overcoming decorating paralysis :: get to work! { style bootcamp }

Tuesday, May 1, 2012 by {darlene}

Style Bootcamp

We have been discussing the three steps we need to take in order to identify what we truly love.

1. We need to start by accepting that our opinions can and will change. {check out this post}

2. We need to put in the work to narrow down what we love, and discover we CAN have a few definite things that define our style, and

3. We need to have confidence. If we have confidence in the things we truly love, we can even begin to move toward having a “signature look.”

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Well, today, we will deal with step number two: We need to put in the work to narrow down what we love! And, yes, believe it or not, you CAN find some definite things that define your style.

Now. Are you ready for the bad news?

Defining what you LOVE takes time and energy!

the good news?

It is FUN work, and it is worth the effort! And it will pay off {in hard cold cash, actually, since you might actually stop buying things you don’t love}.

Well, it is only fun if you love browsing through decorating blogs and magazines and Pinterest {be gentle with your honesty here, folks. hee hee}. It is only fun if you love thinking about what really makes you tick and what really inspires you!

So, if you were looking for a quick pep talk, and a 30 second paragraph or quiz on finding your own personal style, you have indeed come to the wrong place. This one is gonna take a little bit of {FUN} time.

First:

{the easy part} Get yourself a gorgeous blank notebook that makes you smile and dream. {I like this journal which is refillable, and this one for its simplicity.}

And now…

PERSONAL STYLE BOOTCAMP !!! Light a candle, find a peaceful corner, and a warm cup of delight, and get to work!

Below is a list of steps that will help you become truly confident in what you love. Each step contains a post that will HELP YOU GET THERE! Don’t skip these posts! They are the very relevant posts that will truly help your personal-style-confusion. I have written SPECIFICALLY to help my clients and readers to identify their own personal style. The work is fun. The day-dreaming is top notch. The question is:

Are you willing to do the work that it takes to hone in on what you truly love??

Step one

1. Start by making a list of your own personal style words. Click here on Style Words for the How-To directions .

Step Two

2. Next, identify your own “don’t buy” word or words. Click here on Don’t Buy Words for the How-to directions.

Step Three

3. Next, collect lots and lots of photos that you LOVE, and get to work at dissecting what it is you LOVE about them. Read this post on Photo Inspiration. Then hop on Pinterest and/or start clipping magazines. This is where the magic happens!

Step Four

4. Finally, identify your favorite-est colors. This post on picking your Favorite Colors will help.

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Are you going to do the work to find out what you love??? Leave me a comment below.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to know how it goes.

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I invite you to Follow Fieldstone Hill on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Can’t wait to see you there.

I am so glad you are joining us for the Overcoming Decorating Paralysis Series! Don’t miss a single post in this series by having every post delivered directly to your inbox. It is free, and your email is never used for another purpose.

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Click on the images below to shop at a few of my favorite places for Interior Decor:

ditto :: a living room where simplicity meets glamour

Monday, April 30, 2012 by {darlene}

$Happy {ditto} Monday!_peacock$

I am pretty excited about today’s Ditto. You see, in my own attempt to put words around the “things that I love,” I have created somewhat of a catch phrase to explain my “style:”

…HANGING IN THE BALANCE BETWEEN FARMHOUSE SIMPLICITY AND HIGH-GLOSS GLAMOUR.

As you will see, today’s room is right up that alley:

{As always, I look forward to hearing from you and finding out what you would ditto, too. So, be thinking!}

{design by Jeffrey Bilhuber, via House Beautiful}

DITTO :: {WHAT I WOULD STEAL FROM THIS SPACE}:

1. FARMHOUSE SIMPLICITY vs. HIGH-GLOSS GLAMOUR.

Contrasts {with intelligent restraint}, in my opinion, really are the key to gorgeous, top-level design. {That doesn’t mean you can’t use “a lot of the same”… but that is another blog post altogether}. Anyone who has read FHD for a bit knows that I really do love the specific contrast of farmhouse-simplicity versus high-gloss glamour. This room shows how beautifully these two ideas can be when used together. The simplicity of the fieldstone, the painted old-wood floor, the breathable furniture arrangement, the classic lines. And then, the high-gloss glamour of the bold, golden sofa, the rich plum chair, the gutsy pattern on the floor, the white chair, and even that amazing topiary in the corner. Pure, contrasting genius.

2. PAINTED FLOORS.

I love painted floors. I love the beautiful painted floors in this room: part glam – part barn-painting simplicity. I love the painted floors in my boys’ room. Not sure if I love these painted floors the most-est, or these. Definitely Must Ditto.

3. A SOFA COVERED IN A BRIGHT, FAVORITE COLOR. GUTSY.

Do you have the guts to recover a sofa in your favorite color? Even if that color is bright and gutsy? Let me ask you this. How long have you LOVED that color. If you have “always” loved it, or loved it for over 7 years… by golly… GO FOR IT!!! And don’t look back. And when you get nervous, cold feet – tell your feet to HUSH up.

4. ART. WITH A PORTRAIT LAMP.

Every room needs gorgeous art. But I must confess: I think gorgeous art can look even more gorgeous with a streamlined portrait lamp above it. The light it gives is so romantic, and it is like putting a gold necklace on a lovely woman. Just right.

5. SCULPTURAL OCCASIONAL CHAIR.

It is always good to have extra chairs around. I love that this room, which has farmhouse bones, is decorated with pieces that have glamourous lines. And the white occasional chair in this room acts like a piece of functional AND sculptural art. ditto.

6. FUNCTIONAL FIREPLACE BEAUTY.

A chunky, textural basket filled with useable wood. A lovely and long fireplace guard with bronze accents. A working, wood-burning fireplace. All of these functional items are also Ditto-Worthy, beautiful design elements.

7. OPPOSITES ON THE COLOR WHEEL.

Golden orange and plum. Opposites on the color wheel. Well, now. Here comes that “Contrast” thing that I am always going on and on about! This room has a very neutral backdrop, which is the perfect place to play around with bold, contrasting colors. Incorporating opposites on the color wheel is a great way to shake up your decorating.

8. FIELDSTONE. OF COURSE.

That Fieldstone fireplace is breathtaking. Oh, Yes. I really do love Fieldstone. When we were house hunting, I actually told the realtor that we wanted a stone house. Kinda limiting don’t you think? So glad I did though. Fieldstone is so raw, so pure, so natural, warm and cool at the same time. Fieldstone speaks of history to me. This post shows off some of the Fieldstone here at Fieldstone Hill. And this post shows off what I love SO much more than Fieldstone, of course.

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SO much goodness.

Love anything I did not mention? or…

WHAT WOULD YOU DITTO {STEAL} FROM THIS SPACE, 1-8? SOMETHING ELSE?

I LOVE HEARING YOUR THOUGHTS!

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a room I love :: a library with a perfect sofa nook

Friday, April 27, 2012 by {darlene}

Oh, friends. I keep trying to get a new “Overcoming Decorating Paralysis” post out to all of you. It is coming, I promise, … and it is part of the way finished, in fact. But I tell ya: It ain’t gonna happen this week!

Anyone else completely swamped this spring?

Since I am hosting an in{rl} gathering this Saturday, I have decided this is the perfect time to get some projects done around the house. Rest assured, I am taking pictures so I can share it all with you. Things to come are:

1. new dining room chairs

2. refurbished, amber velvet wingchairs

3. a living room reveal {the almost-done version}

In the meantime, since I can’t find the time to crank out all of the decorating thoughts that are in my head, why don’t we just enjoy some eye-candy together, m-kay???

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FHD’s “ A Room I Love” series….just a simple hello, from me to you, featuring a Room that I Love, and a quick list of why I love it. Do you love it?:

{design by Courtney Giles interiors}

WHAT I LOVE:

1. a sofa set back, perfectly nestled into bookshelves. One of my favorite looks, hands down.

2. traditional furniture lines/modern art.

3. those built-in, chocolate-painted bookshelves. Yes, I still love me some built-ins.

4. The walls match the shelving for a dramatic look.

5. wicker, baskets, and corduroy bring in texture.

6. large art and flanking sconces behind a sofa. yes!

7. punches of cream to bring light and fluidity to the room: the pillows, the ottoman, the sconces, the rug, and even some of the books provide a respite from the dark brown.

8. that orange leather chair with the squared lines makes me happy. It is so sculptural.

9. the baskets on the top shelf provide interest to they eye, but also, welcome storage.

10. Those bookshelves are designed so well: Plenty of room for books, closed storage beneath, and a thin shelf in the center for a change of pace.

Do you Love it? What do you love?

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Pin-spiration :: the sophistication of black-and-white

Thursday, April 26, 2012 by {darlene}

Black-and-white is timeless.

It is enduring.

It is simple.

And we can learn a lot by studying the beauty of black-and-white, and then bringing it into our homes.