How I Would Decorate This House I Do Not Own: Volume I

    I'm not ashamed to admit it, I spend a decent amount of time not only looking at homes I do not own, but also then scouring the webs for what items I would fill said home with. I know that on one hand, it might be better to devote some of the time I spend decorating imaginary apartments to say, do things that really are challenging for me such as revising my resume or writing some cover letters. But frankly when I try to focus on these things for long periods of time I become an angry person. When I try to write a sentence about why I could do a job well I turn into the angsty teenager that has been lying dormant inside of me. Cue the dramatic "I'll never be good at anything" phone call to my parents. I am a bit ashamed to admit that I've let myself lean into this kind of woe-is-me, I've-never-had-a-good-thought-in-my-whole-life kind of thinking and overall let self loathing get the best of me. After the anger subsides I just vegetate and play games on my phone (further proof of angtsy teen energy) and ignore all the crafty hobbies that deep down I know I would love to be doing. My brain says to me "Don't bother, that's not Useful To Society!!!!" But I don't want to do listen anymore!! I wouldn't discourage whatever random creative hobby or past time a friend came to me with, so why am I doing that to myself? 

    When I was a kid I used to cut up magazines and collage the pieces to fill pages in a binder of rooms that would make up my dream house. I was like 6 years old, there was obviously no higher purpose to this activity besides using my imagination and having a fun time. And honestly I want that energy back!!! So I stopped moping around and closed all my tabs and put them in this little collage instead, in hopes of getting back to that child-like creative energy that I feel like I've lost. As much as pretend decorating a home I do not own feels like an all too easy escape from things I need to be doing, the process of doing it made me realize that there was value even in this thing I had demoted to 'silly little activity.' But silly little activities are good for the soul!!!! Not only that, after I was done I remembered that self-imposed creative prompts are great sounding boards for working out what I will continue to value in my actual life. And I don't just mean in the sense of what color velvet pillows I would or would not want in my future apartment, but being able to think about how I want to prioritize creative aspects of my life that give me the energy and enthusiasm to tackle some of those other harder tasks. 

    I'm going to keep working on the balance between doing things like this and doing the things that will actually propel me physically forward into building my own real life, but for now I think I have time to tell you about this bird lamp I found.

Details: Sofa, Shag Rug & Lighting From ABC Carpet & Home, Armchair from Soho Home, Coffee Table, Rattan Chair, & Mirror from Soane Britain, Cushions from Soho Home & Projectityyny, William Morris Rugs from Golden Nile, Anthropologie Bird Lamp, all Art & Dining Table/Seating from 1stDibs, Paint Color is New White by Farrow & Ball

    

Sales Listing from RightMove UK

        There is little sense to this collection of items but I will tell you what was going on in my mind when I saw the stunning Living/Dining Room combo of this London flat. Also I feel like I should say that obviously the biggest thing we have to suspend our disbelief on here and on any real estate/design peruse is all prices and concepts of money. Everything I have linked here is Architectural Digest/ Kendall Jenner is my client type price range (not to mention this flat lists for over 2 million british pounds) but I firmly believe that its not about the object its about the essence and the essence is hidden in reasonably-priced thrift and second-hand stores across the country just as much as it is on expensive furniture websites. Okay back to my 'I'm 6 years old I don't even read the prices' state of mind!    

    The possibilities with this space..endless!! It's almost a blank canvas!!! Despite the many paths you can take when just presented with the prompt of put something in this living room, my mind went to two very specific places: 

        1) Recently all I can think about is what I've learned from Vogue about Harry Styles' sofa....that it is a teal velvet Chesterfield. How glamorous yet quirky at the same time!!! In general, I'm obsessed with the way celebrities get written about in major magazines. It's always the perfect combination of vague and magically random details about someone where you learn absolutely nothing directly about said person's real personality but you are totally enthralled by the little nuggets they do provide. What do you learn about a man from including a detail about what kind of sofa he owns?? Probably nothing, but I am totally tickled to know that Harry Styles has a teal velvet Chesterfield and Vogue knew that I would be!!

        2) Even though teal velvet sets a more cosmopolitan and formal tone, the wide floor boards and the leafy green view from those to die for windows immediately had my little bird brain going "Bring the countryside to the city!!! Countryside to the city!!!" Thanks to Claire's post from yesterday for reminding me that as popular as Joanna Gains' Modern Farmhouse became or how prevalent the foundation of the Instagram Influencer Living Room Aesthetic remains, I could never confine myself to such a strict color and object scheme. As Claire so eloquently put it, "more specifically...stuff." Enter stage right the kitschy bird lamp and gingham pillows. Imagine walking in from a long day in the bustling metropolis to this creamy off-white space where all your favorite knick-knacks welcome you home. 

        This may be a controversial opinion... but I feel like we need to circle back around to the late 90s/early 2000s chaos that possessed Nate Berkus to cover Kirstie Allie's kitchen with LIME GREEN TILE in 2004. Maybe not exactly that...but the point still stands, we need to have fun in the farmhouse again!! Is a French chateau dining table, room lots of tchotchkes, and just a bit of jewel tone velvet the way to do that??? I'll leave that open to debate. 

-Kate