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June 24, 2015

Featured Home Tour: Grace Grits & Gardening

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Today I have a special treat for you: another home tour! This tour is from Talya of Grace, Grits, & Gardening. Talya and I are both members of the Arkansas Women Bloggers. Talya shares stories of food, farm, family and fun on her blog. She tries to do something creative every day and believes any dish can be enhanced with a side of collards. I think you’ll really enjoy this glimpse into her home and life.

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I’m no specialist at decorating or organizing, but I like to play around with both and believe they go hand in hand. One thing’s for sure—clutter gives me the heebie-jeebies. I’m not obsessive (at least I don’t think so), but I lean toward the sparse side of decor. Less stuff equals less things to dust around.

Even for those of us who don’t have to think twice about closet cleaning, too much stuff has a way of piling up in our lives. I came face to face with that lesson about ten months ago when I moved from Dallas to Fayetteville. After thirty plus years in Texas, moving was hard work.

I’m settled now and excited to show off a few of my favorite spaces and ways I incorporate organizing into my decorating.

Clutter-free countertops

Our kitchen is one of my favorite rooms mainly because of the soapstone countertops (love them!) and huge windows that let in tons of sunshine. We have very few upper cabinets, and the ones we do have were constructed with glass fronts. I prefer glass-front cabinets and recommend them for keeping an orderly kitchen and for showing off favorite kitchen ware. With glass front cabinets, who’s gonna hoard fast-food plastic cups? Not me. My favorite turquoise Fiesta dishes make for instant kitchen art. Bonus!

Glassfront cabinets to show off dishes

I like to store oversized utensils in an old pottery crock within reach of the stove. This frees up valuable drawer space. Also, arranging cooking oils and go-to spices on a tray (visible in first picture) leaves shelf space for other items.

my favorite way to store utensils

Matching baskets, which once held a zillion video games and movies in the kids’ playroom, now house birdseed, plastic bags, oddly shaped light bulb boxes and paper goods in the pantry. I’ll just say it right here—having an empty nest is an excellent organizing tip—ha!

baskets keep me organized in the pantry

Extra dishes (no we aren’t caterers but maybe should be) are stacked overhead in inexpensive quilted china storage bags. Rarely used items are stored high.

organized pantry

Even though I don’t like clutter, I still like to collect certain things—books, glassware, pottery and, ahem, dishes. Grouping collections is one way to tame what could easily become a disorganized mess. Using collections for storage equals double points. Not that we’re keeping score, but kind of we are.

decorate with books and collectibles

In my mind, decorating with books justifies buying more. See how that works? Old books provide an interesting plant stand for small specimens. Coffee table books are just cool in my opinion. And useful.

use books for decorating

Grouping old black and white family photos in an otherwise boring corner is a unique way to add interest and declutter that photo drawer. Frames don’t have to match but should be complementary in style and color. Mix in a piece of artwork or wall hanging to add a little something extra.

photos for decorating

Think outside the bathroom and break with traditional. Use a vintage throw rug in your guest bathroom instead of a typical bath mat. Use a quirky bowl instead of a soap dish. I like to think these unexpected touches add personality.

quirky bathroom rug adds personality

My favorite tip for maintaining a “relatively” clean house, is something I try to do each night before bedtime. I wipe down kitchen countertops, sweep the kitchen floor, stack dirty dishes in the dishwasher and get my coffee pot ready. These simple things, which only take a few minutes, make for a clean, peaceful start to the next morning. I’m all about easy, peaceful living.

And now I leave you with one last picture. Pinch me, we have a library! The space is perfect not only for organizing my books (according to genre) and displaying family mementos, but it’s also one of my favorite places to write.

we have a library!

 

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Thank you so much, Talya, for sharing your home with us. Your home has such eclectic personality – I love all the touches you’ve added to make it unique and personal to you. And your organizing style is so functional, which is just perfect.

Go say hello to Talya on her Facebook page!


 

 

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Mary 19 Comments

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Comments

  1. Grace Grits and Gardening says

    June 24, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    Thanks for having me Mary!

    Reply
    • Mary says

      June 24, 2015 at 3:52 pm

      Any time!

      Reply
  2. Shelly Weathers says

    June 25, 2015 at 8:36 am

    Talya, you have done a great job and your home is beautiful.

    Reply
    • Grace Grits and Gardening says

      June 25, 2015 at 1:04 pm

      Thank you Shelly! Nice to hear from you.

      Reply
  3. renee rice says

    June 25, 2015 at 8:56 am

    What a great article, ideas, beautiful home and a couple of awesome women!!! Thanks for the tips

    Reply
    • Grace Grits and Gardening says

      June 25, 2015 at 1:04 pm

      Thank you Renee!

      Reply
  4. Corinne Rodrigues says

    June 25, 2015 at 8:59 am

    You have fantastic taste, Talya. I love how you’ve arranged everything.
    Waving out to Mary. You have a lovely blog!

    Reply
    • Grace Grits and Gardening says

      June 25, 2015 at 1:05 pm

      Yes, Corinne, Mary’s blog is lovely. She is so incredibly organized. And with 4 kids!

      Reply
    • Mary says

      June 26, 2015 at 4:02 pm

      Waving back. Thank you!

      Reply
  5. Ashley Birkhold says

    June 25, 2015 at 9:28 am

    Beautiful home!! I love your style. Thank you for opening your doors to us. ❤️️

    Reply
    • Grace Grits and Gardening says

      June 25, 2015 at 1:06 pm

      Thank you so much. I can’t take credit for the home itself. The prior owners did a fantastic job in the renovation, but so far we haven’t messed anything up:)

      Reply
  6. Jodi says

    June 25, 2015 at 10:09 am

    What a beautiful home!

    Reply
    • Grace Grits and Gardening says

      June 25, 2015 at 1:06 pm

      Thank you so much.

      Reply
  7. Barbara Tate says

    June 25, 2015 at 11:50 am

    Enjoyed your tour. Beautiful home

    Reply
  8. June graham says

    June 25, 2015 at 12:21 pm

    Love your house- thanks for the tour!!!!!

    Reply
  9. Lou Perry says

    June 25, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    Love your house and how wonderful you have decorated it. You have such good taste.

    Reply
  10. Rhonda B. says

    June 25, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Love the kitchen! I’d cook every day for sure!

    Reply
    • Mary says

      June 26, 2015 at 4:03 pm

      Me too! That kitchen is awesome!

      Reply
  11. Eva Whittle says

    June 25, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    Talya, I love dishes, books, and baskets. Great tour. Thanks!

    Reply

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Welcome! You are in the right place if you want to get organized! I love helping my clients and readers create functionally beautiful homes. Our homes should be sanctuaries – a place to Read More…

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