Have you ever wondered what an English country house looks like with all its welcoming layers, soft lighting, gorgeous art, and cozy feel? The rooms seem to tell the story of the people who live there, the trips they’ve taken, their family memories, and special occasions in life.
This is what it’s all about. It’s more than just decorating. It’s creating a home that tells the story of your life and the life of your family. This is a beautiful concept and at its core is a celebration of life and what God has given us. It’s about graduations, engagements, weddings, births, birthdays and the everyday of loving and serving the wonderful people in your life. We can all create a home like this. Let me share a little bit of our story with you…
Most of you have seen this side of the living room. That ugly couch makes me smile! What a YouTube controversy when we finished a living room renovation and didn’t get rid of that dilapidated couch! This is part of our story. We didn’t have the money (or desire) to buy a new couch, so we focused on improving other parts of the room. We replaced the old bookshelves, stripped the 80s wallpaper, removed the shiny popcorn, refinished the walls, painted, and rearranged the furniture.
Fourteen months later, this English roll-arm sofa showed up on the Marketplace for $85. It met all of Matt’s and our guests’ criteria for functionality, and all of my design criteria, plus it was comfortably within our budget. Not a piece you see in many homes, it was unique, well-made, and fit our style. Now, looking at this “new” sofa makes me smile for other reasons. I knew we would eventually get rid of the ugly, monstrous sofa, but not until the time was right. It was worth the wait. The curved side table to the left of the sofa also makes me smile. We bought it at an antiques store years ago to hold Matt’s fish tank. The fish tank was much too big and heavy for this piece, so it was a side table in the living room and a side table in the guest room and our master bedroom.
Decorating a home is not easy, and telling a story takes time.
This sofa has a fun story, too. I went to my first estate sale and this sofa caught my eye. It was $70, which was a lot for us (at the time), so I hesitated. But it was the perfect size for our living room, had a high-quality wool upholstery in a pattern that didn’t bother me, and had gorgeous wooden legs on brass casters. The funny part came when we got to the car and tried to cram it into the back seat. It took a few tries, but we did it!
“I don’t like to decorate my home according to the latest fashions. Without accessories, the lifestyle disappears. If it’s the right thing, it’s the right thing. It’s part of the personality.” ~ Sue Jones
In this corner of the living room is a winged ottoman that was a wedding gift from Matt’s grandparents. It’s one of two and so comfy! Matt remembers having them at Mimi and Papa’s house all the years he was growing up. The sturdy brass lamp, which I discovered on Marketplace, marked the beginning of my love for classic brass lamps. The shade is an Indian block print and the first no-sew pleated shade I ever made. The bold blue and white ginger jar on the mantel was a gift from a friend…these are the things we use and enjoy every day, and they make up the story of our home. It’s these personal items in a home that tell the story of the people who live there.
“You can’t just look at a blank canvas and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to decorate this room.’ You can put in the basics, but it will never feel like anything until the owner, the occupant, adds all the little treasures of his memories.” ~ Penny Morrison
“I think when I walk into someone’s home, the home I like best is the one where I don’t know where anything comes from. I don’t want to be able to say, ‘Oh, that fabric came from there, that lamp came from there.’ It’s where every piece in the room tells a story. That’s what makes a room interesting. It’s not the things that are there to decorate the room, they’re there to remind the occupants of happy little memories from their past.” ~ Penny Morrison
I can relate to this feeling! I have been to homes that were “store-bought.” These homes tell a story of conveyor belts and mass-produced, generic decor. The feeling is impersonal and doesn’t share much information about the family that lives there. It’s the treasures you’ve found, made, or received from others that begin to add the rich layers to the old home, your story.
With these ideas in mind for creating a beautiful “historical” look in our homes, let me encourage you to use your favorite color ~ even if it’s not in fashion, hang that random painting from your great aunt, display family photos and your seashell collection from your last vacation. These are parts of your history and add so much richness to your home.
I recently hung a gallery wall of an English country house from the crown frame to where there would have been a chair railing and the collection is full of memories. This collection greets me every time I step in the front door and I feel like I am in “home”.
My friend, I hope this post has encouraged you to love your home and live in it to the fullest! Decorate your home to suit your “taste” and history. See you next time,
Takes care,
Rachel
