Top Ten Favorite Decorating Things
Top Ten Favorite Decorating Things
by Charlotte Siems
Décor in our first home: a plaid couch, a lone poster tacked to the wall (really) and an aquarium with a green grass snake. Not to mention dirty clothes and papers strewn about, but we won’t go there.
It took me a few years to find my decorating style, let alone figure out how to clean the place.
In some ways, learning about my taste in decorating was a process of self-discovery. I finally realized that it was okay to like lace and roses in my bedroom, even if someone else didn’t (unless that person was my husband, and fortunately, he didn’t mind).
A feminine bedroom is a nice contrast to masculinity, and can even create an atmosphere of feeling pampered, but I digress.
After many years of decorating on a slim budget, here are my Top Ten favorite decorating things at This Lovely Place:
1. Plates – There are plates on the wall and on plate holders in my bedroom, my office corner, kitchen, bathroom and living room. Mostly antique, but not all.
2. Clocks – Big ones, small ones. Some that don’t work but look cool.
3. Books – Not only do we have numerous bookshelves throughout the house, but books come in handy for tabletop arrangements and making lamps taller. Double points for using titles that fit the season.
4. Fabric – Curtains, pillow covers, table runners, tablecloths and more. New pillow covers can change the look of the couch!
5. Garland – Not just for Christmas, seasonal garlands add a nice touch for holidays. Hearts for Valentine’s, clover for St. Patrick’s Day, eggs for Easter. Use on the kitchen chandelier, fireplace mantel and surface displays, like the top of the TV armoire.
6. Plants – Okay, I don’t have a green thumb, but I like a pretty geranium in the kitchen window, especially in the winter.
7. Glass Jars – Especially large, decorative ones with lids. Fill with fake fruit or berries in the summer, cotton and a snowman in the winter, speckled bird eggs and a nest in the spring, and leaves and acorns in the fall.
8. Candles – Great for bringing in the comforting sense of smell. Match the scents (and colors) to the season.
9. Closed Storage – This isn’t exactly a decorating item, it’s more of a way to keep clutter at bay so the decorating shows up.
10. Dishes – Platters, cups and saucers, bowls, teapots, pitchers and more become part of a shelf or table arrangement.
These everyday items are handy for use-what-you-have decorating. Most can be found at discount stores like Ross or TJ Maxx, garage sales or thrift stores.
Look at your stuff with new eyes: could you repurpose something or move it to a new room?
Whatever you do, make sure you use Your Favorite Things in your decorating. Let your home be an expression of your personality and what you like!
Do you have a favorite thing to decorate with? Leave a comment below!
Charlotte, I CAN’T believe how similar our tastes are in decorating! I live in a log home so I also like to decorate with natural things. On my mantle I have a box that my son made and then crafted a design with birch bark and dogwood. It’s so nice and rustic. Then we have a Sorel that we found at the end of our driveway and our friend preserved [taxidermy], along with some beautiful stones from one of our local beaches. Blessings and thanks for your post! BTW, have you heard of pinterest? Susan
Natural items – seashells, rocks and fossils, branches, pine cones, etc. Thank you for helping all of us create a lovely space to call home. Sheryl
Thanks for sharing! I like you am slowly am finding my own decorating taste! I too love candles, teapots, teacups. Love angels, greenery and lights! I love to oranizine with nice baskets or printed boxes. You keep me inspired!
I want to know what you do with the out of season decorations? Do people really have room in their houses to store plastic fruit when they take it out and fill the glass jars with Christmas ornaments instead? Do people really keep all the various seasonal things organized to reuse the following year? Or do they replace some of this stuff yearly? It just seems like a lot of storage and organizing for something to temporary. What do you think, and how do you make it work? (PS – I like plates too. And mirrors. And things that have been in the family a long time. those are my favorites. They stay out all year.)
True confession: when I take out the plastic fruit it goes back in the basket in the girls’ room! (We buy realistic-looking fruit at thrift stores on the cheap). I have cabinets above the washer and dryer and some shelves in the pantry for off-season decor. Fall decorations are stored in an orange-and-black plastic tub in the attic. Easter decorations–same thing, different tub. Other than that (like Valentine’s or St. Patrick’s Day, etc.), the items are pretty small. Garlands last a season or two, but they can be replaced at the dollar store. I re-use quite a bit, but not past shabbiness. 🙂