Does Your House Talk to You?~

Does your house talk to you? Mine does. Okay, before you go thinking that I might need a little therapy, I'm not hearing voices. But when I walk into a house, it has a way of telling me how it should be decorated. If you love decorating as much as I do, you know what I'm talking about. Houses just have a certain feeling to them. And my new nest is no exception.

Now, before I share with you all the "language" that my new home is speaking, let me define my own personal style for you. After taking a quiz over at Sproost, I decided to call my style Rustic French Beach Cottage, although I have a decidedly urban flare especially in my artwork choices. You all get the picture. I am drawn to pale tonal palettes. Textures such as beadboard and burlap. Old, timeworn pieces. These are the things that make my heart go pit-a-pat.

I adore this image from Country Living via Sproost...It has the tonal palette and textural feeling I love!

My new nest speaks Italian....it has a definite Tuscan flare to it. The colors are warm, and definitely richer than my favored pale palette. And since (as I have mentioned before) it is a rental (and a beautifully renovated one at that), I can't change these things. And I think that is good. It will force me to explore a different side of my style. I will have the chance to use my existing pieces in a new way.

This is what my kitchen table looks like at the moment...I actually love this photo...it looks like a still life painting to me. Notice how the Venetian plaster on the wall speaks to the burlap on my table runner. The dark jug adds just the right contrast to my white table, white wire tray and white (yes they're fake) flowers. Same stuff...new way of combining things...and although I doubt this will be the final design for this spot...I like it...and it gets my creative juices flowing...


Okay, so now I'm going to tell you all something that may shock you. A house-hunting trip was not in our budget, so we rented this house without seeing it in person. Yes, little old type-A me, signed a contract after only seeing photos (and having the hubby's sister who lives in the area visit the house and give it the thumbs up.) Why do I tell you all this? Because see that faucet above? The one that looks like an old water pump, but with an urban twist? That faucet alone pretty much sold me on the house. It's true.

And here is a detail of the backsplash tiles in the kitchen. You can really get a feeling of the warm palette by looking at these. They are lovely...and slightly luminescent...which looks fabulous when the under-cabinet lighting is turned on. A far cry from the cottage-white kitchen in my last house...but oh, the possibilities!

This detail from the Princess' bedroom is the one nod to cottage style in this house. My beloved beadboard. The lime green is not necessarily a color I would have chosen myself, but it is bright and cheery...and will look very sophisticated once my decorating plans start to take shape.

So stay tuned, dear readers! I can't wait to take you all on this little journey as we watch my style evolve into something new and exciting!

Have a great day~

xoxo Wendy