Getting Started

There are so many little things I want to do around our house, however, I have been on a massive debt reduction plan for the past two years. Almost nothing has been purchased that is nonessential. I am beginning to see the light at the end of this very long tunnel, and can't wait to have a little extra spending money for decorating the house!

Here are some photos of the house as it has evolved since we moved in. Please overlook the mess that comes along with living with adventurous, imaginative little people.  :)

This photo is from the end of our first year in our new house. We received the big brown sofa from a colleague whose husband's parents had received it as a wedding gift. It is vintage! This couch is now against an opposite wall and an even older sofa from my family, with an even more interesting story, is in its place. 

The large colorful pillow on the sofa is actually a sham from my bedroom set. Other items from this photo that have been relocated are a red armchair on the left (basement) and the gold curtains (master bedroom, for now). The lampshades have been switched out from the white cone in the photo to a more natural looking taupe drum shade. Currently the floor lamp and table lamp have swapped places. 

 Image from old Pottery Barn catalog
Sadly, not how my actual bedroom looks

The large console table that is against the wall, holding gourds, in the first photo, was behind the sofa until this weekend, when it was re-located to our unfinished basement. The plan is for it to resume life as an entertainment center; this time holding a TV for us to do workout DVDs. It feels so much freer to have it gone. I already love the way it looks and feels without it there. 

After I moved the console from the wall to behind the sofa, we hung a coat rack and placed a long oak bench underneath. I have never been deeply satisfied with this arrangement for a few reasons:

    1. The hooks are too high for little people to reach so coats still end up on the floor
    2. Because the bench is directly below the coat rack it's hard to sit comfortably
    3. The bench is a different shade of wood than the rest of the furniture in our house

I do, however, really really like the photos we hung above the coat rack. They were taken by my former neighbor, friend, and photographer Lindsay Wilkinson. Her work is described as classic, happy, and fun, which is totally like her. Check out her website here. 

The frames, however, were cheap garage sale buys (from another neighbor/friend).

Remember when I said "Ignore the mess"???

 
This photo shows a wider view of our open concept house with the coat rack/golden oak bench combo on the far right. As you can see, it would be hard to sit on that bench to tie your shoes and not have the beach bag bopping you in the head. You can also see the color contrast between the bench and the table and chairs in our dining room. While I definitely think it's okay to mix wood tones, this wasn't one of those times.  

This past weekend I moved the bench to the laundry room/mudroom area. It may not end up staying there permanently, either. There are hooks above the bench (lower for little hands) which makes sitting down on it still a problem. The bench is great, however, for stowing all the stuff that comes through the back door (our main point of entry). I prefer having the stuff end up on the bench rather than the washer and dryer. 

Unknown Source (saved in the days before Pinterest)
This is how the mudroom looks in my mind...

In closing, there are so many more changes and additions I hope to make to our house... someday. I hope you enjoyed this little peak into how we really live!