Adventures in Decorating, by Guest Blogger Laurie's Mom

Although this post written by my Mom is slightly off my usual topic of decorating a stylish, casual and healthy family home, I loved it so much I decided to use it anyway. Mom breaks down so well how simple and pleasant decorating can be when you take the time to understand what you really want and like before you go shopping. And we working Moms with family homes to decorate can always use advice on how to keep things simple and pleasant. While the content below applies to her empty nest, it could easily apply to any home. Good job Mom!

Daughter Knows Best

Now that I am a senior, I am beginning to understand why old people’s houses can look dated. I can get through most of my life easily without help from anyone, but I am finding that decisions I used to make at the drop of a hat are becoming a chore so I just don’t change things. The world seems to move faster these days.
A good example would be my living room furniture. Laurie’s dad and I are fortunate to live in a home we have recently built so the structure itself is shiny and new with all the latest gadgets. After living in our home for a few years we have all the decorating and landscaping done. Recently I stood back and looked at the contents with a new eye and my daughter’s words rang in my ear: "Mom, you need some new furniture." When she first mentioned that I needed furniture, I looked at her with surprise and said "I just got this." To which she replied "Mom, that was 15 years ago." I looked closer and she was right: sun spots on the sofa, saggy cushions, a hem loose here and there.

I did research on the internet and armed with information, Dad and I went shopping. I couldn’t find anything I wanted to buy -- and believe me, I looked. I could always find a reason not to buy: not the right color or style, wasn’t comfortable, not to mention the prices --whew!!! Things change in 15 years. I began to think about reupholsterers. Why not? The furniture I bought 15 years ago was good quality and the style was still somewhat current. It could be like the walls of a house where a new coat of paint can do wonders.

I went to upholstery shops and most of them had approximately a 15” square of fabric that I needed to imagine on my seven-foot sectional. My imagination doesn’t stretch that far. When I asked for a sample to take home to see how it looked in the light of my living room, I ended up with a 1” x 2” rectangle cut from the bolt. But I kept trying to get it right and finally I thought I had it. Laurie was coming to town and I wanted to show her my finds. I knew she would love my ideas as much as I did. When I showed her what I planned to do, she said "Mom, look at this -- everything is the same color." I hadn’t noticed that before. The fabrics were all different from each other, but they were from the same color family and that color family was the same color as all the wood in our house.

Laurie gave me the following advice:

Look through magazines and pull out pictures of things you like. It doesn’t matter what the subject of the picture is: clothes, furniture, linens, gardens, fabric, bath, on and on.

Once you have a pile of pictures, prioritize them from “I like the least” to “I like the most."

Discard half of the pile that contains “I like the least” and some of the “I like the most” sections leaving you with the cream of the crop.

Look at the remaining photos and see if you can find a common theme and that will lead you to the color palette you probably will like the most. Laurie so wisely pointed out we needed to find out what I liked, not what she liked.

Once we figured out my color palette, which I previously didn’t know I had, Laurie and I went shopping. I found a fabric I really liked and then the work began. We used that as the focus fabric and chose fabrics that went with it. The different textures, patterns and colors all work great together. I love my “new furniture” and I didn’t add anything to the earth’s landfills in the process. I still have the comfort the old stuff with a new look.

I’m moving on to other things in my life that “date” me. Next on my list is my haircut -- same style for 20 years.

Laurie, get ready. I am gathering pictures and I will need your help!

Print this post