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Simply Authentic...Your Soul Voice is Calling. Goodbye Lava Lamp, Fish Tank and Aunt Marge's China

Writer's picture: Kimberly GenlyKimberly Genly

Goodbye Lava Lamp, Fish Tank and Aunt Marge’s China Does your authentic self change her mind from time to time about home décor? Mine does. It’s important to honor those inner promptings and create surroundings you love now, not a decade or two ago. Mauve and blue were popular home décor colors in the late 1980’s. I not only remember; my old photo albums prove it. I had mauve and blue pillows, silk flower arrangements and artwork. Dishes, placemats and napkins. My wine glasses were even blue. I shudder now just thinking about it.

Mauve Blue 1

Any of us can fall prey to a trend, whether in fashion or home styling. Sometimes it’s fun to try on the latest craze…until it’s not. My blue and mauve phase lasted far longer than my appreciation for it. Mainly because of money. Specifically, my lack of it. Then I got married and we bought a house. And brand new furniture for the living and dining room, which we charged, because we got this amazing deal from a furniture store with almost nothing down and zero percent interest for twenty-teen months!!! It was so awesome having new furniture we hadn’t actually paid for…until it wasn’t. Green has always been my favorite color. With mauve and blue long gone, my heart longed for deep, dark, luxurious green living room furniture. We found it. Regardless of the interest we eventually paid, that gorgeous green, gold-flecked, sofa and loveseat were two of the most comfortable pieces of furniture I’ve sunk into anywhere. I’ve yet to find their equal. Textured and faux wall treatments were coming to the forefront then, and I dreamed of a golden Tuscany look to reflect the gold flecks in our wonderful living room furniture. Sherwin Williams was my new shopping destination, and I fell so in love with a particular sponging technique, I brought it into my living room in four different homes before and after my divorce…more skillfully at times than others. (Unlike the blue and mauve, don’t be surprised if you see this color scheme in future dwellings. I still love it. And I still haven’t been to Tuscany.)

Gold 1
Gold 2

That green furniture was fantastic…until it wasn’t. It represented a past era for me, and it was time to let it go. It was a new era for my then-neighbor, who purchased it all in one fell swoop during my moving sale. I helped him move the pieces into his place. Then deep red began calling to me. I still appreciated the gold accents, but this time with a more mustard hue. This scheme came with me when George and I moved into our home together.

Showing up in my mind’s eye now is a Ralph Lauren-esque rustic country estate style. Possibly in our next home, as I don’t imagine we’ll live on this busy of a street forever. The vision boards in my office are also starting to feel too busy…I’m keeping my mind and heart open for something calmer and more relaxing. Honoring your inner interior decorator doesn’t need to be expensive. Treasure troves are available on-line for free (think Freecycle or Craig’s List) as long as you pick it up and bring it home. Thrift store, garage sale and estate sale shopping can be great fun. Perhaps you could trade with a friend whose taste you admire, if you’re both ready for an update on a tight budget. I love the flair of sarongs (also called pareos) for maybe $30 each. My home flaunts sarongs purchased from as far as away as Tahiti to as close as the Portland Saturday Market. They make great drapes, wall hangings, and desk and table covers as well as impromptu skirts, swimsuit cover-ups, and scarves. What an amazing item! I purchased three key pieces in my current living room inexpensively at Cost Plus World Market. I love that place. 1) The most extravagant is a collection of wooden giraffes. I have a thing for giraffes, and the first time I saw the giraffe display I was drawn to it. Every time I walked into the store I was pulled that direction. They never went on sale, so finally I bought the small one. A while later the medium one. Weeks later, I wrangled a substantial discount on the large one due to a small chunk of wood missing from the top, which isn’t hugely noticeable from the front. I love the story behind the giraffes as much as I love the artwork itself. Each one is carved from a single piece of wood, from a Dolf tree, by Kavango tribe members in Namibia, Africa. The cutting of trees is carefully controlled; the men do most of the carving, with women doing much of the sanding and polishing. I love that every time I walk over to “pet” a giraffe, I am touching the wood of a Dolf tree which grew by the Kavango River in Africa, which was carved, sanded and polished by the Kavango tribe members…that my hands are where theirs were. 2) My best savings came from the woolen rug. I brought in the couch throw pillows to make sure it was the right shade of red and gold during a 50% off selected rugs sale. I also had a coupon. I brought that $250 wool rug home for $63 dollars and still love it six years later. 3) Here’s the item everyone should know about if you don’t already. I snagged two when there was a 50% off leather furniture sale. It looks like an ottoman, but that leather encases a solid wood box with removable lid. So…your ottoman (we have two, side by side) provides additional storage, and when you take off the top and flip it upside down – viola – a wooden tray table! Suburb for dinner and a movie – which we often do around here on Friday or Saturday evenings. Whoever invented this should get a Nobel prize or something. These three items will be precious in my next home era, too…perhaps in my office rather than the living room. That’s a fun thought! Your turn…what home décor items have you outgrown? What does your inner decorator want to bring on next? Tell us on the blog. Style has nothing to do with money. Anybody can do it with money. The true art is to do it on a shoestring. –Tom Hogan Next time you head out the door on a shopping expedition, just remember: authentic style has nothing to do with money and everything to do with trusting your instincts. –Sarah Ban Breathnach If you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends! Authentically Yours, Laura

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