JennifersLost Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I picked up my copy of "Moving On" by Sarah Ban Breathnach today to look through again, and it got me thinking about my current house. My house is big and roomy. I like that all my kids have their own rooms. I like that they have a playroom and we have a more "grown-up" living room that generally looks pretty nice. I like our large kitchen/dining room. I don't like the exterior of the house, how boxy it is, how boring the architecture is. It's nice enough house, but you don't walk into it and say "Oh....this is home." I've been blaming the house, but I don't want to be the "victim" anymore. I want to adore my house and I want to make it a sanctuary. So help me, everyone: how do I turn a big, boxy barn of a place into a beloved home without spending much money? What small, easy touches or tricks can I use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 You'd never know it to look at my house now, but I really like plants in a home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJH Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I'm not kidding. My six purring cats (and the inevitable hair balls everwhere) make our home a nice place to be. If you're not a cat person, try a bird or some fish. Pets do wonders for atmosphere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Over the years, my dh and I have gone on Saturday dates. Most of the time we find a craft store, antique shop, a road-side stand or consignment store and just wander around holding hands. :001_smile: I usually find something that really 'speaks' to me, usually something small but special. When I can, I buy it and bring it home. Over time, my house has been filled up with mementos that reflect those times spent together. A sweet smelling country candle near the front door...a stuffed country pig with her apron, framed pictures with cross stitch verses and stenciled designs, fluffy pillows and braided rugs, country baskets, decorative bird houses; warm and friendly things that, when I saw them, I loved them. So, that is why I think our home is friendly and welcoming. You can adjust your decorating to your taste, and mine is country crafts and the like. Work on your front entrance way. Put some nice baskets with fall mums and a beautiful wreath on your door to draw you toward it. Paint your front door a warm shade like dark red. Put doilies under things for extra interest. Take a good long look at your entry way, and remove anything you do not love. Add a plant or two, and use good light bulbs like Reveal to add warmth. So, collect special things in your favorite colors, and they will always match each other when you bring them home to add to what you already have. Neutral shades on the walls and floors, but punch it up with accent colors you love. Just a few rambling thoughts. Blessings~ Ginger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 ::An attractive front door. (A little park bench, pots of flowers, door painted an accent color, etc... Anything that says Welcome to our home!!) ::If there is no porch or architecture to set apart the front entry, I would consider building a simple trellis/pergola style porch in the front. Here is a fancy one. Or maybe this one. Inside: ::Furniture that corresponds with the size of the rooms. ::A variety of textures! A quilted throw, a nubby throw rug, mercury glass candlesticks, a leather chair, a wreath of branches, a vase with fresh flowers... ::Intimate furniture arrangements. If a room is large, group a few pieces of furniture together to make a smaller focused area. ::Music, candles or other scents (but nothing overwhelming) (or even the absence of negative scents :)), fresh flowers or plants. ::Less clutter. Relatively clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricia Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I never really thought about it. But my hubby loves the wood stove with the glass doors to watch the fire in winter. Tricia---www.mommyx12.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I vote for meaningful art. I couldn't afford to have prof. framed art, or art prints of artists that I love. So, I chose one artist and bought a book of his illustrations and then I cut up and framed them myself, in black frames with white mats. I chose about eight prints to frame, various sized, from small to about 12x16 and arranged them on my big wall that needed big art. All together they work as one larger piece and I love them. They are unique and somewhat obscure, but I love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 What makes a home homey? Piles of laundry on the sofa? Three days of mail on the buffet? School books and papers strewn across the dining room table? Sorry, I know that's not what you meant. I couldn't resist. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percytruffle Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Here are several random ideas: Some things that are living: pets, plants (they don't actually have to be really alive. Fake plants work if they aren't too cheap). Then, warm colors like golden, creamy colors and ochres on the walls. Comfy throw pillows and soft throws draped across chairs invite you to curl up and relax. Baskets with magazines placed chair-side. Smaller furniture groupings, even in large rooms. If the room is big arrange more than one grouping. Move the furniture away from the walls and in toward the middle of the room. Place a sofa table behind the sofa and drape a plant across the top. Put enough mood lighting in the room to make it cozy at night without having to have a large ceiling light on. Make sure the floors are inviting too by placing a grouping of floor pillows in the living room and making sure the floors aren't bare in areas you want to appear cozier. Use candles. Only use one scented one. Any more than that can be overwhelming. Add some natural seasonal decor from outside like a bowl of pine cones, a vase of wild flowers, or a basket of crab apples. Lastly, I think that even though bare windows can look impressive (especially if you have a view) they can seem very cold and uninviting, especially at night. I like to at least drape some filmy sheers at the sides that can be pulled shut in the evenings to have that "cocoon" feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Books everywhere. Comfortable couches with coffee tables. A pot of tea brewing. No. REAL tea. The other kind of tea would make it another kind of "house." :D Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Books and comfy afghans to curl up in while you are reading them! I think from the outside, even a "cookie cutter house" can be individualized with landscaping and little architectural additions (personally I don't like garden gnomes or pink flamingos but if that is "you" then go for it!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 I agree with all of this! I'll ditto the mood lighting; multiple lamps are much homier than a ceiling fixture. Pulling the furniture away from the walls (especially in larger rooms). Natural seasonal decor... yes! I have a very simple white pedastle bowl that I fill often: apples, nuts, a collection of green-blue eggs, mini white pumpkins or gourds, cranberries.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 Good ideas, and I'm definitely thinking I need to bring more "natural" objects inside. I used to do that, but when we moved somehow I forgot to do it again. I like the idea of getting more pillows. I'd love to find a table for behind the sofa....I should do more garage sale searching. And baskets. I think I was so traumatized at having to leave all my baskets behind when I left Santa Cruz that I haven't bought any since. What am I thinking???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 What makes a home homey? Piles of laundry on the sofa? Three days of mail on the buffet? School books and papers strewn across the dining room table? Sorry, I know that's not what you meant. I couldn't resist. :001_smile: Hmm. This makes us very homey. And we have a cat too. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Candles, burning or decorative welcoming aroma in each room framed family photos furniture arranged to encourage social interaction eye level artwork meaningful knick-knacks or collectables plants (I have to use fake b/c nothing lives with my green thumb.) books, books, books organized home blankets for snuggle moments soothing background music fresh cookies for drop-ins! Kitchen is the heartbeat of the home. Keep it somewhat picked up and clean to have family and friends hang out while food is being made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Books, definitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 What makes a home homey? Piles of laundry on the sofa? Three days of mail on the buffet? School books and papers strewn across the dining room table? Sorry, I know that's not what you meant. I couldn't resist. :001_smile: Literally, laughing out loud here! And may I add... dog toys that polka-dot the floor and furniture throw rugs askew from running dogs and children piano music littering the music room dog snot on the windows We sure don't live in a Better Homes and Gardens home! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in Mo Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 For a truly "homey" feel, I always aim for authentic: And when that isn't available....the smell. Nothing says home like the smell. And I don't mean the scent of pine sol! Clean is great, but that doesn't mean it smells like home. Some eucalyptus, some cranberry, some baking bread or treat. And then the sounds. Kids laughing, music playing, coffee bubbling. Smells and sounds. That says home to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 ...a home that tells the story of its inhabitants is homey. A former college roommate showed me around her new home many years ago (she married immediately after college). I remember being surprised that I could not distinguish the "master" bedroom from the guest room, because both were equally pristine. I like a home with bits and pieces of a life smattered throughout. Folk art or some other decorative touch that speaks about what you love. Funny (antique?) furniture in a corner. Family photos willy nilly on table tops an hallway walls (each with a story to be told). Books. Stuff pinned to the refrigerator. And, for a really great project...how about a mosaic? A dear friend of mine is a mosaic artist. She has helped and inspired many of our friends to create beautiful works of art in their bathrooms, kitchens, and doorways. It's a wonderfully simple way to add color and spice to a space. Have fun. Do what you love! (P.S. Hope you feel better tomorrow) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanamom Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Oh, it's sooo individual! What I do is seek out distinctive places I enjoy being. Places that make me feel comfortable. For me, that would be a country cottage type bed and breakfast, a bookstore, a coffee shop, a winery. (Sort of like a decluttered Bag End!) Then I bring those elements into my house as I can afford to, or as I can create them. Texture, color, pieces of furniture. Scents too. Even projects and works in progress make an impact. Emphasize the things you love that make you feel good and make you smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 I asked a similar question on the very busy, very opinionated home decor board at http://www.gardenweb.com. The answers, like the ones here today, varied, but mostly included great furniture, meaningful objects, and art that speaks to the heart. There was a lot of talk about color and furniture arrangement. A variety of textures and furniture styles was mentioned. Money, while nice, was not the biggest concern, thankfully. Then, a well respected poster (Magnaverde) chimed in. Wow. That poster, a pro-decorator, said home and homeyness come from the host. If you like your place and you feel comfortable there, then anyone who comes in will feel the same. He (or she? Never knew) posted an art print of a party with people laughing and talking, sitting around on the floor or the arms of the furniture. It looked exactly like I'd like a party to look in my house. Sigh. The kind of place where people would feel free to kick off their shoes and stay into the wee hours talking. So....make yourself happy first. Whatever art speaks to you, whatever level of clean pleases you, and whatever colors make your heart sing...fill your home with those. Please yourself first and you'll always feel great. I start my decorating process by drooling over magazines. Then, figure out what you like best...colors, textures, style. If you gather enough pics, you begin to see a trend. I also like books by Alexandra Stoddard for inspiring words. For me, a welcoming home is tidy, but not too super clean (impossible for me anyway ;)) filled with colors from Tuscany. There has to be a few whimsical things, too. I'm fighting with my house right now, too. Time to fix a few problem areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandpsmommy Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 I vote for meaningful art. I couldn't afford to have prof. framed art, or art prints of artists that I love. So, I chose one artist and bought a book of his illustrations and then I cut up and framed them myself, in black frames with white mats. I chose about eight prints to frame, various sized, from small to about 12x16 and arranged them on my big wall that needed big art. All together they work as one larger piece and I love them. They are unique and somewhat obscure, but I love them. That's a great idea! I would love to try it. May I ask who the artist is that you chose? I can think of one or two whose art I could imagine using in my home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Stuff that represents you and your uniqueness, rather than a magazine idealisation....fabrics and colours that are "you", art that represents your tastes, items that mean something to you. My dh and I have always been 2nd hand buffs and our house is filled with interesting paraphernalia that represents our own tastes- from the Quan Yin life sized statue in the entrance, the huge Ganesha painting I picked up for $15, and various buddha statues, paintings done by me and some by my daughter, two kitchy type posters in the kitchen including one of a pig that my husband just likes, a huge handcarved statue of various African animals some African immigrants gave us when they went back to Africa, a shelf full of shells and another full of pretty blue bottles...a mismatch few comfy chairs in the living/schoolroom that each have special meaning for us...odds and ends of furniture that we like...a few photos....I guess it's pretty bohemian but we live in wealthy suburbia. We rent...we would be more radical if we owned a place. For starters I would make it a mini suburban farm (which we already virtually have with 2 dogs, 2 chickens, 3 rabbits, and I have jsut put in a vegie garden.) Smells are another thing....smells make a home homey...whether it's vanilla or whatever essences or incense you like...or just the smell of something on the stove or in the oven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Climbers on the outside of the house? There are clematis for many climates - clematis jackmanii/viticella rates H5 for hardiness (described as minimum temperature -20.6 to -23.3 C). My gardening in Scotland book also suggests the following for north-facing walls (about the harshest environment in Scotland): Cotoneaster Horizontalis, Pyracantha, Hedera (ivy - beware it doesn't take over), Parthenocissus, Hydrangea Petiolaris, Lonicera Japonica 'Halliana' (a form of honesuckle). Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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