Everything Has A Story

"Your home should tell a story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love." Nate Berkus

The guest room in the condo has been a work in progress for quite some time.....5 years to be exact.....and I finally feel like it's nearly finished.  Since pulling it together is where a good chunk of my creative energy has gone in the past couple of weeks....I thought a tour was in order.  You can choose to come along....or not...I'll never know.

I'm starting with an after...and a before....then talk about some of the pieces and parts. You know me....everything has a story.

This is the after.  It's cozy and tidy....all ready for Paul's sister Liz, who arrives on Wednesday.  

.....and this is the before.  Sad, and anything but inviting. I love the window quilts we inherited...but the rollers are ugly...and it's the first thing you see when you enter the room.

I am not proud....but this was my little secret.  Or at least one of them. The room  had become a dumping spot....and I could just close the door and no one would know.  Except Paul, who always knew when company was coming because the company guest bath is right outside the door...and this door had to be closed.

The only reason we went in was for the printer...and that was often tricky.  My ultimate goal was for it to be an office as well as a guest room....and now that it's cleaned up that might actually happen

This is the view from the bed....see my feet?  I've had this white shelf in 4 houses....but hadn't found a spot for it here yet. I loved it in my breakfast room in Lexington! You can see that here....and now it has a new home here in the guest room.  It's perfect to anchor the space above the desk...and gave me a framework for this collage wall of miscellaneous art which has been collected over time....and I still love.  It's kind of a hodge podge....but I think it's happy....and somehow it works.  Of course I auditioned about 20 different pieces in many configurations....that's how I made it work.  I can actually see myself using this desk space now.

Every single piece here has some sort of a story about who it came from or who is the artist.  I will point out the piece in the middle was done by my niece Clarke when she was little of our house on Woodmont Street in Portland.  I've always loved it and I loved that house.  The piece next to that is a whimsical circle piece by Lynn that you will see is a nod to the window valance. Adam made the stars and they are in an olive jar I got from Patsy. I could go on and on. Yes...my home is a collection of stories....and things I love that bring me joy.

This room gets great morning light....and in person it feels bright and cheery.  But it has never photographed well....so either you're going to have to take my word for it...or come for a visit.  

I had a quilt wall hanging over the bed that I've used as a headboard of sorts for a VERY long time...and I gave myself permission to just let it go.  And it gave me a spot for this Wisconsin farm print....it means more to me than the quilt...and is a nod to my roots.  It could be any rural country road where I grew up.

The valance is made from the same fabric I used in the living and dining rooms.

There was just barely enough and I was pleased I was able to match up the circles in the side panels.  Phew!  The colors work well in the room.  I bought this upholstery fabric a long time ago because I loved it and at the time had no plan. But I've used almost every inch of it in this condo.

See what I mean about Lynn's piece working with the valance?

I do love this little moment on the bookshelf.  I did the cross stitch years ago...and the little assortment of pitchers and things are from various friends and family and all reference something in the cross stitch. The little blue and white checked pitcher is from a shopping trip with Anita and Linda....we had a blast! And the little porcelain pansies are from Jane.  I love pulling little moments like this together....and all I had to do was shop the house.

This little corner along the desk makes me happy.  The jar lamp filled with seaglass is from Jane....and I made the polka dotted lampshade to go with it years ago. Even the green fabric has a story....but I'll spare you the details.  And the two original painting are a match made in heaven.

The top seaside watercolor was done by Lynn, and the bottom country path acrylic was done my my Aunt Beverly....both artists I admire.

This amazing peony is a colored pencil piece done by Meryl...another artist I admire. It has always hung in our guest rooms....so it's fitting it landed here.  

I had to chuckle when I looked back exactly a year ago when Liz came.  The guest room was in the sam huge mess....and I cleaned it up for her.  I didn't finish the decorating...but it was tidy and comfortable.  Some stories don't change. But this time....I'm going to make a real effort to keep the room tidy.  

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