TBT: Living Room Summer 2012

Hi everyone,

I decided to do a little Turn Back Thursday and take a look at our living room a few years back.  Interestingly, many things have stayed the same.

I still have most of the accessories, although they have been moved here, there, and everywhere many times over.  I still have the curtains panels - still love them every single day!

The sofa and settee have stayed the same - they were brand spankin' new in these pictures.  I still love them every day also!  I was pretty scared about going from a neutral, solid color sofa and loveseat to a very colorful and multi patterned grouping.  But I don't for one minute regret it - it makes me happy every time I walk into the room!

The seagrass baskets have moved off into storage land, along with the chair.  We also replaced the berber carpet with gorgeous laminate (yes, laminate can be gorgeous!) shortly after this picture was taken.  Another change that has occurred, our sweet, little Barker - shown lounging above - passed in April of this year.  We miss him terribly, but are grateful for his years of faithful friendship!

Anyway, in a house where things seem to change a lot, I am actually shocked at how much has stayed the same in this room. Of course, the pillows and accessories revolve and evolve constantly, but I am so happy that the key pieces -the pieces that can't easily be changed - are still making my heart go pitty pat.  For many years prior to this, I was not decorating true to my taste - I had a purple phase, a sage phase, a turquoise flirtation - trying to convince my self that this was more "in," more the latest and the greatest.  But those looks weren't me. Not. At. All.  In fact, for awhile I was in a decorating drought.  A slump.  Decorating my home, being in my home was no longer fun.  That's when I had an epiphany and told myself to be honest in my decorating and in my style. I chose the colors and things that I was attracted to. For me and for my family.  Not someone else.  And suddenly, it was fun to decorate again! My house was energized and had personality again.  The creativity was kick started  and the thing I loved to do - decorating my home - had fallen back into my lap.

So lesson learned: be true to your style, your color palette, etc.  Be open to new additions, but only if YOU like them - not because it is what every one else is doing or what is being shown in the magazines.  If you stay true to what you love, you will have no problem infusing a vitality and current sensibility to your style.
Trust me!!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane