Yes, I’ve Changed My Mind Again (And That’s Okay!)
The other day, someone commented on a post and said, “…how many times are you going to change your mind…?” To which I responded, “As many times as it takes to get it right.” If you’ve been around here for a while, you should know the answer to that question. I’ll continue to weigh options, change my mind, tweak a plan, and make adjustments until a project is finished. And even when it’s finished, nothing is safe in my house. 😀 Something may be my absolute favorite thing in my house today and be on the chopping block tomorrow. And you know what? That’s okay.
So with that said, I’m starting over on my plan for our bedroom. All three rugs are going back, and I’m abandoning the idea of using the drapery fabric that I already had on hand.
When I came across that fabric and realized I had enough to make draperies for all three windows in the bedroom (if I only use one panel on each window on either side of the bed), I was so excited about the idea of saving money by using something I already had on hand. And I do think that fabric is very pretty, and it went perfectly with the teal grasscloth (not including the accent band and green Greek key trim on the edge of the panel).
But as I’ve tried to make it work, I’ve found myself struggling with it. Obviously, from the response on my post about the three rugs options, the second rug was the best choice to go with this fabric. It looks like it was made to go with this fabric.
But I just can’t make myself like it. I don’t know why, but I can’t. I’ve tried. I’ve had it in that room just like this so that I can see it every time I walk through, hoping that I’d eventually love it, but I just can’t get there.
So all three rugs are going back, and I gave myself the freedom to dream a little. If I weren’t making myself use that drapery fabric, what would the room look like? I immediately recognized the problem. I need warm colors, even if it’s just a little accent color. I realized that I bought that drapery fabric back when I was still trying to make teals and greens work on their own, and long before I realized my love for pink, orange, and coral.
I started searching for a new fabric as a jumping off point for our bedroom, and I wanted one that ticked all of the boxes. Green, teal, and a warm color (pink, orange, or coral). And of course, with me, there are always major bonus points if there are birds, flowers, and/or trees.
And y’all. I found it. It’s the perfect fabric. If this doesn’t have my name written all over it, I don’t know what does.
I will say that I have a sample of this fabric in my possession. It’s sitting right here on my desk right beside my computer. And I can say that Ballard Designs’ photos of that fabric are awful. That fabric has a nice creamy background to it. It’s not stark white, but it’s also not what they show. I tried to adjust the color a bit in the photo above to make it more like the real thing, but I ended up making the background too green.
This is more of a true representation of the fabric color…
This picture below looks a bit blah for my taste, but I’m including it so that we can see how this fabric looks as drapery panels. You often lose a pattern/design in the pleats.
I don’t want the pattern getting lost, so I also tried it on a headboard from Ballard Designs.
This is it. This is, for sure, the one. I’m going to order the fabric today, but I just need to make one pretty huge decision first.
As I said, I started out looking for new drapery fabric. I love this fabric and want to use it, but I don’t know that I love it as drapery panels. I much prefer it as a headboard. So that leaves me still needing a drapery fabric.
Well, at the same time that I ordered that sample, I also ordered a sample of the Signature Teal Velvet from Ballard Designs, and oh my goodness, this stuff is gorgeous. This picture doesn’t do it justice at all. It is so gorgeous in person, and has such a richness to it.
I originally ordered this sample thinking it might be a possibility for the headboard. But now I’m thinking…velvet curtains? I love velvet curtains. I have them in the breakfast room. They add such a luxuriousness and warmth to a room. And this particular velvet is an appropriate weight for curtains. It wouldn’t be as simple to work with as a decorator cotton, but I could do it.
With this new direction in mind, I started going through fabric samples that I already had and putting some together all based on that bird fabric, and this is where that headed…
Other than the grasscloth wallpaper, the teal velvet (which is dark and glorious, but not as dark in person as it’s showing in that photo), and the bird/branch fabric, nothing here is a definite part of the plan. These are just samples I had on hand that I pulled out based on the greens in the bird/branch fabric. But I would LOVE to have my reading chair covered in that green plush velvet! 😀 That’s the plush velvet sample that I originally ordered as a possibility for my studio desk chair. It’s about 1/4-inch thick, if not thicker. I can just imagine curling up in that with a book. And while I had that particular coral on hand, I think it’s probably a bit too bright. I’ve ordered several more coral samples, both solids and patterns. I need one that’s toned down just a bit. But at least this gives me a good idea of where I’m heading, and I love this direction SO much better than the other one.
I’m still undecided about whether to use the birds/branches on the headboard and the velvet on the curtains, or to use the velvet on the headboard and the birds/branches on curtains. I might have to do a mock up of each option so I can really envision them.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself over the last few years it’s that I need warm colors. They don’t have to be dominant in the room at all, but they do have to be present in some form. While teal will always have my heart, followed closely by greens, those warm colors just add such life to a room that, in my humble opinion, can look a little bland without them.
It’s okay to change your mind. I promise. It only hurts for a little bit. 😀
UPDATE: I made a decision. I just ordered the bird fabric for the headboard, and I’ll use the teal velvet on the curtains. I’m so excited!! I love this new direction!
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.
YAY, Kristi! Go for the fabric you love!!! I agree that using it as a drape diminishes it’s lovely, watercolor-like effect, but it really pops as a headboard fabric. Have a fun, joyful time arranging your room around that! It’s beautifully peaceful.
NEW PLANS FOR YOUR BEDROOM ARE MUCH, MUCH BETTER.!!!
My first reaction to the new fabric was .. that’s Kristi. My second was that the pattern gets lost in the drapes and the color of the birds overpowers the pattern. I vote for using it on the headboard where the whole pattern is visible cuz it’s lovely. Does a rug work for Matt’s needs?
As long as a rug is no more than 1/4-inch thick, it’s fine.
Like someone else commented, “go for the fabric you love”. That is one thing that I have always like about you is that you keep tweaking until it is just right, never settling for “that will do”. It takes a lot more guts to keep changing your mind until you have it right than to do something just because it meets expectations of others.
I’m always a fan.
I was always told, decorate from the bottom up. Pick the rug first, paint and fabric are then easier to pick.
I don’t think it has to be a rug. I think the point is the pick something that can inspire the rest of the room. For some rooms (like my living room), that jumping off point may be a rug. For others (like this bedroom) the jumping off point may be a fabric. For my studio, the inspiration for the whole room was a wallpaper. So I don’t think it has to be bottom up, but I do find it easier to find one thing — rug, wallpaper, fabric, something — that can be used as a starting point. I would never start with a wall paint color unless it’s one that I just absolutely fell in love with and decided I needed it no matter what. I can’t think of a time I’ve ever done that, though.
I have actually chosen a paint color first, but that’s because my whole vision for the room was to make guests feel like they were in an extension of the window view. The room was painted “Porch Ceiling” by Sherwin Williams which is a shade of haint blue as there are large windows in that upstairs room with a view of the sky and tree tops with the gardens below. There are birds and butterflies and flowers and leaves on the fabrics in the guest bedroom suite. It’s my favorite room in the whole house!
I refrained from commenting on your last post because I didn’t have anything constructive to add, I just didn’t like it. Lol
But these options, yes! They look much more “Kristi” than the previous ones, and for me, the bird fabric on the headboard is the way to go. It showcases the fabric best, and velvet is always a good choice for curtains IMO. Question, though…will the grasscloth be on walls, and if so, the whole wall? Asking because I’m wondering if the teal velvet would blend in too much/be too saturated if the grasscloth is on the whole wall.
The grasscloth will be on all of the walls above 30-inch white wainscoting. The white will be the same white I’ve used on my trim throughout the house, including the master bathroom. So that will add some lightness to the room and add beautiful contrast with the teal velvet.
Kristi, I couldn’t make any comments when you were showing the drapery fabrics and rugs because none of the ways you showed the rugs and samples looked good to my eye. I’m not talented enough so I didn’t want to spoil your choices because I knew when you actually put everything in your new bedroom, everything would look beautiful. I do think warm colors are a nice choice. Changing one’s mind is always a good thing in the end.
I am so glad you changed your mind because I think the bird pattern is definitely You. I think it would make a beautiful headboard because obviously you can see the whole pattern. But however you choose to use it, it’s a winner.
Oooh I love the direction this is going! For this option, I would go for the velvet for the curtains, and the birdies for the headboard.
Regarding the fabric choices for the headboard, consider making them both into fitted slip covers for your headboard! Use the birds for the spring and summer, and the velvet for the fall and winter.
So much more practical, because they can then be dry cleaned (or cold water laundered) to be cleaned, even if not for spots and spills, at least to get out the dust.
My new house is sitting half way finished and I have changed my mind several times. I’m so glad that you also do this. Personally I don’t think of this as changing my mind but rather design evolution. Who knows, what doesn’t work in my office, may wind up somewhere else!!
Woohoo! Yes!Yes! When I saw the title of your post this morning, I thought, “I hope it is her bedroom fabric!” I love the coral birds! Not that you asked, but I think I would vote for the velvet headboard, (easier to clean and keep clean) bird drapes and a coral velvet chair. So excited you changed your mind and are moving towards those warm colors!
I would use the velvet on the headboard and the bird/branch print on drapes and accent pillows for the bed.
LOVE the bird fabric!! It’s glorious. I can almost hear the birds chirping
In my mind (as green is my favorite color) is the bird fabric for the headboard and the green velvet for the drapes. The weight of the velvet will keep the room at a more even temperature and keep light out if you want them to. Whatever you decide will be beautiful as usual.
SO much better!
That fabric! The birds on branches, that is you. But to be honest, I’d rather see it on your headboard, not as curtains. The repeat on the drapes doesn’t let it “show” its beauty.
When reading where you may put what, I noticed that you didn’t figure out your rug options. I think I’d go with a solid neutral, and let the patterns & other colors run the show.
Now I’M all excited about your bedroom!
The bird fabric looks marvelous on a headboard, but I’m not crazy about it as curtains. It’s a very artsy standout fabric and I think that fact just gets lost in the folds of curtains.
If you go with the velvet as your reading chair fabric, how will that mesh with having a different velvet as curtain panels?
The plush velvet doesn’t really read as velvet. Even with it in hand, I never would have called it velvet.
I’ve followed you for a long time because you think long and hard before making a final choice. Your home is about you family choices and not trends. I absolutely love your wild abandon usage of color. No drab pale imitation in your world. 👌
I agree with changing your mind until you get it right. How can we know at first glance that we will love it forever? I like the second iteration much better than the first. While I like the first, I did not love it. It seemed way too dark for you.
I strongly vote for the birds on the headboard. I don’t think the way drapes are made to hang will do that fabric justice.
I loved the grass cloth wallpaper, drapery fabric and the second rug but I can understand you not feeling it was you. I love the teal color of the wallpaper and the deep blue velvet you selected but I wouldn’t use them together. They are too similar and the drapes or headboard you use it for would blend into the wallpaper. I think the green KOVI velvet, a velvet in one of the lighter aqua shades or blush in the bird fabric would look stunning. The orange is very bold and the eye will jump to it so I’d look for a softer coral and/or limit it’s use to accent pillows or a throw.
Here’s a crazy idea, and IDK if you have a strong need for drapes, BUT…what about the teal velvet headboard, green velvet chair, bird print as ROMAN SHADES, with an orange cornice! Also, I’ve seen a rug a lot recently that is a short twisted shag (I think that’s what it’s called?) that has about every color you can think of when you look close at it. There’s tans, grays, chocolate, blues, red, orange, and greens. Maybe even more, but it’s single strands of yarns in those colors, so it overall looks like confetti in a way. I’ve even seen it at carpet stores in the samples for wall to wall carpet. It would look great with anything, and has no design to deal with. (I’m glad you changed direction, that fabric for drapes is kinda dated. I remember selling it as discount remnants in the early 2000’s! )
You go ahead and change your mind as much as you want. We all do. It’s just that you take us along for the ride. It’s called the decision-making process.
I love it. I love the new direction; it feels more like you. Your first mockup is all the colors I am using in our current master suite redo, to include the bathroom, the bird in my fabric is a peacock, I kept thinking I’m either losing my mind or Kristi is really getting boring in her old age, because we had a lot of the same colors and fabric, I mean identical. Now, I am saying that to say, that I am the boring one when it comes to decorating, because my husband feels he needs to sign off on everything, gone are the days when he would deploy and I could change up the house and have it done before he returned, half of the time him not even noticing. I have my velvet drapes, thought my husband was going to pitch a thousand fits, but he stood there and smiled and said wow, what luxury is this…That’s retired Army Colonel for we’re a go Houston. I love the addition of the coral; I think you are headed in the right and proper direction for a Kristi Linauer Design. Embrace that green, I am able to squeak out a window nook and am using the greens from the fabric and wallpaper for my little “snuggery”, you’ll love it.
Cheers!
P.S. I can’t wait to see more.
New direction looks wonderful!!!
I love the new directions. I was thinking the previous drape material was a little too stark, but I can see you happy with these new options. Doesn’t it feel wonderful when you’ve hit on the right combo? Congrats!
Perfect! The previous rugs and drapery fabric didn’t look like you at all! I love velvet drapes and the headboard will really showcase the bird fabric! Brava!
I had the same response to the bird fabric on the headboard vs the drapes-like OH. That’s IT. I know whatever you plan it will end up being amazing!
LOL! As I was reading the post and saw the headboard, I just knew that was the one because it spread the fabric out, kinda flat, and allows you to see the whole motif. It will definitely be a focal piece. I prefer more solid (or “reads: as solid for draperies). May be because of all the pleats & folds or because my mother had gargantuan floral drapes as I was growing up. Looked like something from a Brazilian jungle. Scary!
You could use a tieback for the drapes out of the same fabric.
BTW, did you check the selvedge of the bird fabric for your name?
Forgot to say, a rug with the colors of the bird fabric and a bolder design or even similar, would be perfect. Especially the coral.
I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEW DIRECTION!!!!
I was really holding my breath about the old drapery fabric. I was around when you used them in the living room and remember that huge sigh of relief when you switched them….the teal velvet curtains are so goooooood!
Now this sounds like you! Love your bedroom mood board!
Oh! So excited for this! I’ve used the blue/navy version of the bird fabric for pillows in my sunroom with my navy sofa…my favorite fabric I’ve ever used…makes my heart sing! You are gifted! Glad you didn’t settle on the other fabric since you already had it…
Can’t wait to see it all come together!
Odd question here – what about the bedding? How does that play into the decision of what headboard fabric to use?
I pretty much always use solid color bedding, generally white, but in this case I’ll have to find a cream color. I add color and pattern with pillows, throws, etc.
You have the most exquisite taste in fabrics. I do love the option you decided not to pursue, but that bird fabric is beautiful!
I love how you’re not afraid to change your mind … and wait to get it just right. It is a privilege to share the journey with you and be inspired … carry on!
Yay! The old fabric just reminded me of the designs that hadn’t worked for you before and seemed too old and stuffy for your current tastes. But you loved it so I loved that you loved it. But this new direction is so much more you! I’m glad you changed your mind to get what you wanted!
I love your new direction. I have always loved the original fabric but it is muted and just not your style. The new mood board is gorgeous! I love that you change you mind and make your home perfect for yourself and Matt! Can’t wait to see this come together.
Sheila F.
I really love the bird fabric on the headboard and I love nature motifs like that too. In my mind tho with the master bath so close how will walking from a green, coral, and teal bedroom directly to an aqua and pink bath feel to your mind? I can understand not being matchy but will it feel odd having two kind of different color schemes going on between the two? I don’t get why anyone would think there’s some kind of limit to how often we’re allowed to change our minds. People decorate a room and in a few years go a totally different direction with that finished room. Sometimes we just desire something new and fresh.
I chose this specific grasscloth wallpaper while standing in the bathroom looking at the samples. I think it complements the bathroom walls and mural beautifully. There’s also green in the mural, and while it’s not prominent, there’s also a little bit of coral-ish orange. I don’t think the two rooms will match, but I do think they’ll complement each other nicely.
I love this direction Kristi. The bird fabric is perfect! I know you weren’t stuck on the bedroom matching the bathroom. But it flows perfectly. I can imagine that those little birds flew in from the bathroom mural 😊 And a plush, cozy fabric is a dream for a reading chair. I enjoy the way you take us through the process and the pressure that we should just know what we want to do from the beginning is off. You are real. In my opinion it’s better to change our minds until we love it than stay stuck and become miserable with it. Home is our respite. We should be comfortable. So many exciting things happening! Blessings to you and Matt
Yay for the update!! I was going to comment that I thought definitely birds for the headboard and YES! to velvet curtains and that green for your reading chair.
The other thought I had was maybe consider a striped or geometric style rug with ALL the colors in it.
I’m so happy with this direction you have pivoted to and look forward to the rest of your choices.
Very nice—my grandma had almost the exact wallpaper pattern in her house and it was really nice!
I love it, too! Not that it matters what I think. But I didn’t love the other drapery fabric for your bedroom, but just didn’t want to say so since you didn’t ask. But this new direction looks awesome for you!
Question about the rug – have you considered the more vibrant rug options they have nowadays? Here are some I’ve loved in my own house:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CR6Z3C5Q/?coliid=I2EN9AGN8TI5YK&colid=29NFQWUB2NJ4X&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_gv_ov_lig_pi_dp
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VMZCJ16/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=APNG42432CA9S&th=1
https://www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/mistana-sonja-oriental-blueblackorange-area-rug-w004823511.html?piid=1670810571
https://www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/bungalow-rose-welden-oriental-orangeyellowblue-area-rug-w004336037.html
https://www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/bungalow-rose-vahakn-hand-tufted-wool-turquoisepurple-area-rug-w004928324.html?piid=370726857
https://www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/bungalow-rose-blokzijl-southwestern-handmade-tufted-wool-bluepink-area-rug-w002196351.html?piid=699817167
https://www.overstock.com/products/mohawk-home-lova-floral-area-rug-33422000
Now obviously, my style and color choices are a bit different from yours, but personally, I love vibrant rugs so much that I thought I should share in case you didn’t know or think them. 🙂
I love the new direction you are going.
I think changing your mind is ok. I like these colors better.
I hope you’re doing well and recovering quickly after your surgery!
I think you made a good choice. Like this much better than the previous, honestly the rugs were just not right, they just didn’t look like you. The fabric and the final rug was too much the same but not, it just was not working.
This feels much more like you. That other curtain fabric is very pretty…but it’s just too traditional for you. There was nothing fun about it. This new design feels more “upbeat” somehow. The only way I could ever see you using the old fabric pattern somewhere is if it had a very non-traditional colorway to it.
Yes!
Love the combo. You did good!
That’s going to be GORGEOUS!