Throwing away.
Putting away.
Cleaning.
Organizing.
Making space.
Because we're fitting in a sixth person in just a few months.
And I'd like to do a bit of redecorating. We're lived here for nearly seven years, and we haven't changed a thing - which means that my artificial flowers on top of the bookcare are faded - or maybe just covered with an inch of dust.
ANYWAY - Jenny at Life is not a Cereal posted a link to a photo quiz at mydeco.com, and I took it just for fun. It told me that I have a decorating style that I'd never heard of - but apparently it's pretty popular. It suits us to a T, so if you've wondered what thread is holding the furniture and paint colors in Bookwormsville together, you can read on:
FAMILY MODERN
Your home confidently embraces the many needs of busy, family life. It's adaptable and easy to live with, reflecting your sense of style without having to banish the kids to the attic or basement. You're sensitive to elements of design such as colour, light and architectural detail, mixing items that are relatively disposable with other pieces that, in time, will become family heirlooms.
Living Room
You have a comfortably contemporary living room. The danger with the 'modern look' is that it too easily falls into the realm of the bland and insipid; 'easy' gets confused with 'careless' and the result is just downright dull! Perhaps of all the rooms in our homes, the living room can be the one that most expresses your sense of style and your interests. Think, too, about how and when you will most use the room. For example, do you want it light and airy or warm and cosy? The occasional, totemic accessory -- whether it's a Noguchi table or a Jasper Morrison mirror -- certainly ticks the right boxes but can alienate visitors, if not the rest of your household. Earthy (but not muddy!) colours work well in both rural and urban settings, while tactile finishes and soft furnishings cry out for company. At the end of a long day, there's nothing nicer than spending some quality time with the family: no wonder your living room's the place everyone gravitates to.
Bedroom
It's a man's world in the master bedroom. Sleep is fundamentally important to our well being. In busy towns and cities, noise can often hamper a good night's sleep. Soft furnishings really do absorb sound, and touch is such an important sense in the bedroom, from crisp, linen sheets to wool or even sheepskin underfoot. You have quite a masculine - some might say hard - style in your bedroom, using earthy, rustic colours and textures to create a sense of harmony with the natural world.
Dining Room
You're a maestro of minimalism using carefully chosen ingredients. At home, 'less-is-more' simplicity appears effortlessly stylish. With so little on show, every single item comes under scrutiny, so it's important that you give time and thought to your choice of china, glass and cutlery. Try to avoid the 'designer cliche' trap, whereby every single piece has impeccable provenance: at best this looks like showing off, at worst it's sadly predictable. When it comes to entertaining, children usually take centre-stage.
Home Office
A little of what you fancy does you good -- even when you're working. Working from home is an increasingly popular solution to the challenge of bringing up a young family and making ends meet. A dedicated home office - even if it's just the corner of a room - will help keep you focused and separate work from hectic family life. Your innate sense of style will probably lead you to creating a work space that's as individual as the rest of your home. Just bear in mind basic ergonomic principles, especially when choosing a desk and chair.
Kids' Room
Let a child's room reflect his or her personality -- not yours! If you have the space for a designated playroom, great. If not, then giving your kids the biggest bedroom can be a smart move, certainly once they're past the toddler stage: it gives them a designated space to play, enabling you to keep the rest of your home more, rather than less, how it used to be. Cheap and cheerful is ideal when it comes to most things in children's rooms: not only do kids grow fast, they also grow out of fads and phases at an amazing rate.
Conclusion
Your home is the hub of family life. It's unpretentious without being devoid of character: in fact, with so much going on, it's open to all the pleasures of life.
