Last Updated on October 21, 2020 by Stacy Averette

Our homes should be a happy haven and I believe that’s easily achieved without a lot of money or design expertise. But it took me years to settle into my decorating style. Notice I didn’t say “settle on” but “settle into” because for years I tried to be “in style”. I was never quite happy until I decided to decorate by heart.  In this post, I’m going to share a recent project, the mistake I made, and how I corrected it with the hope of inspiring you to decorate by heart, too!

Decorating by Heart

My decorating style is shabby-bohemian-farmhouse. Yes. I totally made that up! If you look at my Home Decor {Thrifty Style} pinterest board you’ll get an idea of the colors, textures and elements that tell our story. However you define your style I believe you can create a happy haven for you and your family when you decorate by heart.

Decorating by heart means:

• choosing the colors that make you happy
• displaying elements that tell your story
• arranging the room to suit your needs
• buying within your budget with your heart

Choosing a Color—I’ve painted walls and furniture every color in the rainbow. But I LOVE neutrals: off-white, cream, and gray.

Displaying the Elements—My home tells a story. I write words on the wall, frame old floor plans, and keep a bowl of heart shaped rocks I find on my travels.

Arranging the Room—Our furniture is arranged based on how we use the room. The doors and windows and weird ceiling heights demand something different but comfort trumps style and symmetry at my house. I’m making a home, not a showplace.

Buying by heart—I’ve never cared much for brand names. If I love it and can afford it, I buy it. If it’s $2 at the thrift store and I love it, I buy it. Chippy paint, rust, and tattered books are my love language. Old stuff speaks to me which is why I brake for yard sales, thrift stores, and junk on the side of the road.

I share my home with others (a husband and several children), I always get their input about our common spaces.  And since they know that my desire is to create a beautiful, happy home, they usually say, “Mom, do what makes you happy.”  I’ve given them that same freedom in their bedrooms. They’re not at all what I prefer in color or style but it’s their space and I want them to feel free to surround themselves with their story. If they’re happy and their rooms are relatively clean then I’m happy, too.

A Decorating Mistake

Even with all this decorating camaraderie we have, I occasionally make a decorating mistake. Recently I decided to venture away from my neutral color scheme and add a pop of color. It would’ve been okay if that pop of color had been a pillow. I like fun pillows! But I decided to paint the TV armoire. It turned out a beautiful shade of capri teal. The hubby liked and the kids loved it, but I didn’t. Actually, I hated it. The color was beautiful but it just didn’t feel right when I walked into the room. They suggested I “live with it a few days and see if it grows on you”. I gave it two days. Here’s the result:

I replaced the knobs with these:

Here’s a “Before” of our living room.

Here’s how our living room looks now.

Remember the old doors I found at a yard sale recently?

At first, I had the armoire on the wall where the old doors are standing. It filled up the tall space beautifully. However, the arrangement didn’t really work for how we use this room. There’s another small seating area and a wood-burning fireplace to the left of the dark brown chair so having the TV in this location allows for extra seating  on family movie night.

When I walk into this room I feel happy. It’s amazing what one, small can of paint can do.

Remember:

So what’s your decorating style? Does your home make you happy? How do you decorate by heart? I’d love to know!

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