Defining the Goal

I want to have fresh veggies from my garden and serve my children wholesome meals.

I want to have a beautiful home that is clean and organized

I want a trim body

And so on.

My girlfriend said something that surprised me - but I agreed with it.
She said that working out is a false system.

I turned that over in my head a few days and this is my theory.

Our purpose is to glorify God.

And the specific task He has entrusted me with (to glorify Him in) is a family. Husband and children. That is my goal. That is my highest priority.

Food
Home
Exercise
Church
School
Career
Community

They all get filtered through this lens.

Making it a goal to work out an hour a day IS a false system.
Not that I think it's wrong to work out. But the reasoning behind it may or may not be wrong.

Having an active lifestyle - incorporating my children - this is beneficial. Family raking leaves time in the fall or biking on summer evenings - long walks through the trails - these are healthy ways to exercise. If I put my kiddos in front of the TV to get my workout, I don't think I'm actually fulfilling my purpose.

So. I'm still pondering what that looks like.

But for a pretty home - I know this. If it is consuming my time to move and arrange and clean and sort THINGS - this isn't fulfilling my purpose.

Useful space and minimal items is something that I'm still battling. Maybe it will come naturally one day. I hope so.

It's more of a mental attitude shift, realizing that making a meal for a neighbor is something to do WITH my children instead of shoo them away so I can get something done. Church is a time to gather with my family to use the system that is available and connect with it and give back to it.

But having the perspective of family as my ultimate goal does help in saying no.

It's all about wisdom and balance - teaching my family to be flexible as well. And guarding the flow that makes family go smoothly. But overall, it's nice to reflect on "what is the goal" every so often and reevaluate how things are working.

Wingback Sofa

I like scale.

And wingback chairs just fit a wall with such graceful height. Instead of those squat little chairs that look amazing all by themselves in the store display but never feel right unless in front of a window or in the middle of the room or with a reason for being so short.

This flexsteel wingback loveseat was on craigslist for cheap because the ottoman was ruined.

So I played with it.

A glam gold slipcover over the ottoman with some gold throwpillows. It looks better with a tray or something styling that ottoman because it's such a large bulky object. But overall, it's such a comfortable set, and has some fun sparkle to it now. Too bad I have no place for this either. So back on craigslist it goes.

chair makeover

When I saw these chairs I was drawn to their sturdy simple lines with the understated design flair of the curved arms and back.

They were old and ugly but I wanted to try to make them glam and stylish.

A gold or copper finish intrigued me, but I stayed a little safe with aged silver because these were unfortunately for resale - no place to keep them. And white fur isn't practical for my house. Though I'd love them in a pretty little office or guest room.

 

 

Fun project - wish I could have a glam area to makeover. But these get posted to sell.

Friend's Home

Looking at ideas for a friends house - writing them out here!

There are defining choices for each room, and from these the other options will have a guide.

Girl's rooms = wallpaper or fabric choices (if you want wallpaper in one room you probably will choose some solid prints for bedding or painted furniture. If you are having no wallpaper in a room, you probably will pick some prints for bedding and windowseat and these fabric choices will be what guides your choices for wall paint and other elements. You have to start with the "pattern" choice first and then get your solids around that - much easier to match paint or solid colors to a pattern than to find the right patter to go with your existing colors)

Kitchen = backsplash and countertop are the overall tone of the room choice but light fixtures are your statement (I think you want to be neutral in your hardware - just the brushed silver, simple tones, can be more modern shape but color not too much of a contrast on the white. It's just classic)

Family room = fireplace (TV console is going to need to be right scale and fit as well so worth considering)

Your room = color of furniture, if you paint yours it will have a different feel... your bed should be the statement piece of the room (it sounds like a fairly simple bedroom in color - will it be carpet or a big area rug? Rug is much more artistic. A big new headboard and keeping existing side tables/dressers etc is one way to make a specific statement. If it's a large bedroom you don't want it feeling empty and unfinished - you may need two chairs or a sitting area.)

Diningroom = light fixture makes a big statement - it can alter the feel of the furnishings too. If you have very traditional rug and table, you can go for a bit more edgy light for a fresh current look.

Bathrooms = think balance. Concrete sink is heavy and masculine, and you could counter this by a lovely curved mirror. All gray is very cold - mix some brown warm wood tones and soft fluffy textures.

Guest room = multifunction, clever storage, it's all about scale here, finding how to make everything fit well, be the right scale, so it doesn't look like a couch stuck in blank room full of toys. If you have wood floor in this room, or even if you have carpet, a large area rug would be a great starting point. Choosing a large rug will make this space inviting and the floor a great place to play. Because the center of the room will be fairly blank (maybe poofs or coffee table from couch but overall a blank playing area) the rug will give a completed feeling to that empty space. Once you chose a rug that you love, you can build off of that. If the rest of the house is fairly calm and neutral you can afford to add some pops of color in this room. It can be in the rug - or the rug can be very calm. Just find a rug that speaks to you and the rest of the room can build off of that concept.


Bedrooms in general, it's nice when the door opens to look directly at the bed. But if the room isn't set up like this, make some focal point to whatever you see first when opening the door.

Now, to scroll through some eye candy photos for general ideas.

GIRLS ROOMS: Again, if they're not both having wallpaper, than go off of the bedding/fabric/windowseat choices. If you have wallpaper, solids for bedding and headboard are balancing but I think having fun patterns on the throw pillows on the windowseat will add a lot of sparkle.



Below is a wallpaper and bedroom that are fairly monochromatic - calm and neutral. It's beautiful.



Although I love colors that all flow - I also love the playful freedom of mixing patterns and colors




And I also love a simple wall and furniture choice but with super fun accents and cheerful accessories



So - lots of options for girls room. For boy room, the plank wall and Up North type photos and decore and outdoor inspiration is very fun. I prefer it to balls and sports but... You might need to cater to his love of basketball too

But let at least blend in the style! Like this basketball hoop stays true to the plank-wall natural feel.


I like painting his furniture in a gray or gray wash - I know this is a bunk bed, but look at the colors. Gray wall, gray furniture, natural wood (plank wall) touches of orange and navy, Industrial lighting/bedstand:

 

And here is an example with navy painted furniture - white plank (this is ceiling) natural wood in floor and dresser (could be on plank wall or in the furniture), industrial lighting, gray in curtain and accents

 

 

So I like these pictures because they show how the blends of white, natural wood, navy, gray, and touch of orange are good combinations - different ways to do it. Both of these examples have a pattern in the rug - if you have no rug you may want a print to the bedspread or curtain to add interest - or in a cool accent chair.

 

Below is a good visual of what all these colors CAN do - and I find this room below a little too dark and not cuddly and inviting enough. Maybe you like it, which is fine, but if you don't like it we should figure out what it is that you dislike because this is easily how the room could turn out.

 

 

 

This is the same room with different bedding and something white over the bed

 

 

I think the bottom line is - get enough white into the room. If the white isn't going to be in the bedding, consider the walls being white with plank wall in natural wood and the bedding in a gray or navy print with the bed in gray or navy paint. OR a white washed (or gray washed, or solid paint) board wall and the headboard left wood. But whatever combination you choose - make sure there is enough white somewhere :)

 

For example - I love this room, where the wall color is considered a light nice warm gray. BUT it is still paired with white nearly everywhere else - table, chairs, wall pictures, rug and table accents.

 

 

In Fireplace room, having a nice media wall on that staircase is practical and will save your fireplace - as well as save the impracticality of craning your neck to view up above mantle.

 

It would look something like this - mirrored to this image - with the TV on the stair wall:

 

 

 

 TV consoles have a lot of great options but finding one that compliments your space will make it look natural and intentional instead of an afterthought. This will keep Matt happy.

 

 

 

 

 

I like the slight rustic look of console or board background to keep TV from being too boldly electronic for an inviting space

 

 

Althought I'm not drawn to these photos below, they give an idea of building in the TV under stairs as well - though I think I prefer a console

 

 

 

 

I don't have enough information from you to give any samples of master bedroom

 

For the office/toy room you just want great storage so that when it's being used as a guest room, it still feels welcoming and personal. But it's going to be about 7 years before you will be done with toy area and really use office - so you could be more colorful and fun in rug choices and accessories.

 

 Here are two pictures where the rug and accessories are bright.

 

 

 

There are so many kinds of fun banners - etsy has many - they add a lot of color and can be removed easily when you're ready for simple. This keeps the paint and floors and furniture more neutral while still adding fun. They're nice on a wall or over window or anywhere.

 

 

 

Not sure if your kids are into costumes and acting or singing but these corner stages can be made easily with a curved shower curtain rod and give a lot of fun. Also the teepees can be found many places right now and are delightful. This one is one example of how many styles there are

 

 

Of course you want it to be gender neural - not so much pink

One current color scheme is this:

Turquoise and navy with a splash of gold or coral and a lot of neutrals

 

 these colors

 

 and many rugs could go with these colors like the one below

 

 

 

 

or you could have some white walls and big cork boards and chalk boards and bold art and bright rug with black sofa and contrast in a totally different style

 

 

or neutrals but still artsy

 

 

or neutral colors, quiet pallet but still artsy like the rug above would set a tone for that type of playroom

 

or the very quiet neutral below - but with great texture - warm caramel colored leather poofs and classic navy bins on white wood cube-storage and a simple beauty with more texture then color.

 

 

I would love any style (well executed) but you can just pick a rug that speaks to you and build from there.

 

Here is an example of a more classic style - which would also be beautiful as a play room:

 

 

And this wall-mount style desk looks fun for kids

 

 

And I totally approve of a good pull out couch bed - but I also love this murphy bed

 

 

And that is my list of thoughts on where to start your house design!

side table redo

 

That solid wood faux paint marble table was at goodwill for $14. Believe me that the marble didn't look so authentic in real life. It was very sponge paint feel.

 

A quick antiqued silver is more up to date and in 10 years someone can roll their eyes at it and do another faux marble look!

 

Fireplace Mantle

A designer once told me that mantles should have only THREE items. If it is a big mantle in needs three large objects.

I googled that.
And I had a very hard time finding enough to inspire me.
There were a few, to be sure, a handful of sophisticated simplicity.
But most were stuffed with an array of well-blended details and textures and objects.

This was the fireplace room when we bought the house:

I did paint the insert black. With the idea in mind that if I really wanted to go back to brass one day, surely it couldn't be too difficult, right? I didn't want to paint the wood mantel though - this seemed too complex to undo. So I built a cheap shelf that just sits right on top. The shelf boards cost under $10 - though I did cut and measure incorrectly and it was an ordeal.

Decorating with random bottles and feathers and plants and ripped up old clothes is the current state of the mantel.

I wanted a rug that didn't have a defined edge to it - since it's a bit of an odd walkway when a square rug defines it. This one was on clearance and even though I preferred the look of the light silky gray ones, this was the one that was around $100 instead of $500. So. Bear it was. And it matches my floor and works just fine - though the gray ones would have been sweet.

Working around life and budget is what Mcquillyn Smith (The Nester) calls a "lovely limitation" and I agree wholeheartedly. My house wouldn't be very original or have much story to it if I had no lovely limitations. One of these is the wicker basket in the corner. Recycling wasn't happening in our family because it was too inconvenient to put items outside. And there was no good area in the kitchen. Under the sink needed emptying too often to be practical and our built in trash can didn't have a second area for recycling. Since it is important to be as a God-follower to fulfill our first command from Him and care for the earth - recycling did need a practical spot. This hamper is now our recycling bin. And that is why my livingroom décor has a big wicker basket in the corner.

These chairs were a trade - and then recovered in a labor of love by my nice mama. They're one of my favorite things about the fireplace room. They have charm and feminine curves and colors and pattern to help balance my manly rug and sofa. Aren't they sweet?

The last area is this little school desk niche that I created against the low wall between kitchen, diningroom and fireplace room. It was a strange space and wasted until I found this little desk for $9 at Salvation Army. The rug had been $11 at Goodwill and the chair $3 at a different thrift store at a different time.

I do love blending in family life - things for my boys, areas that are practical and used - into available space instead of just filling it with stuff for the sake of décor.

Kitchen

The kitchen is a wonderful one.
I'm utterly grateful for it.
I really enjoy the simple design - plenty of room and storage but not overdone or wasted. I love the dishwasher; it cleans so efficiently. I love the windows to see out while doing dishes. I love the size and the ease and convenience. I love the layout - and the layout of the kitchen within the house itself, off to the side but still open.

Some things I don't really like... the individual elements.

It's a very manly kitchen.
And it has little charm.
Great function - but not anything that speaks to me.

The backsplash = stainless steal and cold
The countertop = not a natural stone so it doesn't interest
The cupboards = well made and nice detail but dark, so the whole kitchen feels heavy and dark. I'm not totally against painting good wood... but I am a little against it. I think I'm actually against hard work to do something that's already beautiful. I find the natural wood beautiful but... totally not what I would pick for a kitchen.
The floor = the whole house has this strange, very functional floor that I've come to appreciate but not necessarily what I would choose.
The sink = certainly not a statement piece

The thing with kitchens is this. The beauty must be in the fixtures. Any added décor is simply clutter. So your faucet and sink and cupboards and backsplash and countertops - THOSE are what create everything. No amount of added fillers to the tops of the cupboards or stuff on the walls or rugs on the floor or magnets on the fridge will do anything to change the feel of the room.

I didn't touch the kitchen for a long time.
This is how it was when we bought the house:

I wanted to paint the tiny wall area white (more contemporary than golden yellow) but, this doorway area gets so dirty that white seemed impractical. So I didn't do anything for a while. Then just impulsively grabbed some tan-gray-offwhite that my friend loves. I don't really love it. I still want white. But, it's different. And maybe that satisfies me for now.

Eventually I would like an herb garden in the window.

I try to keep as little clutter as possible - countertops are always busy. I do, however, permit myself to stash my collection of oils and vinegars on top of the fridge. Delicious vinegars make me happy so I allow myself to store them as a collection out in the open, convenient to grab.

My stools I was lucky with.
The old owner was selling her 3 bar stools for $75? each. Maybe she said she'd go down to $50. I didn't like them though and that wasn't my price range. Here they are below - and an idea of our house layout.

I found these on Craigslist.
bonus 1 & 2 - one of our current neighbors was selling them so easy to get and he went down to $20 each for us
bonus 3 & 4 - they happened to match perfectly and be the right size, and they're SUCH GOOD QUALITY. I didn't know that I cared about bar stool quality. But for the constant use, I just love a solid stool.

And even if I can't change all the elements of my kitchen - the little things do add some magic and meaning after all.

My in-laws bought me this heavy iron teapot. I chose the one that was on clearance instead of the one that best suited my taste. Why? I don't know exactly, but because I was really happy with the delight of a heavy iron teapot and I decided the dragons were fun and I don't need everything to be all matchy-styled. Why not appreciate the one that was half price? Maybe that isn't a good call for everything, but sometimes it is fine and this was one of those. And I love it and use it regularly.

I also have a small collection of pottery bowls from a talented friend. When I first go shopping all three bowls are out on the countertop spilling with fruit. Today I'm down to one bowl. But these give a smile to the kitchen as well. I can't pick the sink that makes me feel artistically impressed, but I can choose the bowl that I put out for apples. And it makes me love my kitchen fully.