What My Childhood Taught Me About Home Decor
My 14 year old niece can�t possibly share my DNAas she has an utter nonchalance for the neatness and appearance of herbedroom.� Home d�cor and design� has been my passion ever since I canremember and while I am trying to embrace her imperfections, I refuse to giveup on introducing and influencing her toward the world of design andorganization.�
I have a 14year old niece whose life revolves around herhair and it�s a different color every time I see her.�� On my last visit, I got a�shock when I walked into her bedroom - not in� reaction to her �Bubble Yum� colored tresses, but to the state ofher� room, resembling more of a landfillthan a place of� refuge,� serenity and� personal expression.� Forher 12th birthday, I yielded to her every design wish and designed a colorfuland fun bedroom to enchant she and her friends.�� I began to�hyperventilate when I realized the reason I couldn�t see her floorwasn�t because she had� blacked out herwindow with a gorgeous mohair throw I�d given her but because all of herworldly possessions, hair product included,�seemed to have exploded violently from her closet and lay in heaps inthe war-zone her once-stylish bedroom had become.�� I felt faint and steadied myself on her graffiti covered closetdoor.�� We simply cannot share the sameDNA.
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As a child I was reasonably coiffed and well adjusted,however, while my peers aspired to sports or music, my ambitions lay more inthe direction of �design disciplines�.� Interiordesign and home d�cor were my passions for as early as I can remember.� I spent hours in my bedroom rearranging myfurniture and carefully placing each possession, which I adored and hadtriumphantly earned by torturing my mothers nerves until she ultimatelyrelented with a sigh of defeat and the flash of her credit card.��
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The labor for moving my bedroom furniture came cheap.� My brother was often up to something myparents wouldn�t approve of� sooccasionally I�d find out and blackmail him into moving my furniture!� He moved my furniture about the room(reluctantly) until I was completely satisfied with the floor plan.� Being twelve, I was limited to a budgetarydesign allowance of $3.50 per week so there were expected creative limitationsto my work.� The arrangement of myfurniture would often change from artful to practical such as reducing awkward�traffic flow� to create optimum use of my bedroom for entertaining friends atmy Saturday night slumber soirees.�
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There was the time I redecorated for escapism after myparents refused to give me a television for my bedroom.� Rebellious to the core, I slammed shut mydoor and� ripped out my closet doors andstuck my bed inside the closet.� Thecloset doors gained new life as a room divider.� I was so� smugly pleasedwith my newly designed� �cocoon�� my pouting subsided.�� There are those who eat for comfort, Iredecorate!
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I grew up in the late 70�s when HGTV, Pottery Barn and IKEAwere not yet conceptualized.� While Idid have limited exposure to my mothers early copies of Better Homes and Gardenmy biggest design influence was actually my father who was a homebuilder.� Our family moved often and usually we movedinto the first home built in each neighborhood where he was building.�� No home was untouched since hide & seekdictated my friends and I know every square inch of each new home as it wasbeing built.� In the process, any sparebuilding materials was fair game for forts or dollhouses.�
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My love of houses and home d�cor may be in my genes, however,being the daughter of a builder doesn�t comes without issues.� Dad was a workaholic so naturally his workinfluenced our family social time.� Ourfamily outings were unconventional in my household and usually consisted oftraveling to potential building sites or visits to the families who purchasedmy fathers homes.�� We did go to DisneyWorld once.
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I had strong opinions about design early on.� In the 70�s we may not have had cabletelevision but we had The Brady Bunch and they were all the rage. ��Sure, I had a crush on Greg and Peter Bradybut my biggest distraction was the home they lived in.� Sure it was cool but, frankly, from a designstandpoint,� I was� perplexed.�8 people lived in a three bedroom home designed by their father,architect Mike Brady.�� As far as I wasconcerned he failed his clients.� Whatwas he thinking?�� Where was theprivacy?� At least the boys had a bunkbed in their bedroom. But the girls bedroom?��Very pink, very cramped.�� HadMike or Carol Brady ever given thought to a�Murphy or trundle bed?�� Evenmore disturbing was the confines of one very small bathroom shared by six boysand girls.�� My niece has no idea howlucky she is that when she wants to dye her hair she doesn�t have to vie forspace with 5 other kids!
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So, being the cool aunt that I am, I spent Saturdayafternoon with my niece for a girl getaway.�We went for a spa treatment and shopping at her favorite thriftstores.�� O.K., so I steered her to� a few of my favorite shops, including a homeorganization store in hopes she�d get the idea�.I am not giving up on her yet.
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Naturally, I myself am knee deep in my home d�cor and designbusiness.�� My house is completed (forthe moment), but I am able to satiate my obsession for home d�cor� homes of my clients.�
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Now fast forward 20 something years later, when I score afabulous piece of furniture or accessory, I still get every bit as excited as Idid when I was a young.� The only thedifference is I can reach for my own check book rather than contrive a tantrumto get what I want!� When I do find agreat piece of furniture or accessory, I can�t help but share them witheveryone on my website�www.houseaboutit.com.�� One of myfavorites, Aidan Gray are masters of marrying old world finishes withfunctional furniture and fabulous accessories.�I also love the ephemeral feel of�Fringe Studio transfer ware vases
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