There's something I've been literally craving for a while.
Something I'd love to do in my current home..... but I've been putting it off.
Why?
Because I ask myself questions like...
- But what if I need to sell in a few years and this puts prospective buyers off?
- What if I decide to rent my property out instead of selling, but no-one likes what I've done?
- What if visitors think I'm a bit 'over the top'?
So I've decided those very same questions above are vital things to consider...... but in the REVERSE!
So the questions become:
- What would I do if I NEVER had to think about selling this property or who would buy it?
- What would I do if I NEVER had to consider its rental potential?
- What would I do if EVERYONE who visited automatically loved my home no matter what? (And by the way, I've not had anyone in my home who hasn't made comment about the feeling of coziness or happiness it exudes - so I guess I should trust my senses with my next decorating adventure anyway!)
.....and there's no reason they shouldn't be attempted, and at the same time every reason they should!
My home is an extension of me.
It surrounds me with happiness.
It overflows with a vibe that brings peace and contentment into my life.
It externalises the bits of me (and the memories of my life) I love the most, and reflects them back to me in ways I enjoy.
So why shouldn't I listen to my heart's craving and 'have-a-go' at what it's telling me it desires next in my decorating adventures? Particularly if I can undertake my decorating wish without too much damage or irreversable action!
I think I need to write down a priority list and put this next 'hankering' at the very tip top!
What about you?
What is it you'd like to do in your home?
What is it you've been thinking of doing, but too scared to try (for whatever reason)?
What is it you'd love to 'have-a-go' at, but feel as if you don't 'know' how to start?
Pssssst........... I think you should just DO IT (thanks Nike)......... and see what happens. :)
Linda. xox
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P.S: My 'hankering' is a room full of wallpaper. Big, bold, geometric (or maybe floral) wallpaper.
I keep wondering what the rather conservative members of my city would think if I put my home on the market within the next few years (after all, people get very distracted by wall colour and wallpaper when looking at houses to buy, even though it's so easy to fix.)
But, as it IS so easy to change a colour, and relatively easy to strip wallpaper now-a-days.... I can always change it before selling or renting!
Or, maybe, knowing how my home vibrates with a welcoming and comfortable feeling, I could trust in its ability to attract a new owner that loves it just as much as I do ( if I ever need to sell it).
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this is one of the privilege of living in a rented house (and have a very patience landlady) I can do almost whatever I want!! I can't put down walls or stuff like that, but I can have fun with colors, wallpapers...I love my little rented cottage.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm curious about what is that you would like to do in your house but scares you...is it just wallpaper and colour?? Come on!!
Bobbi
That sounds great Bobbi! When I was renting, about the only thing I could do was put a few pics on the walls (with permission) using blu tac so they didn't get marked. Apart from that everything had to remain exactly the same.
ReplyDeleteHe he about my own cravings now.... yep, in this house it is! My place is really small, and there's really nothing else I really feel the need to do. Trying some really bold walpaper rather than some sedate and quiet version would be really exciting!
The only other thing I'd love is a new kitchen, but that one doesn't scare me at all! I've done lots of those in places I've renovated over the years.
I also want to paint my front door a lovely colour. I haven't done that before, but it doesn't scare me! My partner tells me it's a lot trickier than I thought though... apparently I'd have to do numerous sorts of prep, and heaps of coats to get the gloss finish right etc. I might give it a go one day!
Just thought of something! I'd love to try painting some of my wooden furniture in gloss colour - I love the sort of stuff you see in rooms designed by Jonathan Adler etc. I have some wooden bookcases that are raw and untreated, so I could go all out and paint those..... that would be interesting and a little scary for me, because I'd hate to think I'd get it all done and then realise I liked them plain. I was also looking at my cane stools at the kitchen bench a few days ago and thinking about whether or not I could give them a coat of colour! That could be a good place to start.
Now, if I had a bigger home (I really want an old Victorian or Art Deco home I can renovate with lots of big old rooms and original features).... then the wallpaper craving would really come to the fore.... every room would get a work out. The city where I live is very conservative, so this would be a very unusual thing to try in a property.
I'd also like to try various forms of coloured ceiling work. And, I'd also like to try some interesting stuff like using lattice work or shutters on the inside as decorations or room dividers, or massive gilt frames with no actual art work in them on the wall so I could place collections of plates in them, or frames within frames.
I'd like to experiment with the use of mirrors too. I've seen mirrors placed on top of mirrors that give an interesting effect. Also having a mirrored wall in unexpected places to bounce light and create an illusion would be fun.
And, the one thing I've always wanted to do is create a glass backsplash in the kitchen that I have lovely wallpaper behind, or even a series of photos. I think that would be really great, and is not something I've seen in any home in my city or even this whole area (although I'm sure some nifty person has prob done it somewhere around here).
I guess I could do that at my place!! Although my kitchen is so tiny the effect would prob be lost as the coverage would be very minimal. I imagine it would be extremely fiddly to install due to the tiny nooks it would have to be put in.
Linda. :)
Your ideas are wonderful! I love glass splashbacks and wallpaper. I used to love the feel of that velvety kind, with a pattern very similar to your blog background, I haven't seen it around for a while? Sounds like your gonna be getting very busy:) xo
ReplyDeleteAbout painting the floor...when i was head of a designing team for a furniture shop I did that several times. The results at the end are fantastic and it's not actually that hard...you just have to have a LOT of patience and several cushion to place under your knees. And yes, it's one coat of paint, wait 24 hours, than another coat, wait again...and again...and again...I should do it in my house too, i have ceramics floor but they are raw (it's an old cottage) and need treatment every now and then. But to do this I have to move all my furniture in another room. And my house is very small and on two floors. Impossible.
ReplyDeleteuh, i forgot...
ReplyDeleteI asked you what is that you would like to do in your house and you wrote the longest comment. I'm scared. What a list!!!
Heartfire, uh? Know i know where it comes from.
Oooh, good info about the painting Bobbi!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I love that sort of wallpaper Nerine... exactly why I chose my blog background. As soon as I saw it on istock photo I had to have it!!
I'm pretty much a whirlwind when I get fired up
Bobbi... lots of passion about decorating ideas.... most have to wait until I get my bigger house though. I think that comment of mine turned into a post of its own!!
Linda. xox
Linda, I like this unique look. I have had to take wallpaper off before, not fun.. but if I was to put it on, I would definitely go BOLD and FUN like this ... I love the tranquil, refreshing and artsy flair! Thanks for sharing and inspiring me! I adore your page always. xx Jenn
ReplyDeleteI've never been stopped by "what would people think" or "what if... this or that".
ReplyDeleteMost of my stoppage is due to my hatred of painting - UGH :(
Currently working on the basement redo, finishing trim in the kitchen and repainting (yuck) the bathroom.
Go for the wallpaper!!!