Looking back at some photos of mine taken in my home when my children were small. Those were the days of colored carpeting, wallpaper, full wall brick fireplaces and large family gatherings.
We decorated this room in Waverly Prints, from the sofa to the drapes and the wallpaper. Coordinated fabrics from the same family of prints.
My oldest daughter, Tina in the middle in the photo above, recently said on facebook after viewing these photos, “Thank you Mom for making such a wonderful ‘home’ for us!”
Are we TOO concerned these days about being all the same? Treating our “homes” like “assets” vs a unique environment for our families?
All too often when I look at homes with clients they all blend together into one repetitive theme of BORING, same…same…same.
Waverly is still around…and you can get contemporary themes like the one above. But you are more likely to find that in a coffee shop than a home. A little sad really.
I’m not suggesting everyone should run out and buy wallpaper and dark blue carpet. 🙂
But being a bit BOLD and allowing your personality to shine through your home’s decor is long overdue.
It gets a bit dreary in Seattle, so in the photo above I blended splashes of color with the white overall brightness. If you are one of those people who complains a LOT about the lack of sun in Seattle. You might want to reconsider your choices of interior decor.
Do you have a bit of brightness when you come home each day? Or is your decor adding to the depressing grayness outside?
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It’s a lot easier to be bold with paint colors…though I don’t suggest you be quite as bold as I am. Not too many people would have Grinch style CLAWS on their coffee table.
Given most people are buying their homes today with the intention of  living in them for at least 7 to 10 years…maybe it’s time for “personalizing” your homes to make a comeback!
Make a nice “home” for your family. Make a Happy Home to come home too. Style trends are so One Size Fits All Neutral. Â Reach inside for what YOU like when decorating your home vs what everyone else’s home looks like, or what the magazines say you SHOULD do.
Let’s go back to “Home Sweet Home”. What does your “home” say about you?
Hi Ardell –
Your photos definitely bring back memories! I think my sister had the same wallpaper as in your first photo, and the brick wall in the 3rd one is very familiar too. That photo looks a lot like my “Men watching football after large family Thanksgiving dinner, and trying not to fall into after-dinner coma!”
I agree that it is time to get back to decorating to please your own taste, instead of always worrying about pleasing the next buyer!
You hit that nail on the head, Vicki. Yes…”men watching football after large family Thanksgiving dinner”, it was. I swear I never had a plaid chair like that though. Pop-Pop must have brought his own “favorite chair” with him. 🙂
I have so many ideas for personalizing my home…. I can’t wait till I own one, one day =) It will definitely be bold – if I have the guts to go through with what’s in my head =)
I hadn’t seen an “Ardell Post” in a while.
I’m glad to see she’s back in good form.
I put one up with my girls in it. 🙂 I’ve been missing them. Will be seeing them all near Thanksgiving, but that seems ages away. So I revisited a Thanksgiving from 23 years ago via those photos to hold me over in the meantime.
I like to decorate my house so it is comfortable and happy. If that follows trends then great… if not oh well! Great article thanks for sharing!