Reemergence by the Room

If my sewing studio is "my little girl's" room...


...then our library is "my little boy's" room.




In fact, each room in the house tells a story of a different expression of myself.

The living room was about nervously shutting my eyes and taking a deep breath and splashing the walls with a bold burnt orange. Scott was traveling, and it was the first big house project I'd undertaken myself, with the help of three good girlfriends. It was also my first foray into Color; in every house before this we were concerned about resale value, so the walls were bland and neutral (if that's not a metaphor...!).

About this time I joined Southern Living At HOME, and found that far from being decorating challenged, I could envision and install accessories in the house. Not only that, but I could change my mind and move them around!

Next I became experimental, using the bedroom closet to try on even bolder colors and faux finish techniques. Here I learned that if I made a decision and stuck with it, even Scott would support (and begrudgingly admire) me. I used the same stippling technique in the dining room to add "brass mesh" (a mustard gold) over the pale yellow I'd put there before. In this room I also discovered perseverence and physical limits; because of my lymphedema and tendonitis, I could only work a two-hour patch at a time. It took me six weeks to finish, and you can read the story of my improving technique in the pattern of paint as it changes across the room!

I'd been waiting four years to design a room around a favorite quilt, and we did that in our master bedroom. Curiously, both of us agreed on olive green for the walls, which was strange in that it was a last-minute inspiration (thanks to my friend Gabby) and had not been among the colors we considered for weeks beforehand. My intention was a romantic retreat, and (except for persistent piles of laundry) we accomplished that with Klimt's "The Kiss" and candle sconces on the walls, and beautiful furniture (not the "assembly required" kind!) which--amazingly--we both suddenly agreed on after a long search. So I guess that room was about our coming together... how appropriate.

My sewing studio I covered in lime green paint and filled with tulip-sprinkled curtains hung from honey-bee hooks, pink polka-dotted ruffles and all the things I disdained as a little girl, most of which I made myself! I struggled with making it so different from the rest of the house, but am glad I did. I refused to let Scott re-hang the old vertical blinds and it's the brightest, sunniest and happiest room in the house. The window faces east and I like to sit there in the mornings. I call it "my little girl's" room.

Which brings us to the presnt day, and our library/office. In our last three houses this room was to have had a celestial/space theme, but we always carried it out in a very adult and reserved way. This time it's full-on fun! Scott and I made a good team, compromising on color, furniture layout, and most of all de-cluttering. Since our move to this 1300 square foot box we've had to sort and discard little pieces of our lives, but it was half-hearted compared to the purge we gave this room. More than a sense of loss, I feel relief and some power in finally getting control.

So this morning I'm sitting curled up in the antique platform rocker, gazing at the ships suspended from the ceiling, and realizing that this is "my little boy's" room; and how after four years, I finally live in a space that can change and grow and reflect me, and not some model home or college apartment!