Tag Archives: home decor

Blue Fjord Worries

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Two gallons of Blue Fjord Pittsburgh Paint, a new roller pan and brush had lived in the corner of my utility room for about twenty hours before buyer’s remorse started to set in. That was two days after Christmas, after I had bravely marched into the store and asked a nice lady at the paint counter to help me figure out what kind of paint would work best for a bedroom. 

I was so certain I was doing the right thing at that moment. This is going to look amazing! After all, the room gets plenty of light to offset the dark color and an entire wall is covered by tall bookshelves laden with part of my book collection, I told the paint counter lady. 

And then doubt and uncertainty began to crowd in. I would wake up in the night thinking the shade would be too dark. It would be oppressive. This went on until I finally put on my big girl pants and started painting Friday night. I actually spent my lunch break moving furniture and patching nail holes before painting a large swath of one small wall to see how it looked. 

And you know something? I should have trusted my instincts. I think the results are great. In the light of day, it’s rich and bold. As the light wanes, it becomes moody and cozy – perfect for a restful night’s sleep. 

Isn’t that how things go sometimes? You make a great choice but a nagging little voice starts asking needless questions that nearly ruin the whole thing. 

So I have a new blue bedroom. Here’s a photo from last night. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a decent daytime photo so you get the night view which isn’t quite as impressive.

Since it’s still January and No Spend Challenge time, I shopped my house and found things to finish the room. I may eventually buy some curtains but, for now, I’m happy with my old curtains. They’re actually turquoise but they look blue against the wall, lending a nice monochromatic feel to the room. They’re also blackout curtains and help to keep the room warm.

There are a couple of other things to buy – some rub and buff to update a couple of black picture frames and a small area rug come to mind. I have a new comforter to put on the bed when the weather warms. For now, I’ll keep out the winter plaid quilt and warm throw. I’m going to buy the rub and buff my next trip to the store. It will be useful for a variety of immediate projects and an inexpensive supply that I can justify because I have nothing on hand to use in its place.  The rug can wait till I find the right thing someday.

I’m no decorator but I like surrounding myself with things that make me happy. The walls were a light, bright creamy yellow for a lot of years. That served me well but I was ready to embrace a completely new style and a color palette that will soothe my tired mind and create a warm, peaceful retreat. 

Mission accomplished, I think. 

Unfortunately, the bathroom now looks really shabby. That will be more than a coat of paint since it’s well past time to rip out the carpet and replace the flooring. Honestly, who wants carpet in a bathroom, anyway?

For now though, I’ll focus on those pretty blue walls and hope they bring many sweet dreams.

Storytelling Through Your Surroundings

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Interior designer Nate Berkus has famously said “your home should tell the story of who you are and be a collection of what you love.” I have always believed this to be true and take it to heart in every sense of the word. My house has come together over time with a combination of new and used pieces, borrowed stuff from my folks and repurposed things from all over. 

The only common thread through it all is that I like it. 

The problem here is that my style is what you might politely call “eclectic” and that it doesn’t have the cohesive look of a put together home. 

Sometimes I envy those people who have embraced farmhouse style or midcentury modern. That limits the scope of what you might bring home, potentially making for a less cluttered space. Yet, I can’t imagine living that way.

When Frank Lloyd Wright designed a home, he was particular about how the home should flow, where a table should sit and the art that hung on the walls. That’s why there were so many built-in pieces of furniture. A built-in desk in the middle of the room might have two lamps attached and the electric was run through the floor to make it look cleaner. Rearranging furniture was impossible. And if you owned one of his homes, he was apt to purchase and send a piece of artwork to you. He would include instructions for hanging along with his bill for this unsolicited addition to your home. 

From where I sit, I can see a stack of vintage suitcases collected from all over, an antique dresser from a garage sale when I was in college and a heavy silver candlestick that sits below a watercolor of pine trees. My kitchen is colorful, filled with Fiesta plates of red and blue and cute little ceramic animals made during the mid-century. Frank preferred uncluttered kitchens so he would hate all this. 

I do notice my tastes changing over time as I’m shying away from those colorful vintage pieces in favor of more natural textures and materials. More dark woods, stones, tarnished silver and brass, even burlap is more prominent now, mixed in with the colors.Those Fiesta plates may someday get stored for another day while I pull out the plain old white dishes that typically are only used on holidays. 

But not today. For now it’s still working fine and that’s all that matters. 

That’s not to say there aren’t projects on my list. Most of the house is carpeted. It’s old, blue and worn out in a very sad way. No matter how much I clean, it never seems clean enough and I’m sure nineteen year old carpet can’t be good for allergies. One of these days I’m going to replace it with hardwood laminate. 

But not today.

Despite that hideous carpet, my home is cozy, warm and inviting – at least to me. As much as I enjoy having holiday decor throughout the house, I’m sort of looking forward packing all that away again and rethinking my surroundings. I don’t like for things to feel stale so I try to move stuff around occasionally. I actually have shelves and totes of things I like to rotate in sometimes. Again, Frank would find me a willful and annoying client.

Does my house look like a magazine home? Nope. Not a chance. But it’s a happy space to come to and one that I’m pleased to call home. I like the story that it tells about me. At the end of the day, when you come in from the cold in search of solace and warmth, isn’t that all that matters?

Post Covid Bucket List: Antiques Village

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It’s not a village and they don’t just sell antiques but Antiques Village is one of my favorite places to search for treasures. It’s in Dayton and I’ve been going a couple of times a year for the last two years.

It appears to be an old grocery store in a strip mall and it’s packed with over 350 vendors selling antiques, crafts, reproduction items, books and all manner of other fun things.

You can absolutely get lost in a place like this.

If you’re a record collector like me, there are tons of records here. I’m actually ashamed to say how many albums I’ve bought here so we won’t dwell on this topic. . .

One large corner is devoted to books which are sold to benefit a local charity. There’s a vendor that specializes in vintage clothing, hats and bags. Their prices are a bit high but it’s a fun booth to browse. Plus there’s lots of furniture and a couple of booths with high end farmhouse decor that I always admire but that doesn’t fit my personal style.

And then there are the more traditional antique mall kind of booths where you find everything but the kitchen sink.

It’s Covid closed right now but when things open up, I’m thinking this will be a day trip. If I can time it right, maybe I can stop and see my pilot friend for a ride in one of his vintage biplanes. There’s a restaurant in downtown Dayton that can make a vegan version of almost every menu item so that will be a must as well.

Click here to visit their website for locations and hours.

There are tons of vendor malls, junk shops, record stores, book shops, and antique stores that will be grateful for our business including many in my own area. Don’t forget to give them some business when you can!

What’s on your bucket list when this is all done?