Embracing Your Own Style

french style home decor pieces
Wouldn’t life be boring if we all looked the same and liked the same things? I like {LOVE:~}} chocolate and he is vanilla. In terms of the design world I know with certainty…
that finding and embracing your own style is key to feeling comfortable in your home skin.
kitchen design
This is not my own kitchen, and I talked about it in more depth on a previous post. It’s a high end remodel that our family business did for a client and although I adore so much about it, the reality is that we simply don’t have the budget for this expensive complete kitchen gut and new build…
How many times have we all drooled while watching HGTV’s Fixer Upper? Talk about transformations and I’m wanting to move to Texas when I see what the Magnolia crew can do!
french cottage kitchen
Then reality hits. I’m staying put in Miami where the work is and where my home has been for most of my life. This is my house and I embrace my style, even though it may not be what is currently and modernly popular or en vogue. It may have a higher end look, but it’s been done on a budget and over the years…
french living room design
I play around in my own home and move things around. I look curbside for pieces or grab things that clients are parting with, like the married coffee table that has a marble top taken out of a home and a tossed out garden element on the bottom. Nothing in this room was expensive.
pastel aqua pillows
I play with pillows as one of my favorite ways to change up a room seasonally for not a lot of cash. You can do this, so check out your local thrift shops or places like HomeGoods for spring styles that are coming in now.
bathroom remodeling
Go with the basics that are timeless vs. trendy and save the trends that you like for small things. This bathroom was remodeled about 12 yrs ago and still looks fresh today. It may not have the latest or the greatest but it’s my style and a fresh pitcher of flowers and a plant or two change the seasonal feel. We will leave it to the future owners when we move on to decide on what their style is and change it out.
elegant outdoor dining
Embracing one’s own style allows you to feel better about your home and to seize the day. We had a couple of people over and the weather is nice here at the moment, so I just grabbed my garden clippers for an outdoor table setting. Stress free entertaining with using what I have on hand.
shabbyfufu office

I’m hugging my own style in designing my home office and although there still is much to be done, here is a little look. What I’ve done so far is to paint the floor white (diy tips) and move things around. I painted the walls as well as all of the wood trim and the old cabinet above. We worked on customizing an Ikea bookcase that I already had (more on that later) and I’m repurposing some vintage drapes from another room in the house. So far the only thing that I’ve ordered is a rug that will arrive this week and I’ll share the room reveal soon.It’s my style and I can’t even name it, but I’m comfortable and that’s what counts:~}}

Have a great week! xo

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15 Comments

  1. And I must say that I LOVE your style!….and that coffee table is so amazing…love how you put those two souls together for a great marriage to live happily ever after!!

  2. I'll take your house any day…!

  3. I love your style too! Great post and I look forward to seeing your office.

  4. Fantastic post. I am a Victorian soul and I am quite aware that my style is not in style right now or has it been for some time now. But it is what makes me happy and what makes me feel like my home wraps it's arms around me as I enter it. I feel that as long as you are happy in your own home then it does not matter what anyone else thinks……
    Hugs,
    Deb

  5. Gee Singh Newbanks says:

    Luv the fact that we can all be different and beautiful in our own right. You luvly style is you and mine me… yet we both feel embraced by it. Your home is stunning… the coffee table a marriage of perfection.
    Looking forward to the reveal of your office Janet.
    Hugs, Gee

  6. Absolutely love your home, and would aspire to it over any of the so called posh homes. Love love love it!!

  7. Great post. I can admire many different styles and can't name my own style either…it's just what I'm attracted to and I have done it on a budget like you. Sometimes you get a better outcome that way! Like your coffee table, which is wonderful.

  8. Lilies and Glitter says:

    You have fabulous style ! And yes we all need to be confident with our style and happy with our current look

  9. JoanMarie says:

    I think your style is simply lovely and you have fresh/fun ideas. It's no fun living with items so expensive you need them roped off…but to "live" in, on, and around them that makes them beautiful. Your colors, styling, and ideas are amazing. You are awesome!!

  10. Well said! I have always had to decorate on a budget and believe it has forced me to really hone my style, rather than just fall for popular trends in the big box stores. PS – I'd take your lovely kitchen over the fancy remodels any day! x o

  11. You do your style so perfectly, Janet! It definitely reveals a lot about what you love, what is important to you, and your creativity. As you well know, I'm always changing things up around here, too. lol Like just yesterday, I laid out a white & purple patterned throw from India on my sofa, tossed on some pillows and thought, "That looks nice for spring!". But this morning when I walked downstairs and looked at it with fresh eyes, I thought, "Ugh. I want my sofa to be darker, not white." So out came a dark purple mandala patterned throw with some turquoise, fur, and purple pillows thrown on top of it. My boho heart was happier. lol It's a good thing I have a stash of Moroccan inspired mandala throws and pillows….. 🙂

    xoxo laurie

  12. Oh my goodness, this is kind of what I have been trying to express on my blog…that I don't really have a style with a "name". It is Chloe's style and that is just fine with me!

  13. I find your home to be most beautiful, the light bright airy feeling is warm and inviting without being over done….love it…I love soft light decorating and your home reflexes that…

    Smiles~
    Mari