Finding Style

Well this past year has been a doozy. Adding one more baby to the mix definitely bumped up the activity around these parts. Moving into a new home has offered new challenges too, as well as alleviating old ones. About a year ago we moved about 30 minutes outside of the city into a much larger home with a much, much larger outdoor property. It has been great for the kids to run around free and explore the area without us parents having to worry about them running into a busy street (which we faced our former beloved city home). Finding our style has been a challenge though.

We basically moved our "stuff" in and unpacked (mostly) but haven't had or taken the time to create style in our surroundings. The Hubs really doesn't put much weight into designing his surroundings, he is fully focused in the studio and that is how he exhales his creativity. I however, like to get creative and dream up different ways of decorating our home. It's just my thing and quite possibly when the kids are in school full time and I can get back to painting as well; what my home looks like won't matter to me. Perhaps when I get back into painting, I can feel creatively satisfied that way, but for now my home is my palette and I'm lacking tools. Wallpaper needs to be removed, atriums landscaped, lighting and sound system installed, carpet removed, colored applied. And then there's the furniture.

Our former home was a 1912 craftsman and we purchased furnishings to blend in well with that style. Our new home is a 1970's ranch and I would love to indulge in a few late MCM pieces that showcase some of the home's features. I find design inspiration in the peace and calm of my friend Jora's home. I love that I always feel so relaxed when I visit with her. Another source of design inspiration is my mom, Bette. She has the most amazing way of finding pieces that complement one another but have nothing in common. Her style is artistic, eclectic and creative yet refined. I love my mother's eye for design and I wish I had that gene. Seriously, her home could be in magazines.

My goal for future home design is that our place would be streamlined, stylish, reflective of our personality, comfortable and most importantly to this mom of three...clutter-free!

I'll keep you posted.