Today I am so excited to introduce you to my friend Carrie. She is a blog friend. No wait… she is more than a blog friend… she is a friend friend!

You know. The kind of awesome friend who sends you emails like this:

“Darlene, crazy question. For some reason these candlesticks reminded me of you, they are $5 at the local Restore (maybe it’s the color, I see that a lot in your boards). Do they interest you at all? Let me know – I am happy to grab them and bring them along if you think you or a client would like them.”

 

Seriously. How thoughtful is that??? I am so honored to know this sweet and genuine girl. And I am so thrilled that she is sharing a guest post with you today. You will love what she has to share with you today {she certainly has me blushing. You are way too kind, Carrie!}. Thank you for sharing your insights with us, Carrie!!

 

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Ever have something finally click, and it’s pretty life changing?

Sometimes you can hear advice all day long, and for a multitude of reasons not have it sink into your mind the right way.  And then along comes one little word, and BOOM– epiphany!

That’s what recently happened to me.  I’d been struggling to create a home I really loved.  Reading the Overcoming Decorating Paralysis series on Fieldstone Hill was liberating… I could do this, I knew I could!  And yet for some reason I still I couldn’t make the jump to buy pieces I loved.  That’s when Darlene’s Defining Personal Style series came in and rocked my world.  Finally!  I had a list of words to describe what I loved, and more importantly, what I didn’t love and needed to avoid.

And yet, I still couldn’t take that first step.  Something was holding me back.

AH, then came the Design Studio session that Darlene was a part of at the Haven Conference.  And Darlene mentioned one word that changed my life: SEASONS.  As in, seasons of your life… and decorating your home to embrace those seasons.

I realized in order to design a home that made my heart sing, I needed to combine what I loved, what fit our life now, and my personal style. Now I’m finally on that road, thanks to one little yet empowering word:  We are all in different seasons.  You can design to your heart’s content, but if it doesn’t match the place where you are now in your life then it won’t work, which won’t make you happy.  And ‘home’ is all about having your heart smile when you walk through that front door.

For years I’ve coveted that “House Beautiful” look where everything
is high style, dramatic, balanced, unique.  In last month’s issues alone
I counted five ceramic garden stools and about 3,482 blue and white
ginger jars.

Do you know what my kids would do to a ceramic stool and a ginger jar?  We’re talking reducing them to mosaic tiles, people!  We see ginger jars, my kids see bowling pins.

I should clarify– my kids aren’t monsters.  But they are inquisitive young kiddos that love to explore and play.

One of the most important steps in designing for your home is being honest with which season you are currently experiencing.  To which season do you belong– single and sexy?  Young married?  Empty nester?  Or does this one sound familiar– the sippy cup and spilled milk season?  The bobble headed toddler season?  The oops-I-doodled-on-your-Berber-carpet season?

You guessed it.  That last one is my current season.

Right now, I have a 2 year old and a 3 year old (serenity prayers gratefully accepted, please.)  Most of the images in magazines just aren’t attainable right now.  I’m coveting a white tufted tuxedo sofa, but ended up with gray microfiber sectional.  And you know what?  I’m okay with that, once I realized that’s what best matched our current season!  And good thing, too, because the sectional already has been attacked by a pen.  Did you know gray microfiber does a great job of hiding pen marks?  White tuxedo– not so much.

 

Some thinking points to guide you in defining your current season:

What does your life look like now?  

What are your needs as a person, or a family?  

Which areas of your home work well, which need to be improved?  

In which rooms do you spend the most time?

My life right now has two {messy, sweet, creative} little kiddos in it.  We need a space that is open, flexible, childproofed, with lots of storage.  Using the personal words inventory from Fieldstone Hill is really helpful here– what words most describe your life AND your style right now?  And which words don’t?!

Here are a few trends I adore that would not work during this season of our life:

::: You see beautiful white furniture.  My kids see a blank canvas.

::: Ah, high gloss finish, how you draw me in.  But those stairs would be like a skating rink.

::: Barn doors are all the rage.  By the time my kids are old enough to handle not swinging from them, they’ll be old news.

::: Ceramic garden stools, or very fragile drums?  Depends which season you are in.  I don’t even want to think about how my kids would repurpose those stools…  let alone what they’d do to that giant clam shell.

::: Displaying a large collection– two words: dusting. nightmare.

::: Mirrored furniture.  Need I say more?

Now we know what won’t work, I need to define what will:

::: This bedroom exemplifies our style in this particular season.  Soft
surfaces.  Lively.  Livable.  Washable.  Beautiful breakable things out
of reach.  Did I mention soft surfaces?

::: Another master bedroom– very relaxing, very beautiful.  Very childproof!

::: Add in a few booster seats and scotchguard the chairs, and this eat-in area is beautiful yet family friendly.

This kitchen from 320 Sycamore is gorgeous.  Plus displaying breakables out of reach?  Perfection!

Rumor has it this sippy cup season will be so much shorter than I expect.  I’ll be
getting that white tuxedo couch way sooner that I’d like, I’m sure.  At
least that’s what the experienced parents tell this tired mama.  On that note, it’s important to anticipate future seasons when designing for the long-term or making major purchases.  Here’s some guiding questions to get you thinking:

 

What do you anticipate your life looking like in 5 years?

Will you be living in this home in 5 years?

What major projects will you complete now that need to also fit your life later?

These built-in shelves on this island are a perfect example of long-term designing for seasons.  Displaying ceramics is a beautiful way to show off your collection– when you don’t have little kids, that is.  In our home this might store a basket of toys and some favorite books.  For school aged kids, baskets with school supplies for a homework station would fit that family’s needs.  And later on?  Ceramics all the way!

This sectional is similar to our gray microfiber model.  See, it can be useful now and perhaps even beautiful later!

In summary (for you skimmers among us), here’s some tips for designing for the seasons of your life:

* what season you are in currently, what words describe it?

* what season do you anticipate entering next?

* which words describe your personal style?  Which do you need to avoid?

* what are the non-negotiables?

* what do you need to embrace in this season of your life?

And remember: 

* Always buy what you LOVE, but sometimes that piece may be something you need to love now, for this season.  Gray microfiber, for example.

* A good motto is to buy less things, but better things.  Put your money where your heart is!

Thanks to Darlene’s amazing blog, I’m embracing my epiphany regarding
how to create the home I love through designing for the seasons in my
life.  Someday I may have that white tuxedo sofa.  Just in time for grandkids, I’m sure!

 

Carrie Higgins is the chief lemon-squeezer over at the blog Making Lemonade, which she began after her daughter suffered a traumatic birth and she needed to make lemonade out of some pretty sour lemons.  While her motto is ‘helping you live a lovely life, for less’ by sharing DIY projects, organizing ideas, healthy recipes and more… her passion is interior design, perhaps to be explored in an upcoming season.  Journey along together on Facebook, Twitter, and of course the lovely Pinterest.

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Thank you SO much, Carrie, for your great thoughts on decorating with the seasons of life in mind. It is SUCH a helpful way to look at things, and also to transform your home in beautiful AND practical ways.

 

 

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