About a year ago, my sweet mother-in-law came over for a visit. I remember that when she came into the house, she said “Did you leave those shoes there on purpose?” I had taken off a pair of my favorite ballet-style shoes while I was sitting in the living room reading, and had left them there on the floor in front of the sofa with a coffee cup and book open on the coffee table. I asked her what she meant, and she responded that it looked too pretty to be real, like it was “staged” that way. I told her it wasn’t “staged” and laughed, but I’ve thought about that a lot since then.
Live Pretty!
William Morris said, “Have nothing in your home that you don’t believe to be beautiful or know to be useful.” I think that the most beautiful way to live in a home is to fill it with things you love and to actually use those things fully. Use your good china, don’t store away the “good” stuff. Line your drawers with vintage wallpaper samples or pretty paper liners so they make you smile when you open them. Paint the interior of your closets a lovely color. Buy functional items that appeal to you visually, not just functionally.
Vintage Wallpaper Samples
I walked into my bedroom a couple of weeks ago and noticed my unmade bed. I loved the way it looked and snapped a photo. I have very inexpensive bedding (coverlet from TJ Maxx and sheets from Target), but I love the way it looks even when it’s unmade.
Don’t you want to love the way your home looks even when your bed is unmade or your shoes are scattered on the floor? That’s the true beauty of living with what you love.
LOVE the idea of the wallpaper in drawers – so much more fun than contact paper! And while I *might* like the look of my bed unmade, I’m not going to let the hubs in on that little secret 🙂
Love your bedding!!! I just bought a couple of old vintage wallpaper books off ebay to line some of my drawers too… XoXo
Kristie, I totally love this article! You have said it all and said it perfectly… ‘The Secret of Freshening Up Your Bedroom’ post was the first of your articles I read – I’ve never looked back since, and wish I had discovered you sooner! Thank you for always having something awesome to say 🙂
thank you so much, sheila! you are such a dear!
I totally love having things picked up and the bed made. 🙂 I’m a weirdo, but I DO love your unmade bed… mine just doesn’t look that way in the morning! LOL
BUT, I do agree with the philosophy of having only purposeful/useful things in your home that are beautiful. It only makes sense that a home be beautiful AND functional!
Kristie, what a delightful post, you are the master bloggista! So enjoy it and I agree 1000000%!
Hi Kristie..I love those ideas and the thought of making the most of what we live with too. We all have beds and closets and making them more beautiful with what we have or need to buy is a real ‘bloom where you’re planted’ idea to me!
I always use wallpaper or other pretty paper to line my shelves too! Great minds think alike! Is that your glass with the ‘K’ next to the bed? Your bedroom looks so pretty!
Yes, that is my K cup!
Good morning, Kristie!,
Great ideas! And I love the bedroom! Since I love “balanced” (I’m sure the books have a better word for it) furnishing arrangements, this is a winner! The matching lamps are perfect along with the plates hung, cream colored walls and matching drapes…nothing’s shouting to be noticed. Lovely!
I do use my Grande Baroque sterling (same as my mom’s pattern) for every day. Some of the spoons look like the kids used them for purposes besides eating their porridge! It’s been going through the dishwasher now, for nearly 15 years. Maybe someday, I’ll need to get the set re-silvered (another technical term) but for now, I am happy every time I open the drawer…lots of other times too!
Cheers!,
Barbara
One other thing I forgot to mention that I’m sure you’re wondering about…I feel best when I make the bed. It gives me the illusion that everything in my life is just right…sort of like showering and putting makeup on. My 85 year old aunt in Chicago is up at 5:30 each morning, dressed with all her jewelry and makeup, bed made, coffee in hand and ready for daily mass at 7 a.m. She no longer has her 4 kids to chase after, but enough said!
Love this post Kristie. As a serial yard Sale/Flea market girl I am constantly editing out the old to replace with the new. I have to keep asking myself, do I absolutely love it still..if not, out it goes. Of course my bed is hardly ever made due to the fact that my very spoiled dog rips the bed apart during the day to make a nest with the covers so he is oh so comfortable!
I love this idea of “staging” your home with things you love and use. It bothers me when staged homes look like they’re full of very pretty, but useless, decorative objects that have no personal meaning.
You might like these articles by Jess of MakeunderMyLife. She talks about using beautiful objects to hide clutter, and she does it sooo well!
http://makeundermylife.com/clutter-free-living-part-one/
thank you, kelley – what a great site!!! glad you shared it with us 🙂
Glad you liked it!