heirlooms and 'comfort decorating"
In my last blog post, I wrote about rearranging furniture and actual rooms in my home. You can read about it here. But there's so much more that I'd like to explain in this post.
I watch a fair amount of HGTV. I love Fixer-Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines, and many other shows. I've always been a bit dumbfounded about how someone can move into a newly renovated house, entirely curated with decor purchased for design without any attachment to those items. Don't get me wrong- every project looks perfectly placed and beautiful, but what about all the personal stuff one has gathered throughout life? Are personal items discarded or just packed away? Or is this what people want- pretty, mass-produced items? (I realize these are TV shows; much of this is just staging, and many sell their merchandise at stores or have their own shops and online presence, but...) I too am undoubtedly guilty of a decorative or seasonal item here or there, but not my whole house! Nope, not me.
I have been fortunate to be the recipient of some beautiful hand-me-downs. I treasure them and display them with a certain reverence. They are part of my ancestors- a part of history and items that once adorned their home and now are enjoyed by me and others that pass through my house. The image above is a collection of antique crystal stemware from my husband's grandmother. I imagine they were a wedding gift, possibly Italian crystal, but it could be from another European country. I'll have to do some research. Either way, they are delicate and priceless to me, which brings me to a recent article I read in Southern Living. A favorite of mine.
This past week in my inbox was an email that caught my eye, as they often do. The article fits perfectly with my mindset about decorating one's home. The article is titled: Why "Comfort Decorating" Will Always Feel Like Home In The South. It starts: we can tell you until the cows come home about the hottest trends sweeping across the South right now, but sometimes, it's best to take home decor back to the basics.
I love this. The article captures everything I love about decorating my home. Using items that were either passed down from a family member or picked up at a local second-hand shop. These treasures can be displayed or repurposed into something more useful- something I've grown to love to do. I pretty plate can be a soap dish. An old chipped dutch oven can hold household items under the sink.
Here in Wilmington, North Carolina, we have so many amazing treasure-shopping-possibilities! You must check them out if you're ever in the area. The Ivy Cottage and Fleabody’s Antique Mall are frequent stops as a wander about town. It's the thrill of the hunt regarding second-hand finds and clearance items if I must confess! Even if you don't know the personal history of a Limoge plate, you can make up a powerful story of your own. Perhaps the ornate dish was part of the bride's trousseau. She felt melancholy as she packed her china neatly in her trunk for the journey from France across the pond to America. Either way, the antiques retain history and offer your home works of art, which is hard to find at HomeGoods.
My house is a collection of memories that cause me to think of loved ones and keep them close to my heart. I realize it's not for everyone, but I have taken solace in feeling somewhat vindicated by this article in Southern Living and will continue to adorn my house with items from the past. There is no doubt, a beautifully staged home on HGTV looks pretty, but having treasures from the past can add character and uniqueness to one's abode.
It's been a few days since I started writing this post, I didn't seem to get it to "print," and I'm glad that was the case. Yesterday, I was running around town looking for a particular item. I was in and out of some lovely boutiques; I must say, stunning merchandise is out there. I was in a shop, right down the road from my house called Protocol. It's a bit swanky, but the dishes- oh man- are they unique! If I was in the market for a set of china, this would be my first stop. I wanted to buy one piece of so many patterns, just so I could admire them all. Then, as if that wasn't enough of a tease, I went to The Fisherman's Wife, down by the beach, and there I found more exceptional pieces. There are amazing options for those that only want to buy new items.
I suppose if I had to choose between a decorative item bought at a store like HomeGoods or a second-hand item from The Ivy Cottage, I'd take the second-hand item any day. However, if I were in the market for some new, pretty china or crystalware, and there was no budget, that would be a fun problem too!
I realize not everyone is interested in filling their home with items from the past. However, if you like older things and don't have any hand-me-downs, start rummaging around antique shops, confinement stores, and estate sales for the treasure just waiting for you. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you will find, and often, it won't break your wallet.
