Collected not decorated…

Now that we have truly entered into the autumn season, Mother Nature has treated us to warm sunny days we longed for over all summer.   Many of us have started cleaning up our annual and perennial beds even though there is still some colour and new blooms to enjoy.  And my roses are blooming their heads off…

Regardless of how beautiful the days have been, I believe it would be foolish to put off the usual fall cleanup for too long.  We know only too well that bitter winds and dropping temperatures are just around the corner.

Soon our attention (and energy) will be moving to the indoors.  As October rolls around and Thanksgiving (in Canada) just weeks away, the shift from summer to cozy dominates the theme of our interiors.

I’m always curious to see and hear what the experts predict for upcoming decorating trends.  Recently I’ve been hearing this phrase slip into the conversation…”slow decorating”.

It’s an interesting concept at this time when our world seems to spin faster and faster every week, breaking news every hour or two, fast food, fast fashion, fast internet, overnight deliveries, fast this and fast that…a world of instant gratification.

Because we’ve been conditioned to living such a fast pace, I think it’s only natural to want our interiors to magically switch overnight.  If we’ve recently moved or are just want to refresh what we have, we’ve become impatient rather than embracing the process with thought and enthusiasm.  However…

Rushing through a decorating project ofter leads to regret down the road.  If you think about it, our homes are always a work in progress.  It’s fluid like our wardrobes…we add and subtract all the time.

Just like the time it takes to find clothes that suit our bodies and lifestyle best, our interior spaces need time to be lived in too.  Eventually they will reveal what the needs are and what style we want to create.  Not caving into impulse shopping isn’t easy for most of us, but taking time to curate the perfect space for you and/or your family will be so rewarding.

I think we can all agree that buying everything matchy-matchy leads to boring interiors that we’ll tire of quickly.  Ideally we don’t want our homes tied to one specific trend…we want our spaces to reflect where we’ve been and where we are.  We do this by layering the things we collect from our past, travels, special moments, or the books we read.  If we’ve added these treasures, chances are we’ll never get bored of them.  They are interesting, and personal.

Your personal style has probably evolved over time without you being aware of it, but if you’ve collected your favourite pieces along the way, your interiors acquire an eclectic, timeless look.  Your home will never be locked into a “look”.  We are more complex than just two dimensional…

Patience in decorating also eases the strain on your budget.  I also think that confidence in your personal style grows when you add pieces here and there over time.  You begin to see yourself reflected in the nest you’ve built…you are home.  xox Judy❤️