Bedroom Update

This is the West Elm bedspread I purchased for our master bedroom update over the weekend. It was on sale but is back-ordered until November. Which gives me lots of time to get the rest of the room ready...

I didn't buy the shams. Instead, I have a plan to make the bed not so matchy-match. What do you think?

Home Sweet Home

Happy first day of Fall!

The leaves on the trees are changing color outside and football is on TV later today.

I traveled out of town this week for work to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and stayed at the luxuriantly beautiful Amway Grand Plaza Hotel for two nights. The photo below is a view of the lobby, near the Starbucks entrance. And I have to say: it is so much more impressive in person. Go there if you get a chance.

Source

Right now is a perfect opportunity to visit Grand Rapids. Art Prize, an open art competition with the world's largest monetary prize, started Wednesday and runs through October 7th. The above photo is one favorite of the contest. Entitled "The Starting Gates", it shows horses made of apple tree branches running through the Grand River.

"The Starting Gates": Photo by State Bar of Michigan News

While the Amway Grand is beautiful and Art Prize is exciting, there is no place like home... I am so happy to be back in my own little house today, watching my big lovey work on a home improvement project while my dog lays at my feet. Tomorrow the sound of giggling (and very likely, squabbling) will return, and I cannot wait!!!

**For the final two weeks of "31 Days to Lovely Little Spaces" I'll be in the living room and master bedroom. As the weather outside gets cooler, it's nice to focus on these indoor spaces. Additionally, we made purchases this month that won't arrive until after "31 Days" concludes, and we need to prepare both rooms.

Defining Your Style (Plus Week Two Theme Revealed)

I love books, and this is a banner year for titles from my favorite authors. Gretchen Rubin's second happiness project Happier at Home is #2 on the NYTimes bestseller list; in two weeks J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy, will be released; and next month Nate Berkus publishes his second book, The Things That Matter, as well as debuts a collection of furnishings at Target. 

Source

As part of the lead-up to the book release, Nate is everywhere. Today he is interviewed in the Home & Garden section of the NYTimes where he discusses both the purpose of the new book and his design inspiration for the Target collection. 

 But it was his article for House of Style magazine that got me thinking. It opened with the line, "The first time I tried to envision what someone’s home ought to look like based on the person I perceived them to be, I was 12 years old and my little sister had just gotten a Barbie Dreamhouse." 

  

Source 

 

Since I'm up to my eyeballs in Barbies that hooked me immediately. He goes on to talk about how our homes represent who we are on a soulful level. And, that we can make some educated guesses about what a person's home will look like based on their personal style: their clothing, their habits, their place in the world.

Source

Which is about the time I began to get uncomfortable. Are my decor choices really reflecting who I am? Or just helping with my bottom line? Worse yet, are they good??? Because the boring character in the article sounded a bit too much like me. Would Nate Berkus think I am boring??? Take note that my style icon above is wearing a beige sweater. Oh the horror!

The skirt in the forefront is the one I am wearing today.
Image from eBay.

I was redeemed on my way into work this morning, then, when an older woman I don't know complimented me on how nicely my orange moccasins match my abstract hibiscus-patterned orange & pink A-line skirt (from J.Crew). She even called me a fashionista! So I'm probably not boring. 

Source

But I do LOVE white and beige and other neutrals. They are soothing colors that allow wilder patterns to do their happy dance. Which also makes neutrals an excellent skeleton when you are decorating on a budget. 

Sofas are one example. A sofa is one of the single most expensive purchases in a home decor scheme so ideally you want the purchase to be one you will like for several years. With throw pillows and accessories, you can change the entire look and feel of a room. Here are a few of my favorites from vastly different rooms. 

Originally from Houzz

Source

 

Source

Source

Source

Source

To see more of the rooms I've pinned on Pinterest follow me there. Ninety percent of them have white sofas, I think. ;)

***The week two theme for next month's "31 Days to Lovely Little Spaces" is Tastes of Fall. I'll spend the week organizing and decorating our kitchen, and I made some exciting purchases yesterday to help with that task!***

Prepping for 31 Days: Week One Theme

Part of my plan for blogging every day in October is to prepare now, even though it is not quite mid-September. Prior planning is the key to being more organized. So I've made a list of all 31 projects, which I then organized into weekly mini-themes. 
 

Fall has always been associated with homecoming, and week one will focus on making ours more peaceful. Specifically, I am planning to do a lot of projects in our mudroom/laundry room.

This is the main entrance for the four of us, and it is where I do the wash. For such a tiny space, it carries a heavy burden. Making it functional is hugely important to whether we get to school on time and if we are doing so in clean undies.  :)

 Inspiration photo from Prudent Baby

So a question for you: as I accomplish my organizing goals should I take a "Before" picture to share here? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks!