Style Evolution

My style has really evolved over the years. I feel like I didn't really know what my style was when I got married.

I wanted to decorate with peach and sage. Those were my wedding colors. But our first home was all over the place, decoratively speaking. I had purple things in the bathroom. Blue was in our bedroom. I don't even remember what we had going on in the living room. I think it was peach and sage. We had WHITE furniture. That didn't go over well.
Here's a glimpse. Sorry, they are poor quality because I took a photo of the picture.
I put up that floral border and had a comforter to match!

Here is a couple of shots of my living room, sage curtains and all.

The basketball hoop was an added touch!

By this time I had been collecting magazines and ripping out decorating schemes that I really liked. I decided I wanted to redo the kitchen and dining room. I put up bead board paneling and painted the wall above it dark red. I also painted all the cabinets white.

 (Nice chin, Ang!)

I had every color of the rainbow, almost.

When we moved in 2006, I started to narrow it down a bit more. I found a Martha Stewart paint chip sample card I liked and ran away with it. We did a lot of renovations. Here we are putting down new flooring. Oh, Macy.

I completely changed directions when we moved to our present house.

And I've discovered a few things about myself.

- I like very light and bright spaces. White is a good reflector of light. Hence the reason I painted all trim and walls white.
- I try to like pops of bright color, but it doesn't work for me. Which is why I had to sell this little number.

- I still love chippy, aged things. Rustic and reclaimed pieces are my favorite.
- I love to mix in wood tones. With wood floors, I can't get away from it, not that I'd want to.
- I'm picky about how furniture looks but it also has to be comfortable.
- I love antique brass hardware. As luck would have it, that is what our house had. I'm so glad I kept them!
- I mainly stick with blue and green accents. I've also mixed in gray, black and brown.
- I prefer re-worked or handmade art to mass produced things.
- I love high contrast.
- And I still love bead board anything.

I am still learning new things about my style all the time. I also think that style evolves, with the changing trends. I've learned you don't have to be locked into one thing for a long period of time. That is why I try to stay neutral with more expensive items and spend very little on accents. I like a little more serious style than some. The colorful, cute stuff is nice, but I'm not attracted to it.

Here are some things that inspire me.

For me, it is all about finding pieces you love. Things you are attracted to. That is what I have been doing lately. And maybe that is only a good idea if you have a handle on what your style is about. I believe I am closer than I have ever been to that. If I had to name it I wouldn't even know what to call it. What do you think it should be called?