Interior Design

For those of you who don't know, I love to design interiors. Mostly for myself and friends, but having spent a fair amount of time in retail, I've also sold lots of interior decor. In retail nothing makes me smile more than making people happy with a new look in their homes. A friend of mine is looking to decorate a man cave like room. When I asked him what he liked, "the northern lights" is what I got back. So it got me thinking. What could I do with "the northern lights"? As I happened to be at Home Depot, the kids and I went paint chip looking. Oh we had so much fun. Letting Sam look at all the different colors was a kick in the pants. Not only did we find awesome colors for my friend, but also for the kids' rooms eventually. A couple of lighter blues and clear glitter paint for Sam's Frozen themed room, and deeper, darker blues for Clay's Nautical themed room. Josh and I will sit down and look at paints for our room. I'm debating between reds, green or browns. As I slowly gather decor for our eventual room, I want to know what colors to look for. The kids are fairly easy. Sam with blues and pinks, and Clay with the sea tones. The rest will depend on the house itself. I'm like my mom in that I tend to stick to time period things. Which means I don't like modern styles much. Lots of old wood, and darker tones warmed with lighter accents tend to be my go to. I do so love a room you walk into and it feels like the perfect place to curl up and read with a cup of coffee. Modern styles tend to be a little cold for my tastes. Eventually we will have a rec room done up like an old school speak easy. Hard wood floors, and leather chairs with little tables and of course a bar with old school bottles (though it will have to be modern enough to handle all the coffee too). Let the roaring twenties in ladies and gentlemen. It will be the type of place you might find flapper girls, and classy guys in suits with fedoras. Bar mirrors galore! I can't wait. Of all the things I will be decorating, that will be my absolute favorite.
It's a blast to bring out the history of things and mix it with the sentimental. Something about looking at something and wondering what stories it could tell you if it could talk. I have an old jewelry box someone gave me that is pretty old. Stamped with a coat of arms, clawed feet curling down, and lined in velvet, I wonder at the stories it holds. Like so many things I own, it has a story that will never be told due to unknown origins. But isn't that like so many things in life? Everyday we run across things and people that each have their own unique story. While we may never know what those tales are, we need to be understanding that they are what builds the characteristics that makes them into who and what they are today. Everyone and everything is different and unique, and while that often means we may not always agree, having a little understanding is a good thing. Besides, as the old saying goes, one man's junk is another man's treasure. So next time you thinking about redecorating, before throwing out that hideous painting that's been hiding in the basement forever, maybe try giving it away. You never know, it may be the beginning of a new chapter in it's story. Maybe even a new chapter in your story.