A new little table project and fading fads!
Friday we had the last of a winter warm snap for the near forecasted future so I jumped on a few projects I needed to complete. (Until this week, but fortunately I bought another bunch of projects this past weekend! Yippee!)
One was this little maple corner table I picked up at an auction a few months ago.
Pieces like this have convinced me to "embrace" the chalkpaint/distress look...very ornate legs and pretty cruddy finish. I know my "refinishing system" would work wonders, but I decided to chalkpaint/distress it and decoupaged the top with some maps I have hoarded away.
This is also a great example of taking something a tad ugly and out dated and giving it new life with just a tiny bit of effort!
Again, I could do a tutorial on decoupaging, but there are literally hundreds online you can use...just google!
Cute as a bug's ear.
Unfortunately, it is not a look I particularly like in my own home. Fortunately, I have a venue to sell these little projects. If I was going to keep it for my own home, I probably would have stripped and refinished it...at the very least stripped and stained the top and painted the legs a solid color.
Which brings me to my "musing" on current fads.
I read an article this week on the Huffington Post site on current design trends that are fading in 2016. Interestingly enough, I don't have ANY of these trends in my own home....antlers, stuffed critters, acrylic chairs, chalkboard walls, and few others. Now, one could argue that I am still stuck in the 90s and don't update my home enough. But the truth is, I often look at decorator ideas and trends and know that one, they aren't really my thing and two, and most important, it may be a "fad" that won't be around long.
As I have mentioned before, I don't mind doing "the in thing" if it is simple and inexpensive and easy to change in the future. I like "following the crowd" with pillows, small pieces of furniture, wreaths, etc.
But sometimes, following the crowd can be expensive and time consuming (not to mention energy draining) and while you may enjoy the fruits of your finances and labor for a few years, you are eventually stuck with something that is dated or out of favor. Something that could be expensive or difficult to change or replace!
I know from experience what happens when I spend a lot of time and/or money on something that goes out of date rather quickly! I end up with room of furniture I hate, but can't afford to change...or a kitchen full of honey oak cabinets...or rooms full of 8x8 tile!
So how do we strike a balance between keeping our home "up to date" but not saddling ourselves with a trend or fad that will fade in short order?
I have a few personal "rules" for decorating.
First, only buy big ticket items you LOVE....things like furniture, flooring, counter-tops, etc. Not sorta like or even "looks nice" in a magazine or on Pinterest. But truly takes-your-breath-away LOVE.
For current trends and fads...keep it simple, affordable and small. I painted my interior doors black. I LOVE the look! And while it did cost me a gallon of paint and a days work, it is something that can easily be changed when the "fad" fades. Pillows and throws are a great way to "update" couches. Seasonal wreaths. Rugs. Wall paint. All relatively inexpensive changes that can be made that allow you to "get the in look" without breaking the bank!
Furniture...to paint or not to paint. As I mentioned here I had truly grown to seriously dislike (nice way of saying "hate") my bedroom furniture....so rather than sell it for pennies on the dollar on Craigslist, I painted it. Now I like it again. Maybe not LOVE, but I like it enough to not growl at it every time I walk in the room or be tempted by the newest Bassett catalogue!
So paint walls or furniture if you think it will give it new life. Paint is a great way to add the "in" colors, like teal or marsala, without breaking the bank!
My rule of thumb for painting furniture...if you can enhance the piece and possibly salvage it for another season of use, paint it.
Decorate with things that have meaning....heirloom pieces, family pictures, your grandmother's china....things that have sentimental "value".... the "Things I Love."
Fads and trends have a place in our homes...we all love to have the "in" look. But limit it to things that are easily and inexpensively replaced or changed...pillows, wreaths, wall colors, rugs, etc.
According to the article I read if you have a dining room with an accent wall with an inspirational quote, a chalkboard wall in your kitchen and a wood pallet accent wall in your bathroom, a gold dear mount, a chandelier made of antlers, ghost chairs, ombre curtains and gold foil prints above the buffet decorated with a budda bust, skull and rustic metal letter....well let's just say you might as well bulldoze your house to the ground!
Unless of course you LOVE it all...in that case, ignore the experts and do what you want...obviously I do because I don't have any of these "fading trends" and I love my home!
