How I Found My Style Sundays

Hi there!  I'm Kristen from over at Sophia's and I'm excited and flattered to help Pamela kick off her new blog series featuring fellow bloggers and how they found their decorating styles...and don't you just love her style?!  Her home and furniture makeovers are so beautiful!

My decorating style is always evolving because there are always so many beautiful "looks" out there and since I decorate mostly with vintage finds and re-habbed furniture, I have the flexibility to change things around quite a bit.  I think the best term for my style is "vintage chic",  which I interpret as mixing those flea market finds with new items to add a touch of modern.  I'm very much drawn to casual, cottage, farmhouse, European, and even traditional elements.  I really appreciate all types of design...  My favorite rooms usually include a some sort of vintage element that add so much personality to a space.

It's pretty easy for me to pinpoint how I've found my decorating style over the years.  I had the wonderful opportunity to grow up on a dairy farm filled with old barns and buildings full of "treasures" that my older brothers and I would incorporate into forts that we made all over the farm.  My barn-pickin' passion started young!  To this day, one of my favorite things to do is hit the flea market or go junkin'.  I love to find that next project and to give those neglected items a new life in unexpected way.  

Finding my style was also directly tied to the decision to leave my career and stay home with my children. I've always wanted my homes to be comfortable and inviting, but with no real decorating budget, I found that using vintage finds and using a little elbow grease to transform furniture castoffs that it's possible to get the style you want without breaking the bank.  I usually spend just a few hundred dollars for everything in a room instead of thousands if I were to just buy everything retail.  

Directly related to decorating my home with vintage finds, I find myself falling in love with certain items I come across when I'm antiquing, and before I know it, I've got another collection on my hands!

From vintage porcelain glove molds, a powder room full of antique mirrors, pretty china, typewriters, birds nests and trophy cups...

...I love to decorate with collections.  My most treasured find and favorite collection for my home is definitely all of my vintage alarm clocks...

I found most of them at one time and I've been steadily adding to them over the last couple of years.  It's rare that I see a reasonably priced clock and don't bring it home with me!  I just love all the different faces and working or not, they always remind me of how precious time really is...

To help contain collections and keep your home from looking like an antique shop, I found that grouping them provides a much bigger impact and can really set the tone and personality for a room.  

Another decorating trick I've discovered to get that cozy, comfortable, and lived-in look is to layer, layer, layer.  I want my family and guests to be comfortable in our home! From layered window treatments with woven shades and lush curtain panels to warm rugs underfoot, these elements really help a room feel polished as well as homey. Add soft pillows, throws, and have plenty of seating...

But most of all, I believe the trick to creating a beautiful home is not to be afraid to decorate with what you love! If there is something you come across shopping, thrifting, or picking that really speaks to you, incorporate it even if it's not what you see in all the decorating books and magazines! I love walking into other homes that really conveys a homeowner's personality. Just remember, it's ultimately your home and it should reflect what you and your family are passionate about!

Thanks again Pamela for letting me share my decorating style and tips and tricks with your readers!  
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Thank you Kristin for kicking of my new series! Be sure to grab the "I've Been Featured" button!

See  y'all back here next Sunday!

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Write by: AN - Sunday, January 20, 2013