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8.13.2012

D is for...

{part 4 in the abc's series. Click here for the backstory!}

DESIGN TIP!
Your home should express your personality
{and what does that REALLY mean anyway}

Most people seem to know that our homes should express our personality. That idea has been around for a long time now. In fact, I sometimes I feel like it is an overused concept so I hesitate to use the phrase too much. Yet it's something we still can struggle with, even when we know it is something important!

So let’s think about what ‘express your personality’ means, really, and how do we do it?  If we aspire to make our home look exactly like a store catalog we love, does that mean we have ‘expressed our personality’ because we happen to love Pottery Barn catalogs? I mean, I do love Pottery Barn (I think they're brilliant as a matter of fact), but do I really want people to come in and say, “wow your home looks just like a {insert store name} catalog!”? Hmmmm. That would disturb me a bit. Just sayin’. But maybe that is just me.
{these are part of my personal collection, AND my personal style, and I've used them at least 3 different ways, both at home and at pberry's!}
To make our home a true reflection of who we really are, we should be striving to have a unique collection / selection of "things" or "stuff", as I like to call it, that other people couldn’t possibly have because we found them in a thousand different places and moments in time.  Life is not lived in a day. You could buy everything in the Pottery Barn catalog in one day, if you wanted to. Instant Decor. And none of it would say much about who YOU are. Enough said. Disclaimer: Nothing personal against Pottery Barn lovers or Pottery Barn catalogs. I love many things in their catalog and find it quite inspiring as a resource. It is just an illustration.


{taupe, my favorite color...or so it seems!}
I love a home that is filled with things that are basically snapshots of a person’s life. By looking at their accessories you see a part of who they are, their "stuff" tells a story! I get that feeling at Anthropologie, like someone has traveled the world and collected a variety of things they found interesting, humorous, or meaningful. The modern, the quirky, the reinvented, the antique and the memorable — all happily coexisting in one personality-filled room. I try to emulate that, somewhat, at pepperberry's, not gonna lie, just on a smaller scale...and budget! Pinterest is also a wonderful tool to hone in on your style...or at least daydream! I think a lot of you have been *pinning* {I have several boards started if you'd like to follow...not under pberry's...search for me under: Laurie Weingartner.}.  If you're a pinner, you may find it interesting to step back and look at a whole board that you've created.  What's the common element?  I just did that with my "Spaces to love" board, and the first thing that jumps out at me is that my *pinnings* are all in the same colorways!  I'll bet yours are too! 


If you really struggle with expressing your own personality in your decor, it might mean you are not fully embracing your own uniqueness. What makes you YOU? I can’t truly have a unique style if I don’t really know who I am and what I have loved about life. Our personality at home will flow out of our life experiences. You can’t really copy that. Keep in mind though, that your personality is as broad as the ocean, and as high as the highest mountain, code for: mix it up! You don't have to commit to just one facet of YOU. Embrace it all!


{a partial view of my sunroom, where I am when I'm working from home...it's sometimes a little too "put together" for me, other times, just lovely...and I'm ok with that...except, I need to change out that floor lamp....asap.}
photo courtesy of Susan W. Patton Photography
 What ways could you break out of the cookie cutter, predictable and expected decor? Find unique ways to express your life through your accessories. It is OK to have some good basic or classic pieces, but what unique things can you add to make a personal statement and CLAIM YOUR SPACE?

{one of my favorite accessories, this bench claimed my heart! Shown here on the "sales floor" at Terrain, the greenhouse owned by Anthropologie, in Glen Mills, PA.. I knew I had to have it!  You've seen it at pberry's, and it's NOT FOR SALE! It has a story, it REPRESENTS something to me...I'll be happy to tell you the story if you want to know, it's not a secret, just a little lengthy to post here!}

{...and here it is on my deck, flanked by the Rosemary topiaries we used on the tables at my daughter's wedding... that I re-potted in my footed wire moss-lined pots from another one of my favorite shops, pepperberry's! Get it? Everything has a story!}


So, you see,  it's all about the accessories, aka: STUFF!  The rule of thumb is: if you love it {if it "speaks" to you, for whatever reason}, and you can afford it, buy it.  Even if you don't know where you'll use it, or maybe, especially if you don't know where you'll use it, but you have to have it! It's not a "do it in a day" kind of thing, it's a journey. If you follow this rule, you will be able to move items from one room to another, and they will work, because your style and taste will consistently REFLECT YOU!  The Exception: if you're really just starting out, I recommend, starting in one room and FINISHING it, at least for the time being, even if you have to pull *stuff* from other rooms. You can change it up later, but having one room completely done will inspire you and motivate you to move on to others as you build your collection.

P.S.:  I TOTALLY believe in furnishing and accessorizing outside spaces too...just in case you aren't overwhelmed enough! 

to be continued...

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