UncategorizedThe Three Lives of Our Mudroom October 23, 2014 It’s really comical how much things change around here. I think some of it is the nature of my job. You guys don’t want to see the same spaces the same way over and over. And I definitely use that as my excuse for changing things up. But if I’m really honest with myself, I think some of it is in my nature. I love to design. I get so excited about a new idea, but in six months, that idea isn’t new anymore and I’m on to anther exciting new idea. Some things I continue to love and stay the same, but it’s always changing. Lately, I’ve seen this play out in our mudroom. When I first revealed our mudroom last year, it looked like this. I look back at these photos and I still love it. I love the purple patterned bench and how it mixes with the pillows. But while I love looking at these pictures and they still really appeal to me, life with this purple bench got old. After nearly a year of living with this purple (which is not a color I’m usually drawn to), I was styling the house for fall and thought, “The purple has got to go.” This fall, I threw a quilt neatly over the bench so that it sort of looked covered. I didn’t want to reupholster it with the quilt because this is an old, old family quilt and couldn’t mess it up. You can see more about this phase of our mudroom here. But this was just the change I needed. I loved it. It felt cabin cozy, just in time for fall. Well, literally, just a few weeks later, it was time to style this area for the Harvest Challenge. As you already know, it changed again. The quilt didn’t feel quite right with my overall color scheme and theme, so away it went and I covered the bench in some nice wool plaid. Blue and red played a big role in this challenge for me, so I used that to inspire this little area. My favorite overdyed Persian got moved in and some new kilim pillows from Home Decorators (here and here) polished it off. I loved the change when I did it, but now looking back, I love all three phases of our mudroom in this last year! The most reader questions I get have to do with finding your style. How do I know when I REALLY love something and always will? How do I know when a room is JUST RIGHT? The funny thing is that my answer would be you won’t know. It’ll never be just right FOREVER. There is no doubt I am a perfectionist and am always seeking the PERFECT combination of colors, patterns, and style for a room, but what I’m finally realizing is that I’m never going to find it. I will find just what I love for right now, but it will eventually change and that’s okay. It’s really amazing the pressure I put on myself to get my home exactly “right”. Sometimes it’s motivated by what others will think, sadly, but often, it is totally self-motivated. This is my love and I live and breathe it. But oh how it takes the pressure off when you just re-style, re-vamp, and use what you have getting it PERFECT for RIGHT NOW. Then, enjoy it. Take a deep breath. And if you’re like me, six months later (or one), style it again. Nothing is permanent. We can always change it up. It’s funny to me looking at how things change in our home to realize that readers ask me questions like that. I don’t have it all figured out. But I can say, do what you love. Go with your gut. And be okay when it’s time to change. Gracie agrees. Change is always good. Especially when it means more rugs to lay on. *** Check out our most popular topics: Subscribe to our daily feed to make sure you don’t miss any Daily Doses of Style!
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says October 23, 2014 at 11:19 am I love all three, but I really love the quilt. Looks so cozy and inviting. Reply
Beth says October 23, 2014 at 8:36 pm I think the very first post I read of yours was your purple bench post! I loved the room then and love it now! Reply
Emma says October 23, 2014 at 10:56 pm can you seriously come decorate my house! I love your style and how you mix so many patterns! I have tried to mix patterns like that but I just have the hardest time! Reply
Kelly | This Old Colonial Home says October 24, 2014 at 9:58 am All three styles are lovely! I really like your sentiment about getting it ‘perfect for right now.’ My tastes change so often that by the time I finally “finish” a room, I want to switch it up again. Thanks for the reminder that that’s okay and that change is good. Reply
Abby says October 27, 2014 at 3:33 pm I love the red/blue Persian rug; where did you get it? (I checked your house source list and didn’t see it, but I apologize if you already provided that information somewhere and I just missed it!) Reply
Lindsay says October 28, 2014 at 8:16 am Hi Abby! It’s from eBay 🙂 They have a great selection of Persian and kilims and if you watch, you can find a really great price! Reply
kimberly says November 5, 2014 at 7:44 pm I love your giant ceramic pumpkin lantern. Where did you get it? Reply
Endless August says December 29, 2014 at 1:25 pm Love the revamp! Where did that awesome rug come from!?! Reply