Keeping on design
It’s easy to get off track in design when bombarded with other people’s ideas/images on Instagram. We’ve been in our rental a year next month and I’ve been looking around at my choices and feeling like I’ve lost sight of The Big Picture. Decorating requires a massive amount of patience. Saving money for big investment pieces. Waiting on purchases to come in. Waiting on finding just the right piece! Oh my gosh. It actually keeps me up at night - planning this place. I want to make sure I’m choosing what I like/ want and that I’m not influenced by what’s currently trending on social media.
Today I’m revisiting my original inspiration board in order to make adjustments as needed. What is the story of our home? What is my story? Jason’s story? Our combined love tale? I want our house to speak to travels and collections, to our good taste and our eye for art. I want the story to be that we are eclectic and like to have a good time. I float about in oversized dresses while Jason mixes cocktails. Our home is comfortable and inviting but not utilitarian or tacky.
Color palette:
I love the blue in these images and we don’t have any blue in our home! Blue is my favorite color! It’s the color of the sky and the ocean. How can I incorporate more blue? Pillows on the sofa? A blue painted door? Blue upholstery? Blue mementos/sculpture?
Marble is always nice. I especially like unexpected stones that aren’t plain white (snore). We are currently on the hunt at the local stone yards to find a remnant to place on top of the living room radiator. It’s good to refer back to your design when you’re looking at these investments to make sure you’re staying true to your vision and spending money wisely. This stone will follow us into our next home! I would really like to find or make a large marble mirror with lots of veining for the dining room. I think it would look great and balance out our antique table.
In the living room, we have a healthy dose of green all over the walls, but I would like to see other colors and textures woven through the house in fabrics. When you buy furniture online your home can feel a little flat. I’m definitely working on adding patterns where I can since our furniture isn’t custom. The fabric on the chair above is out of our price range ($255/yard), but I found a comparable design online. Again, waiting on samples! The agony.
Tip: Reverse image search the fabric you like and similar patterns in all price ranges will pop up.
Lighting:
Have I considered all our lighting needs?
I want a lot of different styles of fixtures, but they all tell the same collected story. Rattan lamps, Murano glass sconces, plaster and chrome fixtures, and vintage flush mounts. In her book, The Interior Design Handbook, Frida Ramstedt says “A good start to every room is having at least 5-7 lighting points.” In our tiny home, I feel like that could get a bit overwhelming, but we do want to create mood, have lamps for reading, light for drama and shadow casting, lighting for romance and conversation, etc. If a table is near another piece of furniture (chair, bed, sofa), it’s a good spot for a lamp!
Lighting and Color Plan
In the Living Room: Need a lamp or a sconce in the corner by chair. Need to incorporate more rust, blue, lavender, texture, and pattern with fabric and art.
In the Dining Room: 3 wall chrome sconces to light the entire space evenly. We need a rug to ground the space. We need a large painting on the wall and a marble mirror to reflect light and feel expansive. Switch out the curtain rods for French return rods and eventually upgrade the drapes.
In the Bedroom: We need an overhead light and 2 bedside lamps. A custom wall-to-wall headboard with built-in nightstands, new bedding, a rug, and custom valence window treatments. Would also like a French burl wood dresser/commode and a mirror above. Plus art!
Building a home takes a lifetime and we’re only one year in! I have to remind myself that we’re on no one’s schedule and are arriving right on time.
All pins can be found on my Pinterest.
