Chris and I go to Home Depot every weekend now. Literally, every single weekend. If we’re feeling crazy we’ll stop at Lowes after. We’ll say things like, “man, that’s a nice washer.” Or, “check out that backsplash,” and, “I’d kill to have that fridge!” Or our favorite, “Let’s get wild and buy a Nest for the house.”
A Nest. What luxury! If you don’t know what that is, well get with it already!
*To be honest I’m not exactly sure what it is either, but it looks very fancy in the store and there’s always people gathered around the product.
We say these things as we walk around the store carrying our coffee tumblers WE BROUGHT from home. I know. Who are we? New home owners, that’s who.
We’ve really embraced this new role and are suddenly obsessed with making our house exactly as we want it. I’ve always cared about having a nice home, but not to this extent.
I used to browse the aisles at Tj Maxx and buy whatever I found for under $20, bring it home, and slap it on the wall.
“Does that really go with our style?” Chris would ask. (He’s very picky.)
“It does now,” I’d say.
Because I didn’t quite know our style. But if I had to guess I’d call it hodge-podge. We had a mix of hand-me-downs from my parents, Chris’s parents, some new pieces, and a lot of items I found on sale at Target, Tj, or HomeGoods that really had no business going together. But I didn’t care, because they were ON SALE!
I still shop at all of the above stores, the only difference is that now I shop there with intention, seeking out specific items, rather than buying any shiny object that caught my eye.
I’ve also had to force myself to break my urge to be lazy and just “call it good” even if it didn’t in fact look good. For example: I have redone the wall in our living room SIX times. Do you know how annoying that is? Very. Old-me would have said screw it after try #2 and just let it be. New-me won’t settle until I love it.
And so I keep looking, hanging, rearranging, and re-hanging. As I said before, it’s extremely annoying. Home decor isn’t something that comes easy for me, I know when something doesn’t look right, but I have no idea why… Thus it’s all about trial and error.
We bought and returned three different area rugs until we found the one that fit just right.
We’ve had four duvet covers. Two bedroom rugs. Three different armchairs in the living room. Two kitchen tables. The list goes on and on.
It’s a pain in the ass, but once you find the piece that fits, it’s totally worth it. That said, below is a list of my some of my favorite stores as of late. We mix a few high end pieces (like the Hemming swivel chair next to Harlow) with more affordable pieces.
That chair was a total splurge for me, but it was well worth it. The quality is great and I know we’ll have it forever. *Or until Harlow realizes how cozy it is…
Stores I Love:
*West Elm (swivel chair)
*Cb2 (stainless steel kitchen island.)
*Crate & Barrel (a lot of our kitchen pieces)
*Minted (this photo.)
*Homegoods (odds and ends)
*Tj Maxx (fur rugs… lol)
*Hayneedle (kitchen and outdoor… their outdoor decor is UNREAL.)
*Overstock (area rug you see above!)
*Art.Com
Lord help me, I spend all my weekends at Lowes & Home Depot too! I like to stalk the Joss & Main website for decor ideas, that I then try to replicate with things at Homegoods 🙂
Love all of your decor! I am basically in the same "new homeowner-decor obsession" boat. It's an expensive coat, tbh. However, I have found some pretty cool items on Zulily.com. Seems like a kid site, but the home section has some gems. Hautelook.com can also surprise you from time to time! Happy hunting!
Is that rug hard to vacuum? Where are the frames from in your dining nook? Your place is coming together beautifully!
yes 🙂 we bought a new vacuum… they are from overstrock!
I feel the same way about our house..I'm even hesitant to put nails in the wall now because I'm like..WAIT WAIT! WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND?!
I don't know about you, but I think your home looks really good for what it is! I love the little round mirror!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I am so awful at decorating. At least you try. I pretty much just say "I don't know what to put there. Everything is expensive. Oh well, it looks fine blank anyway." And so half of our rooms like as if we're renting them. Eventually I guess? However we DO have a Nest so #winning. It means you can change your thermostat from your phone, and it does cool things like learn when you're out of the house at work and can regulate temps that way (unhelpful if you work from home). It also means your husband can regulate your love of air conditioning from work 24/7. SO FUN!
https://hotmesscoolday.wordpress.com
Warning: Nest Products become addicting. You start with the thermostat–thinkin' "man this is a cool gadget!" Next thing you know, you're donating a kidney to replace every smoke detector in your house with the Nest brand detector ("but honey–its SO worth it.") Up next, the outdoor camera and while we're at it, lets replace all the locks on our doors with Nest locks because physical keys for a lock is so 1990s! #ImaNester
Me careful with the Nest thermostat. I learned that hard way that it is not entirely compatable with all heating systems, especially older models. There is some additional wire that needs to be hooked up to regulate it, but nest doesn't make that clear. My nest burned out my heating system by running non-stop while I was at work one day. It was 98 degress in my house when I got home and I had to pay a repair man $900+ to fix my heating system as a result.
I'm so impressed that you guys are all unpacked and decorated. WE moved into our new house six weeks ago and have only set up the kitchen, bedroom, and tv room (the necessaries.) I am too scared to buy big pieces of furniture or rugs in case I hate how they look!
I love that kitchen server! I have the smallest kitchen so those things are on my dream list.
Alyssa | feathers and stripes
I really love your space especially the record player space – so cute. You've done a great job decorating, girlie. 🙂
I love your decorating style, it most definitely does not look hodge podge! You know someone has great style when it isn't your style but you find yourself thinking that maybe it should be because it look so good! I'm glad you guys are enjoying all the perks of your new home!
Check your homeowners insurance: we got a free Nest smoke alarm and a discount for having it.
Then we got the camera.
Now we're looking if the thermostat is compatible with our house.
Then we're getting a backyard camera.
Our 100 yr-old house is becoming tech-savvy.
I get my prints at http://www.society6.com – very affordable!
Wonderful photos that made me smile for that I thank you.Harlow always look distinguished
Your home is beautiful! I seriously love your decorating style. Want to come do my place? Haha. I really like the turntable and all your prints.