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Decorating
All Things Home

organizing | ordinary, everyday makeovers

There are some makeovers that have more to do with how a room looks than how it feels.  It feels better; it feels more like “you”, but when it comes down to it, the makeover was cosmetic.  It was about preferences and aesthetics and taste.  Then, there are makeovers that are more about how a space feels than how it looks.  It’s more about function and practicality.  It’s not dramatic or beautiful to anyone but you. Here are your two beautiful photos for this post and then I’m going to share an ordinary, everyday makeover I’ve been working on.  It’s not beautiful or photogenic.  It just feels better, functions better, and, in its own way, it looks better, too. I’m talking about the storage room that is off of the guest room.  This isn’t officially a closet, but we use it as one.  It is a space that could be

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June 28, 2021 21 Comments
Antiques

“you don’t know what you’ve got…”

I bet you thought I would finish the post title with “‘…til it’s gone”, but I’m not.  While that’s the way the saying goes, I’m going to change it up a bit.  Here’s my version, which is a little less catchy and will never be a song lyric…   You don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve gone through it all. There is an assumption that we know about everything we have in our homes (other than critters/pests), but I don’t know if that’s 100% true, especially if you’ve acquired items from a family member or an estate or if you tend to box things up “for later.”  And who knows what your spouse and children might be bringing home!  I think a part of having a house full of favorites is truly knowing everything you have.  That means you don’t have too much stuff stored and what is stored

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June 24, 2021 53 Comments
All Things Home

putting furniture pieces together

The piece of furniture I’m asked about most is the large antique cabinet in my studio.  I totally understand why.  It’s an impressive piece and one I would ask about if I saw it!  If you read this blog regularly, you know its secret.  It’s not one piece, but two.  Not only is it two pieces married together, but two pieces that were found 1,000 miles and about three years apart.  The bottom piece is a storage counter out of an old hardware store in Maryland. The top is a bookcase from the Wilder School in Minnesota.  I bought it from a former student of the school who attended when it was just a one-room schoolhouse.  I assured him it was going to someone who appreciated that.  (The wood on both of these pieces was revived with Miss Mustard Seed’s Hemp Oil.  The interior of the upper cabinet was painted

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June 23, 2021 16 Comments
All Things Home

front garden | summer of 2021

I know that many of you have summer gardens that are in their prime by this date on the calendar, but here in Rochester, Minnesota, I’m still planting!  I admit to getting off to a bit of a late start this year, but I have learned that it’s okay to be a little late when it comes to gardening this far north.  We still had nights below freezing well into May.  Anyway, everything is awake and blooming and I wanted to plant a few things to round out the front garden bed. I typically plant annuals along the walk, but I decided to go with some perennials this year in the hopes that they’ll do what they do and just keep coming back.  I planted some bellflowers last year and they came back beautifully this year, so I decided to get some more of those.  I didn’t find them at

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June 22, 2021 32 Comments
Decorating

design pivot & the entire family room

Let’s talk about those moments when design plans don’t work.  You buy something, order something, you put it in place, and then you realize it’s not going to work the way you envisioned.  You can ignore that gut warning and plow ahead or you can pivot.  I’m about to pivot. The fabric I ordered from arrived and it is beautiful.  I’m not disappointed in the pattern, color, or quality.  It’s just a little different than I imagined in my head.  The blue is more intense and the fabric is much thinner.  It’s even thinner than a typical quilting-weight cotton.  Could it still work for curtains?  Definitely, especially with a liner, but the color and weight made me rethink using it in this particular room.  These give off a more light and breezy summer vibe and the basement is going in more of a library/gentleman’s club sort of direction. The good

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June 17, 2021 33 Comments
Decorating

tips on styling a hutch

Yesterday afternoon, after doing some computer work then some not-fun organizing in the basement, I decided I needed to do something in my house that was just for fun.  I didn’t have very much time, so I picked refreshing the styling in the antique pine hutch in the living room.  When I looked at it, I felt like I was just housing stuff, if that makes sense.  Specifically, the ironstone pitchers.  Instead of approaching styling the hutch from what would look best on the shelves, I was opting to store things that needed a home.  The result was something that looks okay but could be better…more balanced, more interesting. (The ironstone mold sitting in front of the door is to hold it open.) I knew it wouldn’t take long, so it was a good project to start later in the day.  When styling (or restyling) something like a hutch, the

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June 10, 2021 27 Comments
All Things Home

design plan for the family room

As I’ve been thinking about the basement family room, I’ve had this image sitting on my desk.  It was on the cover of a I received in the mail and it immediately became my loose inspiration for the family room, which already had blue and brown elements.  This was important because I want to work with the big pieces that are staying in the room – the built-in cabinets around the TV, the gray corduroy sectional sofa, and the cream, blue, and brown wool rug.  This room hit all of those notes and provided a good visual for me to use just as a jumping-off point. After playing with fabric and brushing out some paint samples, here is what I put together for the design of the room… As you can see, it’s lots of neutrals, a soft blue/green/gray, and punches of indigo.  I want to use lots of textures

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June 9, 2021 35 Comments
Decorating

My Favorite Jute Rugs

I’ve shared about the jute rugs I use in my home in various posts, but not all in one place.  Since rugs are a tricky part of decorating a room (for me, at least), I thought I would share some of my favorite jute rugs that I’ve had in my home for several years.  The jute rug in my living room is the newest one and I’ve had it for about eight months.  I’ve had the rest, though for years, so I can speak to their durability.  I also share some answers to frequently asked questions about cleaning, care, shedding, and using rug pads at the bottom of the post. So, let’s dive right in.  Here are my five favorite jute area rugs… heather chenille jute rug from pottery barn I bought the several years ago when it was on sale and it’s been such an amazing rug.  We used

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June 3, 2021 25 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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