We Southern women love to decorate our homes in our favorite colors and patterns. If you know anything about me, you know mine has a lot of blue and white porcelains, fabrics, upholstery, and dishes. When I saw the cover of our new Southern Home special edition, I went completely starry-eyed over the large blue and white striped chairs.
Immediately I began to think of two chairs in my house that might need a little facelift! As I was thinking about it, I was reminded of a day when I was in high school. I came home from school to find my mom reupholstering her favorite chair. She had completely dismantled the chair, taken the fabrics apart for the pattern, and cut out new pieces. I was totally astonished. Moms don’t do that! Well, mine did.
This was the official “avocado green, blue, and gold” era in interior decorating. You remember it, don’t you? Everyone had replaced the safe beige décor for colors. Oh, the magic of textiles and trims. You can take a neutral room and add such drama with colorful textiles.
Every year there seems to be a “new” trend or color scheme that takes hold of us. We look at the new paint colors and fabrics that excite us and begin redecorating in our minds. Actually our homes are acquisitions of memories. I love my table that Dad and I refinished when I was in high school. I have my grandmother’s pump organ in the room with my piano. I just gave Amelia the white iron bed that was my dad’s when he was a boy. It has a new life in her pink and white room.
From inside the pages of Southern Home — a clean, white office gets a colorful accent from a collection of books.
Neal and I love finding a piece to add to our home, especially if it is from a trip or an antiques store we just discovered. As I thumbed through the pages of Southern Home, I wondered what memories are attached to the beautiful things in the photographs. One home had stacks of books while another boasted stained glass windows. I was attracted to the majolica on a beautiful cabinet.
The well-preserved stained-glass windows in this living room highlight the historic character of this Dallas home.
It is not the cost of an item but the beauty that excites us. Simple shells from a wonderful vacation artfully displayed remind us of our blessings of time spent with family. Surround yourself with colors and furniture that excites you. Pull out items that you love, and decorate with them. It is our personal expression that makes our homes beautiful and a special gathering place for family.
What stories do you tell through your décor?