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We are on the mend! After the Chief got sick, so did I and then Miss E. This has been a gnarly cold – 6-7 days of yuck before starting to feel improvement. But I am finally feeling a bit more energetic.
When I was sitting on the couch the other day, drinking tea and reading a good book, I realized that if I looked up I could see my favorite view in the house. I have often noticed that the most enticing view can be one seen through a couple rooms and out a window on the far side of the house, and mine is no exception. I love to see the afternoon light shining across the house through the bathroom window, backlighting the plant on the windowsill.
The rich paint color also draws the eye and makes the sunlight that much more enticing.
What is your favorite view or sightline in your house?
When it comes to fabrics, I’m a solid colors girl.
I try patterns, but for the most part I like solids better. I think it’s because I prefer soothing to busy, and a lot of the patterns out there “chatter” at me. Color is no problem – most of my wardrobe is jewel-toned solids with a few stripes and prints and textures scattered in, and it works really well for me. In the home, I lean toward the same kind of look. I currently have graphic jewel-toned pillows on the couch and honestly, I don’t like them very much. But it took some trial and error to find out that graphic patterns were one design trend I don’t feel at home with.
In fact, the more I’ve observed and experienced spaces, the more I’m convinced that it’s the excellent use of texture that makes a home feel comfortable. I believe this can apply to any color scheme and most styles. With time I’ve slowly formed a vision for a more layered feel for our home, where color and neutrals collaborate with texture to make a space that feels warm and inviting, yet light. I want do do this by layering seagrass rugs and patina’ed (is that a word?) wood furniture, slick bookshelves and ferny plants, burlap lampshades and glossy lamps, linen pillows and leather sofas.
Before you can make a look work for you, you have to figure out the details of HOW it works. Here are some of my favorite rooms that create interest through use of texture.
See how this bedroom has a textured spread, a velveteen bedskirt and canopy, thick ridged mouldings and paneled doors, unfinished wood floors, and distressed paint on the side table.
This kitchen has equal amounts of sleek cabinets and rustic wood table, with matte iron fixtures and shiny stainless appliances. The floor is subtly textured and all the glass windows are sleek but broken up into smaller (textured) grids.
This living room has plaster walls, seagrass carpet, nubbly white sofa and smooth leather chairs, lots of exposed wood, an awesomely blue-green velvet ottoman, raw edge cloth lighting shade on the ceiling with metal, and a textured throw.
This living room is more all-brown that I would do but I still love it. It has iron and glass in the coffee table, shiny pillows, velvet sofa, lots of exposed wood beams, what looks like textured walls, subtly patterned rugs, coarsely woven curtains, a porcelain lamp, and a reflective black piano. I really want to go there for afternoons of reading and tea.
So this is my goal: to create a home that feels welcoming, interesting, and homey by virtue of layers of texture, rather than relying on one-dimensional color or pattern to generate interest.
How have you successfully incorporated texture into your living space? Do you like the layers of interest that several types of texture brings, or is a more streamlined look your style? What have been some of your winning moments with texture?
I feel like celebrating.
I’ve been working on the farmhouse table for weeks now, and it’s coming along slowly but steadily. This weekend I’d hoped to finish and when it became clear that it was not to be, I decided to let it go and tackle a bunch of Little Things that have been on the edge of my consciousness for some time.
You know the ones. The things that will take five or ten minutes but you never seem to get around to them because there are Bigger Things that you have your attention on. It finally gets to the point where you’re saying to yourself, “Ugh, I haven’t repotted the orchid for three and a half months now!” The pain of ignoring these things gets worse than the pain of stopping for ten minutes to take care of them. I just did four Little Thing projects, and I can tell you, this is the MOST accomplishment I’ve felt over a weekend in a while!
1. I switched out a piece of art that my husband didn’t like for one that makes us both smile. It is fancy.
2. I repotted the orchid!
3. I bought a memory card (and a second battery) for my shiny awesome new camera so that it is usuable.
4. I dusted the house and discovered for the first time in my life that dusting with the vaccuum brush attachment goes faster and doesn’t use half a roll of paper towels. Not sexy, I know, but I hate dusting and I love clean shining surfaces, and I want to know why no one ever told me to use my vaccuum before.
Bonus/teaser: I also finished the underside of that farmhouse table :) (Those are stain tests at the top where it’s darker.)
Have you ever taken a break from the Big Things to get a bunch of those Little Things straightened out? Dosen’t it feel good not to have them chattering at you every time you walk by?
When was the last time you reveled in the sensory pleasure of a perfect day and the joy of just being?
My favorite moments in life are the ones when I’m sitting in my yard enjoying the beautiful sunshine and fresh air of a weekend afternoon, wearing a summery knee-length skirt and possibly a hat. I might be reading a book or sipping a gin and tonic, or simply hanging out with my husband while he works on a vintage car. Fig Tree Sundays is my way of sharing some of the things that, at their best, remind me of those moments. This means perfume sampling, DIY/decorating, food, and the occasional slice of life. Enjoy!
fig tree sundays 