It's funny how when you get married and are forced to start meshing not only your lives, but your STUFF, how your taste can suddenly change.
Puff had bought The Bungalow in 2005 and I made my grand entrance in July 2009. In the 15 months since I've lived here, we've done quite a lot: New roof, new office ceiling, new office paint, two closets redone & expanded, new bathroom plumbing, and our rusty shed was painted. Not to mention lots and lots of flowers planted around outside. But since we've gotten married, it's become time for me to officially put my stamp on the place and turn it from a bachelor pad, to a home where we can welcome a baby in a few years. (Although, I must say, he had the BEST bachelor pad that I've ever seen... so I had a good base to work with!)
Growing up, we always lived in brand-new, custom-designed homes. My parents liked modern furniture and modern things, so I inherited their taste. My apartments over the years have been full of black and silver furniture, lots of glass, and everything new and stream-lined. However, for years, I dreamt of having a "nautical house" so I collected everything I could find... sailboats, lighthouses, buoys, lanterns. Eventually, my "nautical house" in my head morphed into more of a "Pottery Barn Nantucket house" and I still liked those nautical touches, just more subdued, with khaki and pale blue walls dancing in my dreams. Cue The Bungalow. Not a khaki or pale blue wall in sight. Mustard yellow and cranberry walls... plus plaid wallpaper in the kitchen. Not to mention antiques and family heirlooms he wasn't willing to part with. Antiques? Such a foreign concept in my world!
But somehow, it's all working. And quite nicely, I must say. Yes, we have a modern glass & nickel table in the dining room and I have a "Pottery Barn Nantucket" lighthouse in our bedroom and seagull in the guest room, but we're working in harmony with the antique table & desk in the office and that plaid wallpaper. Since the wedding, we've been focusing on the master bedroom... new, grown-up furniture from Haverty's, in a dark wood to compliment everything else, yet paired with white nightstands from Ikea. Our World Market bookshelves are filling up with photo albums and travel books and collectibles from our honeymoon. And I've discovered http://www.etsy.com/, along with http://www.cb2.com/, which have become inspiration to find those final touches we desperately need.
While it's still a work in progress... we still have no art in the master bedroom and we need to replace the nightstand in the guest room... I'm pretty happy with what we've accomplished so far. Sometimes, it's the small details that make me the happiest.
Puff's nightstand. There's typically a framed photo of us there too.
Our new print we got from Etsy to hang in the kitchen. (Puff loves cars, and it matched the plaid!)
A serving platter that was a wedding gift from my ad agency, paired with Pier One candles, and rocks from CB2 don the table in our office.
(And NO KIMHEAD, you are not allowed to come and rearrange my rocks! That took me 10 minutes to get them right!)
My comfy, yet ugly, office chair was replaced with an antique dining chair and funky cushion from World Market.
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