House to Home – What is your story?

Part of the joy of being a decorator and store owner is that I get to help people make their house a home. There are many beautiful houses out there in all shapes and sizes. We all love to tour a beautiful house! I also look forward to annual tours that feature a show house in a new neighborhood or the designers showcase homes where each room is pristine and perfect. If you are like me you love to see all the new appliances, counter tops, lighting fixtures and furniture! Every week someone asks me what paint colors are currently in style. It is fun to see what is in vogue and to be up to date on all the upcoming trends. Pulled together all these great elements and trends make a beautiful and stylish house.

A Stylish HOUSE can be had by copying a magazine photo or decorators lead …ahhh, but, a home takes more work. Gone are the days when we had a living room or sitting room that was dedicated to perfection. Most of us no longer live in a home with a separate room where children and pets are banished. There was a time when the living room was right inside the front door and visitors would be greeted there and see a false image of how we really lived. Today most homes are wide open. Kitchens give way to great rooms and keeping rooms that flow into public and private spaces easily. This open concept feels light and airy and creates a great flow for large gatherings. It opens the home to everyone! However, along with the open space come a few challenges. Paint colors now need to be well planned. Often there is no obvious place to stop one color and add another. In addition, the loss of walls can limit furniture arrangement and has a huge impact on wall art. We often see customers in our store that have moved to an open concept plan and find they don’t have any wall space for the art they have collected over the years. Large furniture pieces, like china cabinets and hutches, often don’t fit in an open floor plan since they cannot float in a room. Suddenly, the House that you toured and loved becomes a challenge to turn into your HOME!

Furniture should match the way you live. Remember this when you’re buying new items from places like furniture in fashion. Don’t just buy an item because it looks pretty. A sectional says something different than a camel back or skirted sofa does. All can be great looks in the right environment! The difference between a house and a home is a result of adding your own personal twist! We have all been in houses that look like a Pottery Barn Catalog or a furniture store. There is nothing wrong with those looks but they fall short when they don’t have a story. If you love your grandmother’s sideboard, use it. A well placed antique can make a modern room much more interesting. Think outside the box and repurpose things you love instead of tossing them because they don’t match the current trend. Each of our lives is a story that should be reflected in our home. Do you like to cook or travel? Do you have kids, pets or grandchildren? What are your hobbies and interests? Whatever your passion and experience – display it. Remember to display a collection together for greater impact instead of scattering items all over the house. The addition of personal items will make your house unique to you and that is the first step in creating a home! Find items that speak to your experience and make them a feature in your home. If you love it, you can always find a way to display it tastefully.

Today a customer came into the store and saw our animal pillows. She commented that she loved the llama. I also love that pillow as it looks like the llama might wink at you! That sweet Llama face caught my eye across the room at market in January. Pam and I fell in love with the graphic nature of these handmade silkscreen pillows. They are a work of art. We immediately ordered an assortment of dogs and barn animals including a sheep, funny goat and a horse. We added baby chicks and Bunnies for Easter!

Our goal at market was to find some unique gift items and accessories that would help make Interiors By Consign a destination for total home décor. The silkscreen pillows are just one line of accessories that we found and now feature. This day a customer was looking at our animal pillows. She picked up the Llama and began to tell me a story. Years ago she was at the zoo with her autistic son. They were in the petting zoo and she felt it was finally a safe “bullet proof” area where she could take her eyes off of her 3 year old for just a minute to speak to her other two kids. In a matter of minutes she heard her 3 year old scream. Her son had said no words, ever. He had not said “momma” or “cat” or “up” or anything else in his 3 year old life. The screams sent her into a trot over to her son who looked up at her and said very clearly “Bad Camel spit me mommy, YUCK.” What a watershed moment! There at the zoo the LLAMA (not Camel) had spit on her son and he had reacted with an appropriately indignant tone and his first words: “Bad Camel spit me mommy, YUCK!” Precious words that her son first said at age 3 still ring clear, even though he is now a successful college student at age 20! The Llama pillow brought it all back to her. I loved that she took the time to share that story with me! What a blessing! I’m so glad we bought that Llama pillow! Our customer took home the Llama and the Goat pillow to add to her new grey tone on tone room. The colors, size and graphic nature of the pillows will be perfect in her house! The added sentiment and story to go with them will be priceless in her HOME!

Please remember to stop in and see us at Interiors By Consign when you are looking for upscale furniture, art, mirrors, accessories and gifts. We want to help you make your house a home! Visit us at 8508 Whitesburg Drive in Huntsville or online anytime at www.interiorsbyconsign.net!