Have you ever wondered how the English country house looks with all the welcoming layers, soft lighting, fabulous art, and that cozy, worn-in feeling can be attained? The rooms seem to tell a story of the people who live there, the travels they’ve taken, their family memories, and the special occasions of life.
This is just it. It is much more than decorating. It is creating a home that tells the story of your life and the lives of your family. This concept is a lovely one and has the celebration of life and what we’ve been given at its core. It’s about the graduations, engagements, weddings, births, birthdays, and just the everydayness of loving and serving the wonderful people in your life. And we all can create a home like that. Let me share a bit of our story with you…
Most of you have seen this side of the living room. That hideous couch makes me grin! What a controversy it created on YouTube when we concluded a phase of the living room remodel and didn’t rid ourselves of this overbaked potato of a couch! This is part of our story. We didn’t have the money (or inclination) to buy a new couch so we focused on improving other parts of the room. We replaced the dated spindle bookcases, stripped wallpaper from the 80s, removed glittery popcorn, smoothed walls, painted, and rearranged the furniture.
Fourteen months later this English rolled-arm sofa appeared on Marketplace for $85. It ticked the functionality boxes for Matt and our guests, and all the design boxes for me, plus it was comfortably within our budget. It isn’t a piece you’d see in many homes, it’s unique, well-made, and suits our style. Now, looking at this “new” sofa makes me grin for other reasons. I knew we’d eventually get rid of the monstrous ugly couch, but not until the time was right. It was worth the wait. The curvy harp side table to the left of the sofa also makes me smile. We picked it up at an antique shop years ago to be a stand for Matt’s aquarium. The aquarium was much larger and top-heavy for this piece, so it has been an end table in the living room and a side table in both the guest bedroom and our master bedroom.
Decorating is not a marathon to the finish and then you’re done. Telling a story takes time.
This ottoman also has a fun story. We popped into my first estate sale and this ottoman caught my eye. It was $70, which (at the time) was a bit much for us, so I hesitated. But it was the perfect size for our living room, the upholstery was a quality wool in a pattern I didn’t mind and it had fabulous wooden turned legs on brass casters. The funny part came when we got to the car and tried to stuff it into the back seat. It took several attempts, but we did it!
“I don’t like to decorate on-trend. Without the accessories, the lifestyle would disappear. If it’s the right thing, it’s the right thing. It’s part of the character.” ~ Sue Jones
In this corner of the living room, stands a wingback that was a wedding gift from Matt’s grandparents. It is one of a pair and so very comfortable! Matt remembers them being in MiMi and PaPa’s house all the years he was growing up. The stout brass lamp I discovered on Marketplace, and marks the beginning of my love for classic brass lamps. The shade is an Indian block print and the first no-sew pleated shade I’ve made. The bold blue and white ginger jar on the hearth was a gift from a friend… These objects we use and enjoy daily, and make up the story of our home. It is these personal objects in a home that tell the story of the people who live there.
“You can’t just look at a blank canvas and say: ‘Right, I’m going to decorate this room’, you can put the basics in, but it never looks like anything until the owner, the occupant has added all their little memory treasures.” ~ Penny Morrison
“I think that when I walk into someone’s house, the house I like most is where I don’t know where anything comes from. I don’t want to be able to say: ‘Oh, that fabric came from there, and that lamp came from there.’ It’s where every item in the room tells a story. That’s what makes a room so interesting, it’s not things that were put there to decorate the room, they’re put there to remind the occupants of life’s little happy memories from their past.” ~ Penny Morrison
I can relate to this sentiment! I’ve been in houses that were (name your big box store) homes. These homes tell the story of conveyor belt, and mass-produced, common-place decor. The feeling is impersonal and shares little about the family living there. It is the treasures you’ve found, made, or been given by others that begin to add the rich layers of a storied home, your story.
With these ideas in mind for creating that lovely “storied” look in our homes let me encourage you to use your favorite color ~ even if it’s not on-trend, hang the random painting from your great-aunt, and display family photographs, and the shell collection from your last vacation. These are bits of your history and add such richness to your home.
Recently, I hung an English country house gallery wall from the crown molding to where a chair rail would be and the collection was full of memories. This collection greets me every time I step in the front door and the feeling of being “home” is there.
Friend, I hope this post has encouraged you to love and live in your home to the hilt! Decorate with your “taste” and your history. Until next time,
Take care,
Rachel