I am Marty from A Stroll Thru Life and I am so honored that Pamela asked me to share how I found my style. After retiring and downsizing to a home half the size of my previous one, the challenge was to pick and choose pieces that would fit, and then make them work. My style is a mix of Traditional and Farmhouse, with a touch of glitz and luxurious fabrics next to old scales, antique tins and aged leather.
Walls, carpet and tile in shades of cream and beige are a great neutral background that creates the illusion of space. I love fabric and have used color and pattern to add interest to my rooms. Give me a few yards of fabric and my sewing machine and I can change the entire look of a room in no time and I often do.Thrifted sofa, end tables and chairs form the basis of my living room and work well with pieces I've had for years.
Our home was your typical builder basic bland, and the kitchen was the worst. Light maple cabinets, white walls, beige formica counters with white appliances, white sink and faucet and you were almost blinded when you walked in. The first thing I did immediately after moving in was to paint the walls Ralph Lauren Soul Chocolate. This toned down some of the white and glare.
Shortly after that I was given a remnant piece of granite large enough for the island, so a mini remodel was underway. You can read here how I waxed the cabinets for a darker color, added hardware, new sink, faucet and corbels to give the kitchen a completely new identity on a very small budget.
The kitchen is connected to the familyroom and breakfast area, and is where we spend most of our time. This is a bright and cheery area with lots of windows and open to the patio and backyard. This room has gone through a ton of changes, mostly trying to find furniture that is scaled down in proportion to the size of the room. We now have a mix of goodwill and thrift store finds combined with hand me downs and pieces I've had forever.
My most recent DIY project was to completely redo our Master Bedroom. It started with finding the headboard at a thrift store for $75 and painting and distressing it to create the focal point that I was envisioning. Then a goodwill nightstand and thrift store dresser that I found and refinished were the perfect additions. Mix in a small settee I already had, add some thrifted pictures and accessories and we had a whole new room.
I think my style mainly comes from accessories. They are the character of any room and I love to change them constantly. It is so fun to find a treasure at Goodwill or a Thrift store, and create a whole new vignette. Any surface is fair game and I use them all. A vignette tells the story of your personality and makes your home "you". I host a weekly linky party called Table Top Tuesday, this is where I show off all my latest vignettes and I get to see yours too. I hope you will join us each week, I am always inspired by your creativity.
My advice is to be true to yourself with your style and your color. If it makes you happy every time you see it, then it is perfect and a total refelction of you, and that is always the perfect style.
Thanks for taking the tour of my home, this has been a real treat for me. I hope you will visit me a
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| Thank you so much Marty for sharing your home with us! I have been following along with you for so many years and have loved watching you transform your home! |
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AN - Sunday, April 7, 2013
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