What's Inspiring Me Lately... (Part 2)

It’s been really intriguing to think about what inspires me in my day to day life. (Like I said last time... Inspire means to “fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” Anything in life can breathe inspiration but we lean towards different sources of inspiration based on who we are.

Last time I wrote about how books inspire me and today I’m writing about home decor. For our first 5 years of marriage, we lived in a basement suite. It wasn’t always ideal but it was just the two of us and we really didn’t need much more space. For the past 2 months we’ve been living in our first home ever! It’s still a rental... but it’s been a total blast. We even have a yard!

I like to keep things simple when it comes to decor. My biggest inspiration decoratively is my mom. I’d describe her style as sophisticated yet homey and simple. Her style has changed as the times have changed but our home growing up was uncluttered and always decorated in a lovely way...with thought and attention given to each piece.

If I had unlimited funds there are MANY things I would do with the house we’re in right now. But since we don’t have unlimited funds and we’re here short term, we’ve worked with what we have. I love to go to home stores (I even just like looking at the home section in Walmart or Target!) and I’m always interested in home decorating magazines. I also have to be careful, though, that I don’t allow myself to get jealous or to compare my home to anyone else’s. Sometimes what we have is good enough for now and it’s exciting to dream about future decorating endeavors.

If someone asked you to describe your decorating style, what would you say? If I had to choose three words to describe my own I would say simple, cozy, and beachy. J We used to live in BC and I’ve always been inspired by the ocean... the sound of the waves, the smell of the fresh salty air, the feel of the cool sand on my bare feet, the taste of ice cream on a hot day.I miss the beach! So I decided to bring a little bit of a beach feel into our home. We have brown furniture and the accent colours are white and blue. I love white and blue together so much that I can’t imagine another colour scheme I will love more but I’m sure I’ll be ready for a change some day.

For me it is important to create a living space that feels uncluttered and fresh. I don’t want to feel stifled. When things are (somewhat) clean and organized, I feel more inspired. It gives me space to focus on things other than thinking about what needs to get done around the house. Of course, things get messy every day...especially now that we have a baby! Laundry piles up, dishes go unwashed, bathrooms need cleaning constantly... but I’m learning to find a rhythm. I don’t clean for the sake of cleaning but because, when we have a home that is tidy, I feel more relaxed. It gives us space to be still and quiet or to have a meal together and enjoy company. My motivation to have a beautiful home is not so that other people can admire my decorating style or be in awe of my cleaning skills. (haha J) But I’m learning that it’s important to have beautiful spaces in our lives because beautiful, inviting spaces allow us to live life in a more beautiful and inviting way.

What home decor inspires you and how would you describe your decorating style? If you could choose ONE decor piece to bring into your living space that would breathe inspiration into your life...what would that be?

(One book I’d love to read is “The Nesting Place: It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful” by Myquillin Smith. I've have heard so many good things about it and it totally relates to what we’re chatting about today!)