Hello friends! We’ve now survived over a month of the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order in Michigan. Each week is filled with new challenges we never imagined. Some days go by quickly, and others require numerous snacks and a nap to get through. We’re all undoubtedly going to go through some emotional ups and downs as we navigate this all new experience, and we’ll have to give ourselves a little grace along the way.
TIME FOR A LITTLE DECOR MAKEOVER
We’ve heard from many of you that getting through this “stay home” time includes some DIY projects around the house. There’s nothing better to lift your spirits and help you enjoy being home like completing a little room refresh. Sometimes it’s just pulling together some new accessories to freshen a corner of your room, or maybe transplanting a piece of furniture from one space to another. Maybe you’ve had a barn find in your garage that’s been waiting for a fresh coat of paint. Whatever it is for you, now is the perfect time to give your home a little attention and enjoy a little DIY room makeover!
We recently redecorated a section of the store for an episode of our weekly LIVE with Jay & Barbara broadcast on Facebook. It was a fun challenge to decorate our “wall of doors” with items from our website and mixing in some other things we found around the store. Throughout the broadcast we shared ideas and tips for decorating, and thought we’d share some of the results.
WHERE TO BEGIN
I was first inspired by a set of bird prints that one of our vendors, Bonnie, had brought into the store. I often start with some sort of inspiration when I begin a new design project, and these prints were perfect. I loved the vintage nature, the green color of the frames and the soft colors in the images, lightly faded over time. Birds are definitely something Barbara and I have always been drawn to and we know many of you love them as well. I liked how the green color of the frames spoke with the green chippy paint on the reclaimed door at the top of the wall. This would be a perfect inspiration to build upon and pull everything together.
Next, I moved a vintage bookcase over to the wall. It has recently been painted with a fresh coat of white paint and lightly distressed. A perfect bookcase! I thought it would go perfectly with the large enamel clock already hanging on the wall. Now and then we do this same thing at home. We may have a piece of furniture in another room that isn’t quite living up to it’s full potential and would work better in new space. We like the piece, but we’ll like it and use it a whole lot more in a different location.
This particular bookcase has adjustable shelves, which allowed me to space some for taller items and others for shorter stacks of books. The variety makes the whole thing more interesting. I collected all the green and cream books I could find and began decorating. I grabbed some other fun items that went along with the birds, green and cream theme I had started to see unfold. Of course, I was at a store filled with fun décor, but you can do the same at home. Look around the house and find some things that could be used to make this new project great. Sometimes moving favorite things into a new location helps you enjoy them all over again. Add in some new finds, and then pull it all together in a fresh way.
The thing I love most about this bookcase makeover is how it’s not just rows of books, but a collection of things that tell a story. The bird theme was carried throughout with some books about birds, a clock with birds on top, and a few bird figures thrown in here and there. To make it feel fresh for Spring we tied in some plants and botanical books to go with the bird theme and green color. We added some boxes to store small things, and incorporated a few family photos. The theme can change to include your favorite things, and maybe some seasonal edits to freshen it up all year long.
INTENDED TO INSPIRE
Now, certainly this merchandised wall space would be a little too busy and full for most homes, but the individual elements can be spread throughout an entire room to make it fabulous. Think of the wall as an inspiration board. Instead of having all the bird items in one place, sprinkle them here and there throughout your room. Add some new green throw pillows to tie in a sofa or chair. Something as simple as adding a scarf printed with birds that was borrowed from your dresser drawer to a hook on the wall adds color and interest. Bring in some real of faux plants to make a room feel inviting. Hang a collection of botanical prints on an adjacent wall to carry the theme around the room. Maybe a short stack of two or three green books under a table lamp or on a sofa table, and a beautiful photo book of colorful birds or plants on your coffee table can help pull everything together.
MAKE IT FUN!
Most of all, have fun with your DIY projects. We find our favorite spaces include items collected over the years, so don’t feel like have to be finished all at one time. Adding a few things now and then can help to make everything feel fresh and new again. Sometimes just adding one little market find to a bookcase can make you smile and warm your heart inside — A reminder of a fun day shopping with friends or a memory from a special family trip!