April 7, 2016

Mixing Rustic with Romance

I'm so sorry to be gone for so long!

My husband and I made a trip to Auburn, Alabama last week. Mark got his Ph.D. there and worked for the Mises Institute. He makes a trip back every year and I often go with him. We had a great time visiting old friends and enjoying the beautiful weather. Then we returned to Michigan and 16 degrees and snow!

We were exhausted from our trip and woke up the next day with bad colds. So I have been recouping.

And painting!

I don't know what's happened but I am suddenly looking at everything and asking myself if it's the way I want it. French Country has been my style for a long time but there are so many different and beautiful ways to do it that no two house have to look the same.  About 3-4 years ago, I dramatically changed our decor and went from reds and yellows and lots of prints to a more simple style with lots of white and lots of rustic.

This is our family room about five years ago. I wasn't blogging then.

 It's hard to believe this is the same room! It was so much more formal and a little English Country. The walls were a yellow/gold and so were the draperies. This is the same couch - I've since slip covered it in an off-white.
You can see the rug that now lives in the living room here. These chairs were in our living room too for a while, but I had slip covered them in white. I've since given them to our daughter.

You can see I loved blue and white even then and I actually loved it with the yellow and red florals.
I would change things from time to time but kept this color scheme for almost a decade.
I was getting tired of this but I didn't know what I wanted to do. And then one day, I walked into a Pottery Barn in Grand Rapids and fell in love!

What I loved about the Pottery Barn store was the mix of fresh white couches and chairs with rustic wood, barn doors and sturdy, farmhouse tables. (I don't know why I bothered to say that because we ALL love that - right?!) But, Pottery Barn is not quite blingy enough for me and needs a little more romance.

So I've been figuring out, for the last three years, how to mix the two gracefully. And incorporate the new, fresh color scheme.

When Miss Mustard Seed posted these beautiful pictures, I fell in love.  I pinned them and stared and realized how much I loved the color of the wood. And then figured out that I hadn't combined enough 'rustic' into my 'romance'!


We just replaced all of our doors in our house - we still have a few more to do. Our former doors were very eighties. They were super heavy and solid but were a plain surface with an oak finish and brass 80's hardware. At the time I thought I wanted the classic look of all white trim and white doors. But when I saw these pics, I knew it was the perfect way to tie everything together.

Then Joni at CotedeTexas posted these beautiful photos and I was swooning all over again.


These are the photos that inspired our master bedroom 'boards.'

So I've been painting doors to give them this wood look and we've been adding beams and boards to add 'rustic' to our 'romance.'

We finally got our barn doors up and I will show them to you soon.  Between sitting down and trying to get rid of this cold I've been taking stock and doing lots of tweaking. And lots of painting. And some rearranging.

I hope to have lots to show you soon!

love and blessings~

"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

I'm joining these parties:
poofingthepillows
share-it-one-more-time
lifeonlakeshoredrive
coastalcharm
betweennapsontheporch
myuncommonsliceofsuburbia
stonegableblog
astrollthrulife
cozylittlehouse
wow-us-wednesdays
share-your-style-61

25 comments:

  1. Lynda, I hope you feel better soon. What a harsh reality to get back home to cold temps and a cold! I really like the calm neutrals your home evokes in its present state, although I am also drawn to the reds, yellows and wood tones of your former look as well. It's interesting how you speak of your influences from PB, MMS, and Joni, all of which I am fond of (except for the blip in PB customer quality and service I recently spoke of). Funny how we can sometimes spend a lifetime finding our true style details, isn't it? One foundational style I have always leaned toward is a tailored look, with a blend of masculine/feminine appeal, but always a mix of vintage and antique items. I love the appearance of romantic ruffles in others' home, and pops of blue, yet I don't have any of either in my home. Looking forward to seeing your latest changes.
    Rita

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    1. Thank you, Rita! I've really been looking around our home lately and asking myself, "What do ~I~ like?" I used to buy a lot of decorating magazines and quit when I discovered Pinterest. Then I discovered blogs and got influenced by what others like. My daughter has a more modern style and fortunately, I've been able to give a lot of my 'mistakes' to her. They were great things - just influenced too much by current fads. I realize that some of my choices may not be what others like, but that's what it's all about, right? Thanks for such a thoughtful reply. I enjoy hearing what you think!
      love and blessings~

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  2. I love what you've done! I am a red and yellow girl too, but have been moving a little more rustic and a bit away from my cottage style to incorporate a bit of French.

    Thanks for the inspiration! Hope you are well soon!

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    1. Thank you, Deanna! I am feeling better this morning! When my daughter got married (8 yrs ago) and I took her shopping for home decor, she suddenly had a epiphany. She said, "Oh, it's like fashions change - only it's home decor!" I laughed that this was a new thought to her. And I think the reds and yellows were popular for a long time and now they would be hard to find. But I was ready for a change. It's hard sometimes to find our own style in the midst of trends but I'm working on it!
      love and blessings~

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  3. I love your twist on French Country. Although I'm looking forward to seeing your doors, take it easy and feel better first!

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    1. Thank you, Eilis! I am feeling better! Maybe enough to make my bed and take a few pictures of our doors. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  4. Lynda, wherever your inspiration comes from your interpret it so well in your home.

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    1. Thank you, Stacey! Have a great weekend!

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    2. So glad to see this at Thoughts of Home on Thursday. Just beautiful. :)

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  5. Your home is gorgeous and I am sure any change will be equally fabulous.

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  6. Lynda- everything you do is just stunning.
    As I read this post, I realized I have been going through the same changes in my own decor.
    Things change, right?

    Thank you for linking to TOHOT.

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    1. Thanks so much, Laura! I think it's fun to change things up and I know my style has definitely evolved over the years. And we women get to change our minds, right?! :)

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  7. I could never quite put into words what was missing from PB for me but you expressed my feelings exactly. It's just a little too plain, weathered and washed out! Give me some metallics with all the neutrals.
    One home trend extreme tends to follow another so in ten years or less perhaps we will be back to more color. Love those florals too!

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    1. Connie, I miss the florals every once in a while and think I'll have to put some in at least one room. Maybe a guest room? Thanks for visiting and commenting!

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  8. Oh I adore all of your inspiration! I need to make a few changes too. Your post is such a happy addition to Thoughts of Home on Thursday. Thank you SO much for sharing the joy.
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thank you, Laura! I am on a bit of a rampage - I don't know what's happened! lol Lots of little changes happening around here! I look forward to seeing yours too!

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  9. I love the direction your new decorating style is going - I am on the same path as well. I have slowly been removing all of the red, yellow and green, and changing over to whites and grays with wood accents and a bit of bling. I have gotten much inspiration from your posts. My doors are also white with the dated shiny brass hardware, so I am really looking forward to seeing your new doors.

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    1. Thank you, Iala! I've been having fun making a lot of small changes lately. I feel like I have finally figured out exactly what I like! Thanks so much for visiting and commenting!
      love and blessings~

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  10. All just beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

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  11. I love the blues and whites you have and have to tell you I too did the darker colors of burgundy and golds for at least 15 yrs. I am now turning everything into more neutrals with a touch of greys/blues. Trying for an elegant, vintage, rustic if there is such a thing. Having a terrible time picking out an area rug for living room. Anyway, your home is absolutely gorgeous!
    Blessings, Candy

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    1. Thank you, Candy! I think rugs are very hard to find, too! I love our sisal/sea grass that we have in the family room and so does my husband. However, I bought one that I thought was the same thing at World Market and that's the one that sheds dirt continually. I love our Royal Palace rugs. They have been so durable. I don't even know if they sell them anymore. Hope you find your perfect rug!

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  12. I came here from Hometalk. Looking over your posts, the reference to Auburn, Alabama caught my eye. Tell your husband War Eagle - from this Alabama Girl, Living in Connecticut World.

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