The Bed, Currently
Confession: I have cried about the décor in my home. Cried. Actual tears.
I know there are more serious things in life. Don’t even go there. Tears about interiors are pretty pathetic.
I read a lot of home decorating blogs and subscribe to more than one magazine featuring gorgeous and aspirational designs. I want our home to look well-planned, and I take it hard when I feel like I’ve fallen short.
But then, a few days ago, I was struck by how our bedroom looked.
We currently have two full-size quilts covering our new king-size bed. This is in part because we haven’t yet found a bed-covering we I like and in part because I prefer sleeping with my own blanket so I can wrap up like an enchilada guilt-free. The quilt on the left (my side) is the State Flower quilt from my Bridal Shower. The quilt on the right is one I got from L.L. Bean many years ago. It’s solid green on the other side, but I like this busy side better.
The green blanket on the end of the bed is out because I’d been using it to wrap up and comfort Odie when the Fireworks on the Fourth scared him. We just haven’t put it away yet. It was also a gift from my Shower.
On my nightstand is my favorite picture of Will and I, taken at a friend’s wedding. The frame was an engagement gift from a cousin.
We got that new headboard a little while ago. We were going to recover it, but came to an impasse when choosing fabric. I wanted patterns, Will wanted solids. We settled on solid-but-with-texture and it will likely be covered with blue velvet the next time I get a chance to go to the fabric store. Until then, an old scarf from my sister helps to hide the beige.
This room isn’t perfect. Even if we do spruce it up, it likely won’t ever grace the pages of a decor magazine.
But it’s so us. Everything in these pictures has a story. I mean, sure, I’m still on the lookout for a properly sized quilt to cover the whole bed and yes, I will be covering the headboard. I’ll probably always be making small improvements.
I wanted to share these pictures largely with myself. The next time I feel that my home doesn’t measure up, I need to be reminded that I’m surrounded by so much love.
Helena,
I completely understand. Everything, and I mean everything, that is special to me has a story behind it and came from someone very special to me. Upon recently moving, I sought decorating advice from a local shop owner who has impeccable taste and has been a lovely friend here. She literally said, “well, you may just have to replace the photography with new wall art if the color scheme isn’t working out.” I was concerned with the wall colors and my amazing vivid photography coming together. But my immediate reaction was, “I can’t change my decor…there must be another option.” And so, if it takes me 6 months to figure out which photos should be hung where, I’m okay with that. And if I have to re-paint the entire condo to make that work, I’m okay with that too, even though the place was just painted before we moved in. I will simply not part with my cherished possessions to make things flow better or match well. They are a part of me and they are all proudly displayed in my home, always. I love what I have and do not need to buy new stuff on a regular basis because my cherished items remain all that I want/need.
So kuddos to you for making your house a home. We can always improve upon things but not when they take away from what is truly important to us. Stories fill the soul…what better way to fill your home.
I also need my own blankets so our bed goes like this from top down: King size down comforter with an Ikea duvet cover, then only on my side is a twin size pink blanket my grandmother made me as a child, a double size red blanket my great grandmother made me when I was in college, then lastly my baby blanket my grandmother made me while my mom was pregnant and since it was the 80′s it is blue since they had no idea what I was! So even though the are mismatched I could never ever change them and I just cover them with the duvet for the day and then at night all the style goes out for comfort!