Putting Together My Whole House Plan
Hello there! So, I pulled a muscle in my back last week, and have had to spend the last few days in bed. Talk about a real let down. I had just made my final decision on my kitchen cabinet colors, I had decided what to do with my breakfast room walls, and I was well on my way to a completed decorating plan for my house and …BAM! Pulled muscle and five days of sitting still. It’s been almost more than I could bear.
The good news is that I’m feeling almost 100% today, so while I’m not going to work on any strenuous projects like building pantry cabinets for at least a week or so, I can do some easier and less strenuous projects for now.
I have to admit that these few days of down time have really been good, though. Very refreshing and re-energizing for me. I’ve had a massive stack of probably 50 or so magazines — a stack that I keep adding to each month — that I’ve never even looked at. Better Homes & Garden, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, and more, some dating back to 2012 that I had never even looked at.
So I’ve been powering through that stack over the last few days. My idea was to flip through them very quickly, not really thinking, pondering, analyzing or anything like that. But just ripping out any pages that really caught my eye. And then I wanted to go through those pages and see what common themes they had.
There were some definite common themes. Some very predictable themes. Few surprises.
I’m drawn to greens, blues, and blue-greens. Anyone surprised about that? 😀 Of course not.
(Sorry for the awful pics. I have no idea how to take pictures of glossy magazine pages without glares.)
Blues, greens, and blue-greens are so comforting to me. They feel like “home” to me. They make me feel relaxed, and yet they energize me at the same time.
The biggest surprise for me was the degree to which I’m drawn to purples, after years of hating purples.
That’s actually a page from the Benjamin Moore Fresh Pales pamphlet. I really like both of those wall colors on that page.
I shouldn’t really say that I hated purple for years. That’s not really an accurate description of my attitude towards purples. The issue is that in our very first house, way back in 2003 in Oregon, I decorated the huge bonus room above the garage in purples. My decorating skills at the time left a lot to be desired, and I just did it all wrong. It was like being inside a big grape. So I pretty much swore off of decorating with purples ever again. But I’m coming around on that now. I’m finally getting to the point where I can see purple and not be reminded of that room. I can finally see purples with fresh, new eyes. And it only took 13 years! 😀
So blues, greens, blue-greens, and purples are “me.” I can try to fight it, but I’ll always go back to these colors.
That’s not to say that I don’t like colors from the warm side of the color wheel. I do, very much, like reds, oranges, corals, yellows. But I prefer those colors in small amounts as accents. Decorating with those colors in large amounts actually unnerves me a bit.
My yellow piano?
I’ve never gotten used to it. In my mind, I thought a yellow piano would be great. I loved the pictures I saw of yellow pianos. But actually living with a huge yellow piano in my house is a different story.
It happens every time I try to bring in large amounts of color from the warm side of the color wheel into my house. It’s jarring to me.
So how did I get so off track? One comment. It only took one comment.
You see, sometimes I forget what my goal is with this blog. This blog is about me sharing my DIY journey of turning an old, outdated fixer upper into a home for Matt and me. That’s it. It’s my journey. I do hope along the way that I can teach some things about DIY and encourage those who might want to take on some DIY projects. But this isn’t just a collection of random DIY projects like you find on craft blogs, where the projects probably end up in the trash can minutes after the blog photos are taken and the post is published. No, this is our home. And this blog is my journey.
My job isn’t to bring the latest, cutting edge decorating ideas. It’s not to bring you the latest fads and trends in decorating. It’s not to bring you ideas for various styles of decorating. I’ll leave that to the shelter magazines and TV shows.
My job (at least for now and until this house is finished) is to to work on my house, turn it into a home for us, and share the journey along the way. When the house is done, I’ll reassess what I want this blog to be about at that time. But I’ve still got quite a way to go before I have to cross that bridge.
And sometimes I forget that. I lose my way. I lose my focus. I lose my purpose. And that’s when, in my insecurities, I can let other people’s comments burrow into my brain. And that’s exactly what happened.
It was while I was working on the bathroom remodel, where I painted the walls green and the vanity teal. It was during that project that I read a comment about me (on another site, not on my blog) where the person said something like, “Ugh. More blue and green. Doesn’t she know how to do anything else?” Or it was something to that effect. And perhaps there was a description of me like “one trick pony” or something like that. I really can’t remember the exact details.
All I know is that in that instant, that comment struck me, and made me feel embarrassed and insecure. And it was in that moment that I decided in the next room I did, I would be sure to bring in lots of warm colors and get out of my blue and green rut.
Well, I’ve learned my lesson. First of all, I shouldn’t be wasting precious time reading comments about me on other sites (and I no longer do, and haven’t in a very long time). Second, I have to be confident and know who I am, and remember what my blog is about. And third, blue and green isn’t a rut for me. Those just happen to be the colors that feed me, relax me, energize me, and make me feel comfortable and at home. There’s no need for me to try to change that.
All of that to say that these last few days have actually been very good for me, and I have my decorating plan done. I’m very excited about it, and it’s very different from the direction I’ve been heading for the last year. I do have big changes coming, and while I know some people won’t like them, I hope you’ll enjoy the journey anyway.
And this time, I’m going to keep the specifics of my plan to myself. 🙂 At least for now. Rather than share the ideas upfront, I plan instead to just share them as they unfold.
Many changes are ahead. 🙂
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Sounds like an excellent plan, Kristi. Go forth and enjoy. Cheers, Ardith
Yippee! You’ve found your way back and you didn’t even know you were lost. Your detours are interesting, too, but what a joy to read about the insights you’ve gained over the last few days. This is wonderful news.
I’m sorry you hurt your back, but I’m glad you got a mental break for a bit! I appreciate you sharing your journey with us. I also appreciate that this is YOUR HOME and not just a menagerie of DIY tutorials. I’m excited for your plan and can’t wait to see it unfold! 🙂
I hope you continue to feel better each day. So happy to read you have sorted things out in your mind and know really in your heart now, the direction you want for YOUR home. I have followed you the last few years. You’ve taught me a lot and given me confidence to do bigger projects I would have never tackled. What colors you choose for your house, are for you, not me and my happiness. I am here to learn how to do things. Go with your gut. Because you may have the same colors as in the condo is fine. It’s okay. Those are the colors that make you comfortable and make your house YOUR home. I’m here for the journey and to learn. It’s your house and Matt’s. Make it your own. Can’t wait to continue learning. Take care!
I love to see the ‘maturing’ of your ideas come to life before my eyes on my screen. I’m also glad to see you use color, so many are not and it makes me stop and wonder if I’m doing it wrong because I don’t have ‘all neutral’ rooms in my home. Your home is YOUR sanctuary. It is supposed to be YOUR happy place. I love how you are not afraid to go back and scratch an idea if you are not happy with it. You are very talented and while our tastes in colors are so similar (yes, I love blue and green) I would enjoy your blog even if your favorite colors were orange and blinding red.
I would like to see (even if it is after it’s done) how you plan your designs. That way I can learn too!
🙂 Gina
I too decorate in mostly blues, greens and greys. I also have moments where I think I should change it up. But then I think ‘why’? I would dislike anything else. For example, my husband wanted a red wall in the living room. I agreed, and I hate it. However I told him he could have his red wall for a couple of years and then it was changing lol. Do what you love, doesn’t matter what anyone else says. It’s your home!
Blue and green isn’t a rut. It’s perfection. The whole planet is blue and green, naturally because it is the best and most perfect color combination ever to happen. Ever. 🙂 I’ve enjoyed your blog for the past few months, but I have to selfishly say I’m glad you are veering back towards that color scheme. Because if you couldn’t tell already, blues and greens make my heart sing 🙂
This comment is perfect, Sherre, because you’re right! Blues and greens are my favorite colors ever and have been for a very long time. I think sometimes our color preferences change — when I was a teen and into my early 20’s, I loved hot, bright colors like red, chrome yellow, orange, and pink. Now they’re usually too loud for me, and these days I need cooling, calming colors around me, and blues/greens are those shades for me, accented with silvers and grays. I’m all about the ocean shades, aqua, turquoise, sea glass, sea foam, etc., in all the various saturations (some bright, some more pastel). These are the colors of our (collective ‘our’) home – Planet Earth, and I love them! For me, these colors represent where I am in the process of maturing as a human.
Sorry to hear about your back pain. I was suffering with the same last week. :-S Glad you found you again. “You do YOU!” I love your colour palettes and I am sure you will too. Important that you do recognize that you are sharing your journey with us — that is it!! You are an inspiration and more often than not, an educator! Glad you are staying off the “other blogs”.
Looking forward to seeing the plan. I love blues and greens myself–my whole house in done in blues, greens, and neutrals. Can’t wait to see the next phase in the piano. Personally, I loved the gray and wood tone version best, but a teal and wood tone or teal and black one would look cool. Too. Not a fan of yellow so always thought that looked to bright. But again, that’s me. You should only be decorating for yourself so bravo on returning to the colors that make you happy.
Looking forward to seeing what you’ve decided on. Love your ideas.
I think what you go through, with all the feedback you get, reminds me a lot of Young House Love and the reasons they quit their blog and kept their new home more to themselves, with more details after the decision were made rather than during. You might already follow them, but if not, you should check out their blog post and podcast where they talk about how so much comment from their readers would have an effect on the choices they were making for their own home. Anyway, glad you are back to doing what you want!
I still remember as a child wearing blue knee-highs with a green dress and some bratty mean girl snarling about how they didn’t match. The grass is green, and the sky is blue. Perfection. Do what you love, and tune out the haters.
Was looking thru Ballard Designs and saw green with a peacock blue. It was so vibrant!
I keep thinking about the colors in your bird wallpaper that you could pull from to tie your rooms together.
I just love your green kitchen and would be sad to see it go…
So sorry you hurt your back, but glad you took the time off to rest and heal. Looking forward to seeing what unfolds!
Second that. Glad to see you back.
I knew something was wrong when we didn’t hear from you for days. Matter of fact, I had just said a prayer for you and low and behold, your email came through!! Praise God for answered prayers!! Prayers lifted up to you that your back heals completely without further pain. Kristi, I LOVE your blog, I LOVE what you share with us. I admire your skill and perseverance through the “storms” of life and decorating. Keep up the great work!!! 🙂
Good for you! What is it about us that allows one negative voice to overpower a sea of positive ones?? Glad you are moving past it and developing a plan that works for YOUR style and sensibilities!
Firstly, I’m so sorry you hurt your back, that is NOT fun. But I’m pleased you’ve been able to take a break and look through all your magazines and get your design plan and color scheme worked out. I know I’m super excited to see what you’ve chosen and to see it all come together! I love your blog, you give such inspiration, that we are all human, we can make color mistakes, and we can change our minds and you keep it real and are not afraid to show us that. GO Kristi!!!!!!
I think that break was really necessary for you, you sound so happy and relaxed (and I hope your back is going to be ok again soon!)!!
I love following your progress and do not expect to be entertained by you for entertainings’s sake. I don’t want you to cater to any artificial trends for the blog at all – I’m completely happy when I get a glimpse of what you’re doing and can learn techniques along the way which you are sharing. In the last months I’ve learned not to fear making decisions and then deciding anew :), but I keep my fingers crossed that in the future you do not undergo that process again because you feel it necessary for your blog! Your blogis the best read I’ve ever found in blogland and that’s because you’re genuine – you share your journey instead of trying to become what you might think your readers want you to be. Thanks – as always – for the ride 🙂
I bet I know where you read that. A bunch of people who critique blogs. Must be nice to have nothing else to do but hate on others! Glad you are no longer giving them any of your precious time or attention.
I love your greens and blues and blue-greens! Those are the colors I love as well. Probably why I was drawn to your blog in the first place. I’ve seen other posts where you have decorated others homes and you used colors the homeowners liked. That’s not a one trick pony. You decorate your home with your favorite colors. That is what everyone does.
Well done, well done!
Confident and articulate.
wow. I love your blog, read it, wait on it, re-read it, wait impatiently for your next one…..
I hate blues, blues and greens, purples, lol but I don’t care! It is the behind-the-scenes decision making that I love, the planning, re-planning, re-re-planning, that I love! The Process!!!!! THAT is what is so interesting to me. I’m kind of going through the same thing with the colors right now, I WANT GRAY. I pick out reds, olives, oranges lol. EVERY TIME. Gray is never going to happen for me. I have accepted it, and thank the Lord, I am happy with it! I love reds, olives, oranges, browns, and even though gray is such a fascinating color, its just not me! KEEP GOING WITH WHAT YOU ARE DOING! I’m with you!
Good for you!!! What a great feeling to be confident in your decisions and have a wonderful new plan. I know it will be like having a fresh wind beneath your wings as you move forward.
Sorry to learn of your injury… glad you’re on the mend.
❤️
I feel sorry for the posters on other sites who are asking for “What’s trending now?”. No one should decorate their home according to trends. Your home should be your haven, you are truly blessed if you walk in the door and smile. SO looking forward to seeing your choices in the months to come. I revisit your condo pages from time to time because I just love the kitchen / dining area colors.
A suggestion; when you execute the master bath, research the addition of a “captive air” pressure tank as a shower addition. A powerful shower massage would benefit both you and Matt.
Glad you are feeling better! I can only imagine how vulnerable blogging about something personal like your home can make you feel sometimes. I am glad you persevere and share with us– on your terms! Looking forward to the process continue to unfold.
So sorry to hear about your bout of back pain, and I hope it resolves very quickly. I have to say this may be a blessing in disguise, though, since such a thoughtful and graceful essay came out of it. (I’m saying “it” instead of “enforced idleness” because obviously, you are far from idle even lying in bed.) And kudos to you for emphasizing your sense of purpose and your goals, and for knowing yourself. I’m sure there are many readers out there who lack the confidence to decorate and instead try following the latest trend, whether or not it suits them. Keep on inspiring them. And hey, what’s not to like about blue and green as the basic colors to work with? Seems to me they are perennially popular for a very good reason – beauty and peace.
Since I gravitate to blues, greens, teals and purples, I’m totally with you. The only other thing I do well is neutrals. Although I do love orange (mostly outside). Do what pleases you in your house.
Kristi, sometimes we NEED a setback to get us to stop and refocus. I’m sorry it was such a painful setback for you, but it sounds like it was beneficial nonetheless.
I’m actually glad you’re going to keep much of your plans to yourself and then just reveal them as you get them finished, or perhaps part way through. At times I even felt disoriented just reading so many of the comments that almost sounded selfish on the part of others….wanting you to do things the way they saw fit…..not that it was a bad thing to share their opinions, rather it was confusing you. And I sometimes felt as if you might’ve felt like a rudderless ship on a choppy sea. So, I’m thinking this will be good for YOU, because you needed to come back and stay true to yourself. At the end of the day, it’s what makes you and Matt happy that really counts. If you can share and encourage others along the way, great! But just as Matt is your priority, so is your home and happiness. Good Luck and I look forward to reading more about your journey!
I am glad you are back to doing what you like in YOUR house! I just enjoy the ride wherever it goes. <#
“What other people think about me is not my business”. Can’t control others peoples’ thoughts or opinions. Be true to yourself and let the chips fall where they may! Sorry you hurt your back and glad to hear you’re better. Go forth and conquer!
I loved your post! We decorate our homes for us, not anyone else. I just built my own barstools and painted them in my favorite colors- fall oranges, yellows and greens. I know most people won’t agree with the color choice but I hope they can be excited that i actually built my first pieces of furniture. Its about the learning and the process, not the style or color tastes! !
Kristi,
So glad you are on the mend and used your down time productively for you. Haters always gonna hate, but I have to tell you, after following a dozen or so DIY blogs over the last couple years, yours is the only one I follow now. Why? Your writing style, attention to detail and especially how you share your process. So many others show a before and after, but no in between, or very little. Readers are left hanging wondering how it was accomplished. You tell your story, complete with pictures for every step. It seems you almost anticipate what questions readers will have and cover that in your process details. I love that! You have graciously opened your home and shared your highs, lows, mistakes, successes and even asked your readers for their suggestions and ideas. It’s a fantastic learning experience for all who tune in. Keep on keeping on!
I’m sorry about your back and hope that you don’t overwork right away to get ‘back into that position’ (no pun intended). It is probably good for you to have think time while you recuperated.
I love your color plan of the cool colors but will miss that yellow piano. I love the ‘splash’ factor of it and think it went well in the room but that is your call.
Can’t wait for your next room plan and see what you have deicded.
Go Christi!
Great post! I also love blue and green and tend to decorate with those colours. Glad to hear you have a plan figured out!
There are so many things I love about your blog. And one of them is that you use COLOR! All these “white” rooms in shelter magazines, etc. read to me, fear of color. Fear of expressing oneself. I’ve never been one to live by the dictates of trends and don’t believe you are either. So stick your guns and do it your way!
P.s. Hope your back allows you get back to work soon!
Glad to hear you are on the mend. About color, I used to be a displayer for Home Interiors & Gifts remember them? We used to tell everyone at our shows that greens and blues are a neutral because you’ve never seen a flower that doesn’t go with it’s stem or the sky. Keep up your fantastic blogs we love the journey. I’ve deleted many other blogs because they are the same thing over and over. Others have been deleted because they refer to some designs as ugly or disgusting, I.e. ceiling fans, reclining sofas, which many of us have. You and your designs are most like us who struggle with color, design and budget. You like us, need not to defend your choices. All in all you’re the best blog around and I look forward to each and every one.
This is YOUR JOURNEY and you should really only listen to yourself and your husband. It’s your house and you need to do what you LOVE. I’m so glad you realized that! I don’t care if what you love is all blues and blue greens, that’s you! You would probably hate my house with it’s tans, red-oranges and olive greens, but it’s me and I LOVE those colors! You gotta do you and I’m so very happy for you that you came back around to that. I look forward to seeing your house unfold.
Also, just so you know, you have inspired me to not just think about taking on bigger projects but to actually DO them! My husband and I built a closet organizer just last weekend and are in the process of priming and painting it. I’ve realized some things I would do differently from it, but I got the inspiration to do it from reading this blog and seeing all that you accomplish. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Kate Riley (centsationalgirl.com) is what I would call a blue/green person as well. She has done her house in those colors and it is gorgeous. She occassionally adds a warm color to the mix and her style is a bit more contemporary. I love her home though.
Last yr we remodeled our kitchen/dining room. These rooms all connect to our Family/TV room. I wanted a white and blue kitchen so badly, but we struggled to find a color for the family room. My husband didn’t want the same color in all three rooms and he rarely has an opinion, so I listened. We went with a really boring old neutral (Shaker Beige) but I tell you it is so easy to decorate with and it blends so well with Smoke color we used in a kitchen/dining room. It isn’t the pinterest worthy home, but we love it so much.
So basically, go with what makes you happy and your husband happy.
I’m so sorry you were hurt, but I’m happy you had time to reflect on what you really want for you and Matt. It’s easy to get swept off course when you’re in the midst of non-stop, whirlwind activity. I’m happy you’ve righted your course 🙂
I’ve had my first MS relapse in 10 years and have been forced to stop everything I was working on for several days now. While I’ve been out of commission, I’ve had time to consider where I was headed and realized if I had continued as I was planning, I would have ended up making a huge mistake, costing myself time and money to correct it – not to mention the huge blow my confidence would have taken. It could be months before I’m able to get back to work, but when I do I’ll be headed in the right direction. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy watching your plan unfold.
Kristi- I love love love your blog. It feeds ME. It energizes ME. I actually feel I can do things that I’ve only thought about while looking at Pinterest. Please don’t pay attention to nay-sayers.
Please keep up YOUR good work!!
“First of all, I shouldn’t be wasting precious time reading comments about me on other sites (and I no longer do, and haven’t in a very long time)”
YES!!! PLEASE stick to this statement! I’ve looked at those sites before and they are downright evil. No matter what is done, ANONYMOUS people will criticize it. No matter what. They are impossible to please. Those sites make me ill.
Now you are talking Girl!!! Doesn’t hurt that they are my favorite soothing happy colors too. Can’t wait for it all to unfold. Glad you are better
Are you still sticking with yellow for the exterior of your home?
I continue to waver between yellow siding with white trim, and and all red brick exterior with a light colored German smear over top. And when I say “waver” I mean about four times a day. 😀 I really don’t know how I’m going to decide. Quite honestly, my preference is the red brick with the German smear. My hesitation is that if I ever tire of that, changing the look will be much harder than simply painting siding a different color. So I’m still undecided at this point.
I think there is value in making a “permanent” choice. Then it is settled in your brain and you don’t have to think about it anymore.
I agree. I go back and forth with designs but when i realize i continue to always go back to a certain one i know that is the answer. I think this is where you are with the brick and german smear!
I so sorry you hurt your back and hope you continue to heal! Please, give yourself plenty of time to heal completely!
I’m so glad you had the time to think and contemplate, though. I think that was needed. I can imagine how you could get off track with so many opinions coming through but you must keep in mind that this is YOUR home and you are are the ones living there so you have to design it to make you happy and not any of us! Who cares what colors you choose? I’m here to learn how to do things so it doesn’t really matter to me what color you decide to go with. I do take several blogs and I know there are some that I really don’t like the colors they use (mostly all white, too much grey or all neutrals – just not me) but again, that is not why I read their blogs. I certainly would never tell them that I hate their color choices FOR THEM! That is not my place.
Please continue teaching us all your wonderful skills and make your house into YOUR home!
I found you six years ago when we got our house on the lake and I wanted to completely change my home color scheme from jewel tones to blues and greens…and some purple! I googled blue and green home decor DIY, and found your blog. But in the past year or so, I had begun to say well I guess I just have to go through Kristy’s old posts because she has gone a completely different direction now. So I, for one, am happy you are going to be 100% what I need to read again! Certainly I always learn from your how-to’s, but when your color scheme is exactly what mine is, it’s wonderful!
I agree, you should always decorate with whatever is YOU. I have felt a few times that you were trying to be cutting edge and it did not work. It really gets me when everyone has FINALLY gotten all of their ugly brass out of their home, then suddenly gold is hot! It looks too contrived by the decorating industry to always made everyone’s house be out of style and you need to change all the colors all the time. Look at grays for instance, now that a LOT of people have painted their kitchens gray or white, they will bring out some new hot color that they push. I have painted my kitchen a light gray/green and a dark gray/green. I am going for a French country kitchen and feel it will always be in style. Remember a few years ago how everyone had to have cherry kitchen cabinets with dark granite? Now, I guess all those people need to rip the counters out and put in marble? Who can afford to keep up with styles anyway? I see them now pushing white upper cabinets with navy blue lower cabinets a lot. At least this time, repainting will be cheap, but watch in the next trend, they will find natural, stained wood dreamy again!
Kristi, by the way, I feel you have the BEST site I have ever seen for teaching us how to build things and DIY. I love your site and have learned so much. I cut out my lower kitchen cabinet door panels, using your tutorial on glass doors, and inserted beadboard in my doors. It looks great and rescued old doors. I will be using the tutorial for cutting out the top doors and putting in glass. I have learned how to reduce the depth of cabinets using your bathroom tutorial and on and on. I consider your site a teaching site and people can decorate with whatever colors their hearts desire! Thank you so much for the detailed tutorials!
Excellent blog; very individual and considered, a pleasure to read about your thought processes/decisions. I too look forward to them. Keep well.
Hi Kristi
I laughed out loud when I read your comment about your pile of unread magazines dating back to 2012… I have a similar pile of both magazines and books that are waiting patiently to be read!! 🙂
I do hope that you take the time to rest up so that your back heals completely.
I have always been a yellow person but I am finding that over the past 5 or 6 years I am leaning more towards blues and greens. I absolutely adore your first inspirational photo. Whatever you do be true to yourself.
I love your blog and eagerly await you emails…
Sometimes we all lose focus over something rather small and not really us. Good for you for realizing what you like and going for it! You always do amazing work and it’s fun to see your blog and what you’ve been up to. Your results speak volumes and wonderful, awesome volumes at that.
Hope you continue to feel well.
How anyone could ever call you a “one trick pony” is beyond me! I think of you as 100% opposite of that. But more than just a person who loves to decorate you are also a “do it yourselfer” of remodels, cabinet building, flooring, sheetrock, windows, furniture building, creative artist, etc.. There is no one else who does what you do, AT ALL, in my humble opinion!!!
So glad you found your plan!
Your life. Your house. Your money. Your blog. Do what makes your heart sing. The rest of the world be damned. 😉
Years ago I decorated in the Tucson style with golds, reds, and a splattering of green. I hated it the whole time I lived with it. It just wasn’t me. I am totally a blue/green girl. I love them. So do what your heart tells you…it wins every time.
And I did something similar bringing in a lovely rug in camels, brick red and all of green. A store decorator did a great job helping me work with it. And while everything was lovely when we were done, every time I walked in the house I felt like it belong to somebody else. Eventually I had to recover the sofa, chair cushions, and give the rug away to a friend. And I’m back to my favorite indigo blues, with touches of greens and yellows. We all go through a learning curve, and we don’t mind going through it with you either! It helps us avoid the same mistakes in the future. Thanks, Krist!
“Olive” green, not “all of” green . . .
Kristi,
The old adage “everything happens for a reason” comes to my mind. While I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. I feel like the timing came from above. So glad you’re on the mend & that you’ve had some productive insights during your healing down-time.
I’m very partial to people finding what decor & colors bring them peace and then running with it. Those colors will never be “out” for you & yours. I follow several blogs where there are beautifully colorful homes. I love seeing how others use color & how their personalities shine through their decorating choices. Yours is definitely one of them!
I’ve always loved colors, contrasts, textures & patterns. However, I’ve realized after nearly 40 years that I need a much quieter space (visually speaking). I want my home to wrap me like a warm hug & instantly soothe. Where I step in the door, take a huge deep breath & let the day’s stress melt away.
We all have an individual formula that speaks to us. While I tend to gravitate to very similar colors as yourself, I need those to mostly be the smaller accents in my spaces. Neutrals with a dose of contrasts & textures (over patterns) are what speak to me the strongest. (Maybe it’s due to our busy life with 6 kids ages 2 to almost 20. Or maybe it’s really always been what DH & I had an affinity for & didn’t even know.)
I’m glad you’re finding your way to being true to yourself!
I’m so sorry you hurt your back, but glad you were forced to rest and are better now. I love that you were able to get your thoughts together and go through all those magazines. (I won’t tell you about the pile waiting for me…. ha, ha) I am excited to watch you and your process. I’m also glad you’re not telling us your plans yet. We are so opinionated. 🙂 As a yellow/green/blue person, I will prepare psychologically to say goodbye to your beautiful kitchen and piano, but I will also wait anxiously to see your new colors. It’s your love of color that first brought me to your blog, but it’s your being unafraid of sharing your mistakes and how you change your mind that keeps me coming back. Can’t wait to see what you do next! Always do YOU, Kristi!
Kristi, I have and continue to learn much from you. There are similarities and differences in our styles. However that’s how it should be! We’re not clones of each other! You’d be bored stiff in my home as I prefer neutrals for my backdrop and your walls are an artist’s canvas! I can appreciate your style regardless of differences. Stay true to yourself. Who knows? I may have a room with color yet when I find the color that speaks to my soul.
I LOVE BLUE. I gave up years ago trying to convince myself that my house would be anything but shades of blue. It is my comfort color and I always feel good when I walk in the door. Go with what you LOVE and you will never be disappointed. We, your fans, love your blog because it is you and you put your heart and soul into all you do. We do not care if it is the latest trend or whatever. Keep right on with what you are doing and we will keep right on following you. Carol
THANK YOU for doing your own thing. Yours is the only blog that I follow thus far. I like that you share your thought process with us, and your home.
Well done Kristi. So happy for you as you have found yourself. Hope that back is getting better. And I love Blue and Green. When I was in primary school I remember a teacher telling me that blue and green should never been seen unless a colour in between. Well back then I thought there are blue flowers with green,and I decided that I loved the idea of both colours. And quess what! At 69 yrs I still love and use both of these. So go with you heart and suprise us. Love your blog! xx
Kristi,
You go girl and do what makes you happy! I said it before and will say it over and over and over again – YOU ARE AMAZING!
Sorry about your back and am glad you are feeling better.
JoAnne
Yes, I know the site. I posted in Kristi’s thread for awhile, and there was one poster who kept insisting that I was actually Kristi and it just got weird. The site’s reputation was recently destroyed because the owner published a series of posts on the front page accusing a young mother blogger of inventing a terminal cancer diagnosis for her husband. The site owner was relentless, and ultimately this poor woman had to provide medical proof to a third party while in the middle of dealing with her husband’s disease and death. The site owner scrubbed the site of all mention of the event, but the Internet doesn’t forget. Decent posters there fled, and all that remains are the truly toxic ones.
I was thinking about your post this morning while walking the dogs. Yes, you do tend to stick with me !
The comment about the piano surprised me – I feel like I walked with you through that while adventure! But, if the color isn’t sitting well with you, I could imagine that beautiful teal you showed on the bottom of your post on Oct. 26. I’m looking forward to seeing your plans unfold. 🙂
Well said! I come to see what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. I am not here to critique your decisions for your home. I just get the fun of looking on and getting ideas for myself. Thanks for sharing and don’t be afraid to do exactly what pleases you!
Home is so personal. Everything in it defines the dwellers so no matter how hard we should try keep our ears closed to opinions that are not helpful.
Kristi,
I love reading your blog eventhough I’m not a DIYer. Yoir works are inspiring and help me understand the process of decorating a home in a whole new way! And get well soon..
Kristi,
Your’re an inspiration. I’ve always had a different vibe taste preference than most people in my mid-west regional area. It took me years to let go and not care what anyone else thinks. I love BLUE and GREEN and grays and gold. I love white. That is not the norm in my tuscan-rustic inspired area, but that’s okay! Love what you love, and live with what you love! Life is too short not to! I just recently started following you and I cannot wait to see what you churn out. Cheers to you making a beautiful home, and more importantly, spectacular life IN the home you’re in.
Best of luck!
~Kassie
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I have and always will love the blues and greens, my current house is all about blues, greens and browns…the attached picture inspires me. Good Luck with your new plans and look forward to watching your journey continue to unfold.
That Yellow piano though! it must bring just so much joy just being in the same room with it! 😀
I follow many decorating blogs and I would much rather true decor than little ideas to fill up space… I also believe , while tastes evolve, we reach a certain age where we become much more comfortable with our taste and there are certain colors we really love… I realized I love blue.. I never wanted to but when I see things I am drawn to, like the rooms you posted, I know its true! Please decorate your house your way… Thank God you no longer read comments, although I do hope you read these!I am decorating my house, it was my mother’s, grandmother’s and Great- grandmother’s….I am already getting so much advice but I know what I want… I can see it in my head and if no one likes it, that is okay because I am going to love it!
I read all of the comments on my own blog and Facebook page. 🙂 I’ve stopped reading comments on other sites (i.e., forums) that are written about me. 🙂
I learned many decades ago in therapy that what others thought of me was none of my business. Armed with that tidbit, I regained my self-confidence and vowed to never pay attention to all the critics, good or bad. I am a bit of an eccentric so my style of clothes or decor was mine and I owned it, good or not-so-good. Good for you for realizing that you are doing your home to please you and Matt. No one else matters. Unless they are paying your mortgage and your expenses, they have no say in anything you do and you certainly don’t have to read or listen to anything they say. Carry on, my friend, and do what you do best..create a beautiful, loving home and we will enjoy your journey and learn while we are here.
For the piano, maybe a bright, cool, lemony pastel yellow, instead of the gold-tone yellow it has currently.
You can always tell when you have been away too long. Everyone has something to say. When I got to the end of your tome, my only thought was “well that sucks”. I wanted to know what you were going to fix (thank you Jesus, the yellow piano is going). I love the new kitchen cabinet color, hated to say it, but thought the green looked like a giant emerald (not a bad thing, if it is real). Also, Lord, have I disliked your penchant for “gold”. You probably should stop thinking about purple as purple. Purple is for popsicles, lollypops, grape juice, and probably something else. I hate purple. I adore, plum, eggplant, dusk and all of those words that evoke the color purple, without it being grapy! I was 13 when I was allowed to pick out the wallpaper and color and carpeting for my bedroom. It was red, white and blue. The drapes would remind you of a Sweedish print, saturated and kind of graphic, but the graphics becoming pinewheels or flowers. My mom picked out the fabric for the drapes.
Since then, I have had three of my own homes. I used all the “in” colors of the time in each one, until the last. Now I am back to being true to myself with my red, white and blue, my plums, teals, and blue/greys. I do have one room that is “greige”. However, in my defense, it has been that color for years longer than it was called greige. My one room, a bedroom, is my bow to primitive, which I love, but could not live with everywhere. The room is barn red and mustard (which I refer to as baby poop green). I love that room with it’s knee walls, window seats and black sleigh bed.
So what I am saying Kristi is, “to thine own self be true”. For heavens sake, the best of the best never read their own review. Stop that!
I’m a little late but… Good for you!
It is your home and should reflect that. You should be surrounded by things, spaces, and colors you love.
In my home you will find red, turquoise, and green repeated over and over. These are the colors we are drawn to and enjoy.