Who loves to peruse the magazine section at the local Barnes & Noble?

Me!!!

They have such an amazing array of magazines on home decor.

You’ll find all kinds of decorating styles…. cottage, country, modern, traditional, romantic, and so on.

What is your style?

 

What's your style :: Discover your style :: AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

When I got married I began decorating my home in an early American style with a nod toward primitive.

We even built a 1620’s style New England saltbox.

I started out as a purist.

But, then I inherited my mother’s parents’ bedroom furniture.  Two dressers and a sleigh bed.  No…they weren’t early American primitives…but I worked with them.

Later I inherited my other grandmother’s chairs with the claw feet.  Then there was the sewing rocker that was passed on to me.

 

I no longer live in my saltbox.

I still have Shaker chairs, early American tables, and furniture from the early 1900’s, and every decade from the 1920’s to the 1990’s.

My style would now be considered a collected style.  I like it.

 

What is your style? :: Fall home decor :: AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

A few years ago, it would have really bugged me to have had such a mixed-up hodge-podge of furniture.

Today, I embrace it.

It may be because I’m a bit of  a sentimentalist.  Or maybe it’s because in reality, I am not a purist.

I think that besides having an appreciation for the art of various styles, each of my pieces have a story.  The story may just be how I discovered that chair along the side of the road and gave it new life.  Or it may be that my grandmother gave birth to her children on that bed.

 

Don’t waste your time looking for your style.
The truth is you already have it, you may just need to create more
in order to see it.  – Promise Tangeman

 

Isn’t that a great quote?

You see, some time ago, I was all bound up feeling like I wasn’t true to “a” style, because I took in all the “strays” with a story.

It was only a few years ago that that I finally realized I had a style.

And other people liked my style.

 

All I really needed to do was to take what I had and enjoy the creative process of arranging, and fluffing, and creating.

In the end, I discovered my style.

I discovered that it was comfortable.

I discovered that when people came to my home they found peace.

 

Yup.  I’m now more content with my collected style than a “purist” style from any era.

Promise was right.  We sure can waste a lot of time trying to find our style when we already have it.

 

What is your style?  Do you know?
Did this bit of wandering help you realize something about your style?

 

What is your style? :: Discovering your style in home decor :: AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

What does all this have to do with #InspiredFallNesting?

Wherever you look this time of year…Pinterest…blogs…magazines…there are tons of ideas for giving your home a comfy or dramatic fall look.  Don’t think for a moment that you need to make your home look like any of those photos.

I love making my home cozy for the “inside” half of the year.  I truly enjoy fluffing for Fall and Thanksgiving.

I’ve learned that it’s my opportunity to be creative.  And when I get creative with my home I discover more and more about my style and it evolves to be like me.

Did you catch that?  It evolves to be like me.  Not like you.  Not like Country Living or Traditional Home magazines.

 

I hope all of this was freeing for you.

Quit striving and start enjoying.

Quit comparing and start creating.

Just Be.

Be that extraordinary YOU!!

 

Now when I ask, “What is your style?”  What’s your answer?

 

Wishing you an Extraordinary weekend!

Diane

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Comments

  1. Gwen says

    Before reading your story I was thinking, How clever to mix old canning jars with mercury glass and then I noticed the clever pinecones in silver candlesticks. I think that’s my style. Mixing things I’ve had with new things in a way that keeps my house style evolving. I look around and think, No one decorates like me!! But others seem to like my evolving displays of sentimental and new, inexpensive along with boutique designer pieces.
    Even as a child I loved cutting up old catalogs to get my house just so and my family just right!!! Took days. And searching many catalogs…no one brand look for me, even then.

    • Diane says

      I have a hunch that your home is very artistic, Gwen. And no doubt filled with delightful eye candy!
      Thanks for your thoughtful remarks. I love reading your ‘stories.’
      May your day be filled with beauty!
      [hugs]
      ~Diane

  2. I’m mostly “country” but I love prims and a wee bit if shabby 😉

    • Diane says

      Country is so comfortable, JoAnn. Oh…I know…a gal’s gotta love a little shabby somewhere, too!!! 🙂
      Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
      Hope your week is extraordinary!

  3. Kathy says

    I’m a mixture of country & cozy. I need to have a feeling of peace as soon as I walk through the door. I also love shabby chic and I love her new book that was just published. Next time your at the book store check it out. There lots of good ideas in there. It’s called couture prairie by Rachel ashwell.

    • Diane says

      I’d forgotten about Rachel’s new book. Yes…I must remember to check it out at the book store. Hope they have a copy! 😉 I still have her first book. What creativity!!! Kathy…country is cozy to me. How wonderful to have created a peaceful home.
      Blessings, my friend!!!
      ~Diane

  4. Suzi says

    oh my! after 40 yrs of keeping a home i sure do know my style. but not sure i can put a name on it because i like many things. we started with chrome and glass and black leather in the early seventies! ugh! we do love colonial, (american and british), federal and a updated casual/country flair but at it’s core i think others would say tradional. we have moved many times which always sharpens your focus but basically it is collected. we have many vintage pieces, an antique this and that and there is heavy emphasis on coastal due to our location. it all works together beautifully, people feel warm and welcomed and everyone asks for a tour. some ask for advice and to take pictures and a few hire me to help them in their homes. i DO NOT consider myself a decorator…more of a lifestyle coordinator…i make homes fit the lives of the people who live in them. i would luuuuuv to do a primitive saltbox…dream come true. maybe you can show pictures sometime.

    • Diane says

      An evolving collected style is a good thing. Your home sounds lovely and how fun to be able to help others create the home they desire. I love what you call yourself…a “lifestyle coordinator.” Perfect!! All my photos are in storage right now Suzi…I do hope I remember so I can share sometime.
      Thanks for taking time to share your thoughtful remarks.
      Blessings!!
      ~Diane

  5. Kim says

    I love this post Diane. I, like you, fill my home with things I love and that has become my style. I actual wrote a piece when I first started blogging about this very thing~ don’t get boxed in by labels, just surround yourself with things you love! I think that having furniture and accessories “with stories” is amazing! You can’t pick up a bed with sentimental history at Sleepy’s!! 😉

    • Diane says

      “You can’t pick a bed with a sentimental history at Sleepy’s!!” That is sooo true, Kim. Makes mine priceless. 😉
      I’ll have to go over and read your post. 🙂
      Hope your day is amazing!!!

  6. Mel says

    I like what you’re saying and I do hear it. If I had to describe my ‘style’….I’d say it’s a ‘treasury’ style. Bit like you with pieces handed to me, pieces I’ve found, pieces that just said ‘take me home!’. They all add up to us being surrounded by treasures. Now, that being said….I’ll whine about being limited in my abilities for the past year and the whole house being in disarray and needing a good fix. For my convenience, things are stacked here and there which results in a very…..convenient but not pleasing to the eye ‘look’. LOL Guaranteed nobody’s gonna be asking MY help with being a ‘lifestyle coordinator’. Maybe I need to consult one!
    I love the arrangement of the jars with burlap–and the touch of colour the leaves still on the branch provide.

    I did get a placemat out! ROFL Yes, I know I’ve mentioned that a time or two–that’s the extent of the decorating. Oh, but I will be getting the countdown to Halloween wall hanging out today. Himself promised! We can fill that up with candy for each of the days left until Halloween and eat ourselves silly! Hahahaha……

    • Diane says

      Funny….when I re-read my post I thought it wasn’t really all that clear…glad to know you even “get” it! LOL!! That’s what happens when you have a lot on your mind. 🙂
      I love “treasury style.” I just might have to steal that. Maybe. With permission. Um…suppose that’s not stealing then. 😉
      Convenience decor. Maybe there should be a category for that. I bet there are many others in your boat. But…there is that placemat!!! 😉 We laugh…and yet…some times I’m amazed what one thing can do to make a difference.
      Those jars…I really had too much fun using them. Who knew that a Ball jar and some burlap could make there way in so many “moments” in one year in one house?! LOL!
      A countdown calendar filled with candy. Yum!! I think I’d have to refill the pockets in “the days to come” several times. 😉 And I’m not being silly. 😉 😀

  7. Such a beautiful vignette. I love the simplicity of it, so pretty. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

    • Diane says

      Thank you Marty! I played around with many possibilities and this time uncluttered really made my heart sing. Thanks for noticing and for your kind thoughts.
      Blessings!!
      ~Diane

  8. I saw this on google +
    great article. Rings true for me as well.
    I just discovered last year…that I’m NOT an all white or grey shaded person. I actually like color. I tried to fit the other mold and it just frustrated me.
    Now… I embrace the colors. LOVE ORANGE, TURQUOISE AND shades of red…and green!
    I am learning to work within the spectrum of the color wheel in stead of jumping on the monochromatic merry go round!
    enjoyed reading this.

    • Diane says

      Just the other day I almost put a question on FB asking who has painted their walls in a gray tone. Maybe I still will do that. I know it’s popular…but you are so right, Patricia…if it’s not us…we will just be frustrated. Our world needs people who have the courage to be themselves…and especially those who are brave enough to embrace beautiful colors like orange and turquoise!! You rock!!!
      Hope your week is extraordinary!
      ~Diane

  9. Carol says

    This is a wonderful post! I am with you all the way. I’ve always called “my style” eclectic, but I truly like the term “collected.” I have seen and been in homes that were all picture-perfect where everything was so stylized and followed a particular style, and you know what? They were not comfortable, cozy, friendly or inviting. I love my MIL’s “Grandmother’s Clock,” her sewing machine cabinet that we use as a side table, & her “gift-with-purchase” china that must have taken her forever to collect and now graces my china cabinet. We have some pine furniture, oak pieces & an assortment of others. It all works for us. I truly hope people feel as comfortable and welcome when they come into our home as we do living here — that is the most important.

    • Diane says

      Oh Carol….I have no doubt that people feel very welcome and comfortable in your home. 🙂
      Isn’t it wonderful to have ‘treasures’ from family and friends?
      I have always loved the look of European homes with long histories in the structure of the home and in the home’s furnishings. I guess maybe I’d/we’d fit right in. Well…except for the fact that we would need “older stuff.” 😉

  10. Carol says

    I love my style, whatever that is. I just go with what I like and make myself happy. I used to worry about what others thought, but others don’t live in our house. Someone once described my house as whimsical and someone else said bohemian. I was going to give it a name, but you just gave me an idea for a post, so I will keep my name for my style to myself until I write the post.

    By the way, I love your style!

    • Diane says

      I love your style too Carol!!!
      And now…I’ll have to wait to see how you describe yourself in your upcoming post.
      Don’t you love it when inspiration just pops out at you?
      And thank you for your kind words. 🙂
      [hugs]
      ~Diane

  11. Great inspiration! Each of us needs to find our own style using what we love and what makes us happy! Thanks for sharing your great ideas with us at TTF.

    • Diane says

      Awww…you are so kind, Linda. Thank you!!
      Sometimes I wonder if others will “get” it. 🙂 I really appreciate your remarks.
      Hope your weekend is Extraordinary!

  12. Love the mix of burlap and pine cones – how do you get pinecones to stand up straight in the candle holders? You’re right – embrace the mix of styles and enjoy the sentimental value of inherited items. Eclectic is more interesting anyway! Well done. : ) Catherine (newest follower of your blogging adventures!)

    • Diane says

      Awwww…thanks Catherine!
      My trick? Shhhhh…..it’s sticky tack. You know the stuff that you use to hold up posters on the wall. I love it. And I use it for all kinds of things when I’m decorating. 😉
      Thanks for popping by today…and for choosing to follow along here. 🙂 What a blessing.
      Wishing you an Extraordinary weekend!
      ~Diane

  13. I totally enjoyed the way you set me up for your post. I was curious what scenario would describe each style. I always call my style “ever evolving.” Hope you have a blessed weekend!

    • Diane says

      Ha!! You just put a huge smile on my face Lynn! Thank you!! “Ever evolving” is a fantastic style! 😉

  14. Suzanne of Simply Suzannes at Home

    Your post is beautiful. I love your commentary the most. Beautiful words for thought.
    Thanks so much for sharing.
    Have a beautiful week,
    Suzanne

    • Diane says

      You are so nice to say that Suzanne. 🙂 Thank you!!
      It was was one of those posts where I second guessed myself the whole way.
      Wishing you an Extraordinary week!!
      ~Diane

  15. love this little vignette. Especially the burlap decorations on the canning jars.

    • Diane says

      Thank you so much!! I must admit I had fun playing with the burlap. 🙂
      Hope your week is Extraordinary!!
      ~Diane

  16. Athena at Minerva's Garden says

    I love those pinecones in the silver candlesticks–pretty!

  17. I adore the simplicity of this and the jars and pinecones are so perfect. Thanks so much for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

    • Diane says

      Thank you Marty!! You are so sweet!
      [hugs]
      ~Diane

    • Diane says

      Thanks for taking time to pop over with your encouraging words, Marty!
      Hope your week is Extraordinary!
      ~Diane

  18. Kathy says

    This is just the sweetest! Appeals so much to me – love the blue jars and the burlap ruffles! I am so delighted that you shared with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

    • Diane says

      I know it’s a bit different. But, I did have so much fun putting it together.
      Thank you for your sweet remarks, Kathy!
      Blessings!

  19. Cindy says

    Great post! Love how you used the pine cones. I’ve always loved primitive decor but I don’t use it as much these days, still love it though!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!!!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

    • Diane says

      That little bit of fluffing was so fun. I wonder why I never thought to play with pine cones in that way before?!!
      Thanks for taking the time to pop over and leave your thoughtful remarks, Cindy!!
      Blessings!

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