Recently I have been so bored and flat out grumpy with the space that I live in. I have the hardest time designing a space for myself and my family. When I design for others, it is easier to stay focused and stick to a scheme/story. When I think about a space for myself, I’m all over the place. I love everything!
There’s a part of me that wants all pretty, ladylike things. That is 100% not my husband’s style and not really friendly for our boys to play and run around in. I browse through my Pinterest to see what makes me the most excited and the style is really all over the place.

This room is amazing!!! I’m partial to everything Hunted Interior does. Check out that gold and pink! Doesn’t get more ladylike that this!
There some mid-century modern interiors that make me smile and appeases my Mad Men side. I love the color of fabrics, LOVE the sputniks, love the fashion. It’s a lot of wood for me but I know it can be done nicely. I love the sloped angles of the legs and rounded edges of things.

Emily Henderson can do no wrong. I love the legs on everything, the bits of brass, the color… see, I’m smiling 🙂
There’s Modern Spanish Colonial with clean open interiors, black window frames, saddle brown leathers, wood ceiling beams, wrought iron metals, I feel, is so masculine and make me want to open all the doors and windows and bask in the warm sun (and make tapas!).

All I need is a Chesterfield sofa and some gorgeous spanish tile around the fireplace.
GLAM! Thank you very much! Mirrors, sparkle, metal, velvet. This is definitely for the Stephanie that lives on her own and throws small cocktail parties with other designers. Not very practical for a mom of two boys under 5 years old. So many breakable objects and surfaces to Windex! Fingerprints…everywhere!

Bliss at Home has the most amazing Living Room. It’s white and black and shiny all over. I’m just smitten!
There is also a little hidden lumberjack in me that wants the plaid, rustic wood and antlers. I want a big fireplace and thick wood mantle. I want soft, warm materials like flannel and knit.

Who wants to snuggle on that couch and watch some Ghostbusters with me? Perfect blustery day interiors.
And what about the clean Contemporary/Transitional/Neutrals?!?!? Clean white cabinets, unstained wood floors, large comfy couches, PAINTED walls (not just white!), more family friendly.

I LOVE this light green color (check out Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams) with the pops of red and purple pillows. This might be the closest to what I can pull off with my kids. Not too girly and I could use semi-gloss so it can be wipeable.
What ends up happening is: I like this piece from one style and that piece from another and in the end it doesn’t look cohesive… at least in the moodboards I’ve developed. I scare myself into not pulling the trigger on anything and our entire house stays tan (quite literally, our couches, our carpet, our drapes, our furniture, so much brown!).
I’m desperate to make a change! I’m combing my Pinterest boards that make my heart pitter patter to find things that they all have in common.
I’ve notice a couple things:
- I love contrast! Mix me some of that light and dark, I don’t like rooms that are all one color (either all dark or all light). I like pops of “happy color,” like emerald green, orange/coral/hot pink, mint, mustard.
- I’ve been super into shiny metal the last couple years. A big gold mirror, a silver rhino head, a copper bowl. Interesting metals that don’t all have to match.
- I like cool brown (if that’s a thing) unstained wood. I want it to have a nice contrast with a chunky white baseboard, I want it to look nice with my pops of “happy color” without overpowering them, I DON’T want it to be too gold or orange or red based. Unfortunately the last time we bought furniture was the height of espresso brown so all of my furniture is dark. Fortunately, the shade of wood I like now won’t clash with the espresso.
- Storage! I like pieces that can hide junk that finds it’s home all over the house. The more drawers or cabinets the better, so that each drawer can have an assigned category and those items can find their way there during quick room pick-ups.
- Wide open spaces. I love rooms that serve multiple functions so that my family can all be together. The same room we watch movies in is the same room we play, do homework, eat dinner, make crafts, wrestle, and play music in. The thing I don’t like about our house now is that if I’m in the kitchen, I cannot be part of any of that family action.
- Bugs & Animals! I find that I’m attracted to rooms with an animal bust on the wall or beetle statue and creature pillow. They make me smile all the way from the inside and I feel like they are things my little boys can appreciate too.
Living Room by Bright Bazaaar. This fills my pops of color, high contrast and creature feature requirements.
So what is a girl to do? I can’t pick one! I already have a small neutral home, I can only go up for there, right? My goal is to at least get the house painted this year and start collecting colorful art and new pillows for the couches. That will get things moving. I need to brainstorm solutions for a play area/ home office that is literally the other half of my living room. hmmm…
Until next time, sweet dreams.