would like to rearrange my house. But that would require a can of gasoline and a match....and I hear spiderwebs don't burn. Le sigh....but I am gaining inspiration, at least! :) I need to purge, big time!
Linda Johnston
This made me laugh out loud!!!! So loud, in fact just saying lol wouldn't do!! Great original comment! I'll bet I go around grinning all day....