If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I would ever expect myself to be talking décor with y'all, I would have giggled at my hodgepodge collection of yard sale finds and baby toys cluttering the living room. It was roughly 8 years ago that we bought our first house. To which we would add 2 more babies to, making it a home to 2 adults and 4 children. To make matters more fun, we bought a fixer upper - an old farm house that had been flipped with a little paint and "curb appeal", but was in desperate need of true TLC.
Somewhere between buying our house and raising babies, I outgrew the hodgepodge clutter I had enjoyed for many years and found myself in our current place of calm amongst the chaos of still raising up our children. Now here I am, opening the virtual door on our home to share our style and décor with you. May it encourage you to explore your living space room by room and find your very own style to settle into after a long day of work/homesteading/farming.
I'll start with my personal home decorating style. I've always loved the modern farmhouse look....minus one thing, all the white. I admire everyone who can keep all the white looking so beautiful, but with 3 little boys and a mud hole for a back yard, a white farmhouse just never fit our lifestyle. Truth be told, even without the mud, I long for color. I also found myself drawn to the industrial styling. So in 2020, when all the world was finding themselves home more then not, I decided I need an uplifting and peaceful place to call home. With that single thought, my style of decorating budded. It is English Cottage meets Industrial with a touch of Bohemian.
English cottage style is all about being cozy, warm and inviting. One where books are part of the decoration and comfortable seating welcomes you. Industrial design, to me, adds a unique style to the cozy. One that isn't seen a lot with bricks and black metal pipes that offer texture. Finally, Bohemian gives a touch of...well, romance so to speak. A sense of freedom. It feels somewhat like a wildflower in a breeze. The three tie together nicely and allows our old farm house (that lacks storage options) to be both cozy and welcoming while functional and realistic. Our many books sit on top of bookshelves that hang in an otherwise unusable space. With a nettle green color painted behind, and the bookshelves themselves being metal pipes and wood shelves all anchored to the wall. Little weaved baskets hold odds and ins safely and with a beautiful tidy look. Blankets are tucked in larger wicker and wired baskets sitting in empty corners that need a little style. Macramé coasters and embroidered curtains add a tiny Boho touch without over powering the room in frill. Everything has a spot and offers a style that is beautiful and functional - just as I love it. It isn't exactly a trend I've seen, however when all tied together, it fits our lifestyle very nicely. As desired, it is an uplifting and peaceful environment to cozy into after the day is done.
For me, it hasn't ever been about keeping up with the trends. When you only follow trends, that style and decorations will soon expire. By finding your own style and decorating accordingly, you are allowing your time, work, and money to become timeless in your home. This for me, looked like three different styles bleeding together. It allowed me to use what I had and add in a pinch of new to make it fit our home and lifestyle. What we have: bookcases, books, records, family photos, blankets, vintage toys, old blue glass bottles....but what about the new? For me the new often means a quick shop at Target because they have more of the styles I reach for in one place. It's where I picked up the industrial style black pipe bookshelves and a train station style wall clock. I also try to shop small businesses and the maker community for things like macramé coasters and wall art. One of my favorite wall arts is the Western Chief's Chicken print. I love the unique art of the chicken itself and the uplifting yellow tone. It offers a splash of color without taking over the room. As a whole, I find myself looking for unique textures and shapes along with classic colors that easily flow together. House plants offer just that - different shapes, textures and colors. They can often be divided and started anew from cuttings to fill new pots. They offer cleaner air and truly add new life to the small spaces needing something more, all without overwhelming a space. Not to mention, the pots you plant them in can easily be adapted to your own unique style. Thrown into a macramé plant hanger for a Boho touch; planted in a sleek black pot for a touch of industrial design; silly face planters, unique shaped pots, floral.... truly the options are endless.
Start with basic and easy tasks to recreate your homes décor. For me, it started with a thought to create a style that was both uplifting and calm/peaceful. From there a gallon of paint, sorting through what we had and what we needed. We needed a way to house our things without it feeling disorganized and cluttered. For us, this was the most practical way to provide style we enjoy and functional space.
Happy decorating friends. May your style become a beautiful outward expression of you, your loved ones, and your lifestyle!
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