A Fun Way To Find Color And Pattern Inspiration For Your Home

You know my BFF, Shannan (a.k.a Flower Patch Farmgirl), right? Well, since she’s one of my favorite writers in the whole weird world, I asked her if she’d put together a post just for me and TLC. She said yes (yay!) and I literally could not wait to read it. I must have hit the refresh button a thousand times a minute yesterday after she texted and said she was going to be sending it over soon. I’m not kidding. She has a wonderful and witty way with words, y’all. Check it out…

Hi! I’m Shannan, and about five years ago, my family and I bought our dream farm-house, complete with six acres, six bedrooms and a whole world of possibility. Over the next four years, we spent untold hours and more money than I’d care to count whipping it into shape. (You can find some of our re-dos here, here, and here.)

Then, right about the time we sank the last nail, we decided to sell. We felt a brand-new urgency to simplify, to step out of our comfort zone. The day we passed the keys to the successors to our dream, we still had no idea where we were really headed.

As it turns out, we are headed to a declining neighborhood in a nearby city. The program we are working with tears down abandoned homes and builds new ones. Following the path of simplicity has led us to right now, when we are faced with all sorts of decorating conundrums. (We knew God was clever, but we had no idea how ironic He could be.)

The home is much smaller and the floor-plan is simple. We will live in a sea of vinyl, and that’s alright with me. Still, I feel my inner Layla Palmer clawing her way out. I’m itching to seize the opportunity and try something different. Because if you’re going to build a house, you might as well build a house that you love.

Which brings me to this: What exactly do I love? Beats me. I’ve never started from scratch before. I’ve always lived in old homes, where the heartbeat is slow and certain and everything comes together over time. This is brand new and I’ll admit, I’m a bit overwhelmed by the options and the sheer velocity of the build.

When pressed, I begin to realize that I love a little bit of everything. I hunt down beauty everywhere I go. Often, it is found in the most unexpected places. If you cock your head just right, it seems most things can wiggle into the shape of art. I eat lunch with my sister-in-law and decide to paint it all white. I visit a friend and have an urge for orange. Soft interiors have me daydreaming about open windows and naps in the middle of the day. Bright colors beckon my inner quirk. So, what’s a girl to do?

I read once that one should take her decorating cues from her closet. Paint the walls the color you wear most often. Do you have a favorite pattern? Hang it on a rod.

It’s worth a try.

Take one: Denim sofas. Pillows made of sweatpants. Gingham curtains. Gray everything. Sweet.

The grand idea seemed to work in theory; not so much in practice.

But I’m a desperate girl, so I took a closer look. Here’s what I found:

I am most “me” when I’m casual and comfortable. Ratty jeans and a T…

I’m farmy to my core (city be danged)…

I’m a fearless pattern-mixer, with a shot of charcoal gray to ground the look…

I’m textured and collected…

I’m an awful lot of gray and white, but there’s got to be some color…

I do, in fact, have a head…

And I promise, that isn’t the only pair of jeans I own. (yikes)

Armed with my new self-awareness, I took to my Pinterest boards. Behold, a vision emerged…

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Ah, I feel so much better! Maybe there is a light at the end of the quick-as-lightning, builder-grade tunnel.

The lesson here? You really can teach an old girl new tricks.

Do you find yourself stuck on a design dilemma? Take two hours in your closet and call us in the morning.

 (No really, call us. We’re dying to know if it works for you, too.)

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