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I think when you decorate your home, you should ignore fads and trends for the most part.
You know how everyone is making pure white houses right now, especially kitchens? No doubt I’ve seen some beautiful mostly-white homes, but I predict that soon people will start to crave a little warmth and color in their homes. I think that before long, we’ll see more warm colors on walls again. Color trends go in cycles, just like most decorating trends work in cycles. If your job is to be in the forefront of trends, by all means, keep up. (I keep up with the Color of the Year announcements like some people would the Academy Awards!) But…
If your only motivation for decorating your home is to create an environment where love, learning, and laughter flourish, the truly important things to ask in making your decisions are:
- Do you love it?
- How does it make your home feel?
You aren’t required to make permanent decoration choices. You can change things up as often as you like. In my experience, however, if you carefully select decorations you love instead of what is popular, the look will last a lot longer in your home.
This does not mean that you shouldn’t listen to the decorators advice – some decorating principles are timeless! If you’re making expensive changes to your home (like new floors, cabinets, or even wall changes), I think it is smart to consider being able to re-sell your home.
Just remember to take all the advice with a grain of salt. Make your home beautiful to you and the people who share it.
That is precisely what this week is about! We are going to focus on our Gathering Places and spruce them up. Gathering Places are anywhere in your house where people hang out together – living rooms, family rooms, dining areas, porches, playrooms, and more.
Weekly Assignment Options
Let’s see what I have planned for you this week!
Any of these projects will make a huge impact. Choose one project (or more) that will be the most meaningful to you and your family! Complete projects one at a time and complete one before moving on to another.
Options – Easy
- Decorations (things that sit on surfaces or the floor that are just for looks) – Take all the decorations out of the room. Slowly add back in things that you love and that make you happy. Look for new decorations from other places in the house before heading to the store. Moving decorations around in your house is a great way to make things feel fresh and new without spending a dime!
- Linens – This is an easy change that can happen with a little shopping or sewing, but it can make a room look completely different! Change out the throw pillows, blankets, curtains, and rugs, and your room will transform.
- Rearrange – Sometimes a room just isn’t working. Maybe it used to, but then you added a few pieces of furniture or moved some things to make room. Take the time to look at your space with fresh eyes. Change things around. This requires zero spending and can potentially make the biggest difference of all.
- Table-tops – I love thinking about centerpieces for tables. I think they make such a big difference in how a table looks. And I don’t just mean dining tables… end tables, coffee tables, sofa tables and every kind of table could potentially use a nice centerpiece. Don’t just pile a table with “cute junk!” Be intentional.
- Walls – This has been an option every week so far, so I think you get the idea by now. To summarize: take everything off your walls and only add back what you still love, adding some additional purchased pieces if necessary.
Options – Big
- Paint.
- Add new or replace existing door hardware, outlet covers, or lighting.
- Add or replace window blinds, shutters, or treatments.
- Change out furniture.
Free Gathering Place Printables
I created a few printables for fun. Download the High-Resolution 8×10 images and enjoy!
“May my house never be big enough to fit all my friends.” – Download the Free 8×10 Printable.
(For personal use only.)
“Love is spoken here.” – Download the Free 8×10 Printable.
(For personal use only.)
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Download the Free 8×10 Printable.
(For personal use only.)
What I’ll Be Doing
Everything is dry from the Water Lalapalooza now (Woot! Woot!). I’m so impressed with the advancement in technology for this. The professionals had equipment that stuck things right into my studs to measure the moisture level like you’d measure a turkey’s internal temperature on Thanksgiving. I’m confident everything is properly dry and ready to be fixed.
Here is the dining room wall where the damage happened. We had to move the table out when the room was being dried, and it is still in the garage holding the cabinet doors.
If you look closely, you can see the missing wall and the view into the laundry room and pantry. Fun times!
The next steps of the Water Lalapalooza are new walls, floors, trim, and paint. The floor was permanently damaged, so ALL the wood floor has to be replaced.
While I’m waiting for the new floors, dry wall, and paint, there are things I CAN do to make my Gathering Places more comfortable. I can finish painting my kitchen cabinets that were one step away from being finished before the Water Lalapalooza happened!
If Little Man takes more naps, I might actually finish the cabinets. (The box in this picture contained this bed from Amazon for my girls’ room. We’ll be getting that put together this week too.)
Your Turn To Decide
I will remind you about the decision method I showed you last week. Take a minute to think about what you’d like to do in your Gathering Places this week. Make a list of everything on your mind, and break them down into small, achievable tasks.
This list isn’t meant to be done all at once, so don’t get overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time:
- Highlight the top three things you want and can do this week.
- Number them 1, 2, and 3.
- Start with number one, then move on from there.
- Cross off as you complete a task.
- After you complete the three highlighted tasks, repeat this planning process.
So tell me: What will you be doing this week? I want to hear about it!
From my home to yours,
Mary
Becca Bolding says
Fair warning….as they replace all those areas, the rest of your house will be filled with dust. We had water problems and had to move out of o our house for almost three months to replace flooring downstairs. It caused a ripple effect. Good luck.
Mary says
I’m already dreading that dust!! We’ll probably spend a lot of time at my mom’s house during the renovation.
Tammy says
I just did this! I had a bare coffee table and I bought a few things (a tray, a plant, and a metal tray for our remotes) and pulled a few things from around the house, arranged them nicely, and suddenly it looks so much cozier in the living room!
Mary says
The little things can make the biggest differences. Good job!!!
Jenny B. says
I need to clear surfaces in the living room, and organize the toys. Our toddler just figured out how to climb, so lots of things that used to be out of his reach have been hastily moved to higher ground. My mantel looks like it’s prepping for a garage sale. Ha. 🙂
Mary says
Oh, such a fun transition … lol. Here’s to a clear mantel!