Mixing Old, New & Insects

Wow! I blinked, and two weeks passed. Two weeks of jockeying furniture, putting my house back in order, fighting off a few ailments, and just enjoying sitting out on my deck and watching the trees before it gets too hot to do so.

We've got the 13-year cicada infestation in Nashville right now, which is offering all sorts of entertainment for folks (or aggravation, depending on your tolerance for insects). I don't like the mess these guys are making, but they sound pretty incredible... like right now, as I sit on my deck, there is a wall of sound coming at me in waves from the trees behind my house. Around dusk (I discovered the other night), they will go to sleep and give way to intermittent chirps. Cicada snores. I'm amused at God's creativity and imagine Him up there going, "Do I need a reason to send strange bugs every 13 years, other than to see the bewilderment and wonder it produces in you people?" Good one, God. Good one.

But I did not come here to talk about bugs today! I have a few snippets of my newly decorated office to share. The project is not complete yet, so I'll save the "after" pictures till later, but I'll give you some pieces to show you the work in progress and my inspiration along the way.

I ended up going in a slightly different direction with the office furniture I chose from West Elm. In order to prevent recreating what I already had—a room full of chunky, dark pieces—I went with a desk and shelf that are open and make the room feel more open. Here is the desk and shelf I chose:

The best part: I got all of the pieces on sale! I'm happy with the quality, and while I had to build it all myself, the DIY part was minimal, only a screwdriver required, and the directions easy to follow.

Since I wanted to keep the antique dresser I had along with these more modern pieces, the challenge has been tying them all together. I went with placing the dresser in the corner of the room where it's not a focal point, and the next step is getting some more modern drawer pulls to spruce up the front of it. I'd been wanting to replace the pulls anyway, so now I have a clear direction for the look!

Still, the basic bones of the room were just sitting there for a week or so while I waited for them to speak to me further. In the meantime, I decided to clean out the closet and stumbled upon some old bottles that I'd stashed away. Voila! I've always loved these old bottles (many of them are from my grandmother), but when they were combined with my old, piecemeal furniture, they didn't feel like accent pieces... they just felt like more old stuff sitting around. But now with the new, modern pieces, they feel more intentional and add just the bit of vintage flair I want.

The bottles started the ball rolling for other pieces I have that can add a bit of the old to the room and tie my antique piece in with the new things. Some old books from my grandparents (one can never have too many old books) and some dried roses (reminders of someone's thoughtfulness and also a labor of love since I have to devote precious closet space to drying them), placed in a really old, fragile mason jar "borrowed" from my mom.

The other "old" piece I knew I wanted to keep in the room was a painting by my paternal grandmother of the Florida Everglades. Grandma Clemen was a wonderful and prolific painter, but I only have this one full-size painting of hers as of now. My dad and stepmom chose it for me, and they chose perfectly. I love all the shades of green, the soft light, and even the frame Grandma chose, which is carved wood. The color of the wood ties in with my new bookshelf, and happily, the greens in the painting tie in with other green accent pieces I have around the room.

The final piece is putting up some soft green curtains (also recycled from past uses) with some oiled bronze rods to pull in the hardware of the house. Then I'll add a few more accents, and finito!

I'm so excited to finish this room and share the finished product with you! It's already become a room I want to spend more time in and in which I feel inspired, which was the goal. If you have a room like this in your house, I encourage you to shake things up! Move things around, add something new, pull out something old you think you won't use again. See what happens.

As I do this in each room in my house, I'm realizing how much the spaces are becoming places I love to spend time in, for different reasons. I think that should be the goal for how you decorate and arrange your home. You should look around, love what you see, and feel utterly comfortable there. You'll always love coming home, and others will love being in your nest, too.

But if you don't love a cicada symphony every 13 years, you probably shouldn't make your nest in the woods of Nashville, TN. :)

Spring Cleaning & Office Dreaming

Okay, you know how I said I've cleaned out every year at my house? Well, I lied. I am coming across grade reports from college, photos of my first boyfriend, and notes from years of church sermons. Good grief! Why have I kept all this stuff?! And more importantly, how many pieces of furniture will I be able to get rid of as a result of this real cleaning?

Here are some photos of the room I'm really attacking: my office/Bella's play room (as evidenced by the dog toys strewn about). This is the larger bedroom in my home, thus the place where all this bulky furniture landed five years ago. Oh, did I mention that today is my five-year anniversary of buying and moving into my first house? Congratulations, house and me! These years have flown by, and I still love you and feel incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful home.

Back to the office: I think I've done a pretty good job of tying five different colors of wood together with the fabric my mom attached to the back side of the desk. But I think I will be able to get rid of the black dresser and filing cabinet (over there in the corner, behind the desk) altogether once I organize my leftover treasures. Then the plan is to sell the desk (originally a Habitat for Humanity Store find) and the bookcase (Target, bought at a yard sale) and start fresh. I'll keep the antique dresser, bought at a yard sale and refinished by my nonstop-creative mother. Its curved front and dovetail joints are unique and hard to find, I've heard. Plus, I always imagine it will be a perfect piece for a child's room ... when that day comes.

I've been in negotiations with this desk from West Elm, trying to imagine if it will provide enough room for my files, printer, and current desk stuff. I like it because it provides a lot of work space but doesn't take up a ton of space, and it gives me options with how I place it and configure it (I like the L-shaped combo). The open shelves provide storage but force you to keep things neat (i.e. not store away crap from 10 years ago that you don't need!)

This bookcase has also caught my eye, because it's larger than my current one (and let's face it, books are like rabbits in my house... even a Kindle wouldn't be able to stop them from multiplying). The open shelves help the size of the piece to not be overpowering, since you'll see the wall behind it. I'm thinking of placing it on the far wall, where the mirror is, and moving the mirror over.

After that, it will be decision time for the wall decor, curtains, seating and lighting.

What do you think? Can you see it? What would you do in this room to make it cozy and comfortable (and a place where I want to go do my budget or curl up with a book)?

Update: As I looked at these pictures more, I realized that the very thing I'm trying to get away from (a room full of dark, clunky furniture) is kind of what I'm recreating with these pieces from West Elm, just in a sleeker style. So, I'm thinking a little revision is in order. Stay tuned for a new plan with some pieces that will hopefully help the room look larger and more designed, less filled with furniture. :)