patience + persistence.

When we moved in our new apartment in early July, I was beyond excited to decorate a new place. I started a Pinterest board and I began daily visits to One Kings Lane. By mid-July, we'd spent what felt like a small fortune on furniture. For us, these pieces of furniture were investments in our current happiness--and future forever home. Even amidst the excitement of furniture deliveries, I managed to get entirely overwhelmed with the prospect of 'styling' our little home.


inspiration found here {from top}:
Jenny Wolf Interiors   |   Lonny
Style Me Pretty Living   |   The Glitter Guide
Oh Joy!
Jess Lively   |   Design*Sponge   |   Lonny

I discovered the best plan to battle this frustration/anxiety/general craziness wasn't running out and buying everything. Many of you had said that creating a "home" takes time, but I wanted to feel settled right away. I discovered that the little things add up quickly. Coffee table books are surprisingly expensive. {Am I right?} By the end of July, I made an important decision: we weren't going to live in one of those style masterpieces you see on Pinterest. It's too much work for me. Does that mean I won't create some fun little stacks of books we love? NO. It just means that I need to stop striving for something that someone else created and trust my gut!

{cv} and I are slowly but surely making the most out of our new little place. One big antique find {which I can't wait to share with you!} served as an anchor for our main living space. We stuck with comfortable colors which could translate well into our future home. We picked up a few trendier pieces, but we tempered them with a few traditional ones. Am I still finding inspiration on Pinterest? You bet. I just keep reminding myself that our 'styled home' will represent us--and no one else.

I love the blogosphere and Pinterest as much as the next person, but I strongly believe these worlds have created unreasonable expectations for what our homes should look like. I may be on my own island on that idea, but I doubt I am. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that topic--and on any fun websites you've found to help you add those finishing touches to your place. I'm standing by my new recipe that patience plus persistence equals success! xoxo {av}

18 comments:

  1. Ugh! I totally feel ya on the stress of this! Love your perspective!

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  2. Couldn't agree with this post more!!! We're going through the exact same woes now. I have a big picture in my head, but my budget and my time just doesn't allow right away. ; )

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  3. i totally agree. I am Pinning and reading blogs of this perfection and it's really not real...I have to remind myself that A) these are staged photo shoots and B) imperfections make a home yours! :)

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  5. I broke my studio down into sections: kitchen, sitting area, bedroom. I keep a Word doc with my ideas of how to decorate each space & prioritize the less expensive decor pieces that go a long way.

    - Lauren Anne
    dcgirlinpearls.com

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  6. Oh how we all can relate! We moved into a new home in November, and I feel like it's still so bare and a lot of decorating needs to take place. I also have a file with inspirations for my different rooms, and I know in time I'll get there. I'm also terrible at making decisions, so it takes me a while to make a final choice on any purchase, which probably helps me take things slowly. I'm looking forward to seeing that new purchase for your living space!!

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  7. Amen to this! I felt the same way when we moved into our home almost a year ago. The pressure was intense, and the more time I spent on Pinterest, the more anxious I felt. And that was totally my fault, because I couldn't reconscile making a designed space on our budget. But with time, patience, and faithfulness to our budget, we feel quite settled. We still have a long way to go, trust, but the little details are what will make it feel lived in and personal, as you said.

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  8. Couldn't agree more with this! My fiancé and I just bought a home together and I'm overwhelmed with how much work we must put into it for it to feel like a home. This is a good reminder to take things slow in the decorating process. Thanks for this! xo

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  9. Ugh totally agree, especially with decorating and wedding planning. It's so frustrating! I heard the term "out-Pinterest" the other day referring to wedding planning and it just made me sad. It can totally be related to decorating or even party planning.

    For example, a potential florist even told me that my floral inspiration and budget do not match and to stop looking at Pinterest. Needless to say I did not hire them, but still. As lovely as Pinterest and blogs are, it creates high expectations and some anxiety! Sometimes I feel like if my wedding isn't Pinterest-worthy then it's not good enough. So silly! It's us and that's all that matters! haha {end rant} :)

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  10. I couldn't agree with you more. As much as I like looking at photos of perfectly designed homes, that just isn't practical. For me, the most important thing is that my home is livable. I want it to be comfortable and cozy and pretty and practical. I think there is definitely a way to reconcile it all.

    And I completely agree with the part about it taking time. I was very intentional about furnishing my living room (when I redid it last year). I'm STILL getting things, not because I'm hunting for the perfect piece, but because I only buy something if I absolutely love it. It makes our space so much more special, and it usually catches me surprise! I can't wait to see what you do with your new space, and I know that if anything, it'll be just perfect for you ;)

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  11. Totally agree! I mean, we've been in our house for four years and it's still not the way I want it, but unless you're a bajillionaire, you can't go out and get everything at once. It definitely takes time....and A LOT of patience and persistence. xoxo

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  12. I agree! When I was looking for a house to buy, my pinterest boards were burning a hole in my pocket, making me very impatient. Once I bought my house and made all the decisions I had to make, I just shut pinterest off. Don't forget: of those perfect houses you see in magazines were first decorated by a professional, then styled by a magazine stylist.

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  13. I completely understand what you're going through. I like so many things when I go house shopping, but I have to remind myself to wait for those really special pieces that I know I can't live without. It's also really important to me that my husband likes the things I buy for the house because, you are right, our home should be a reflection of us. Can't wait to see that antique piece in your living room!! I love antiques!

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  14. I totally agree! It's been a year since I moved into my first big girl adult apartment and I have yet to take pictures of it for friends, family & my blog because I feel like it's not PERFECT yet. But I'm slowly realizing my home will never be PERFECT, Pinterest has skewed my perceptions! I think this weekend once I clean up a bit I'll finally just commit and take pictures! :)


    <3
    carelessly graceful

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  15. Oh how Pinterest can totally be the Devil sometimes (same with wedding planning!!) - take your time & enjoy the in-between bits as well! Looking forward to hearing more about your process :)

    xx
    Here&Now

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  16. just stay true to yourself and what you and chris like! you two will be living there..not anyone else :) and im sure it WILL be beautiful :) xo jillian - cornflake dreams

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  17. you are absolutely not alone in that idea! I moved into a new apartment 6 months ago and only stopped stressing out about styling it (when did we stop decorating our homes and start styling them?) when I accepted that professionally curated rooms on Pinterest were unattainable. now I look at the images I like and I pull out one aspect and focus on recreating that, rather than the whole curated look. it;s much easier and more practical - and it makes my apartment more me!

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  18. Such a great post - going through these exact feelings now!

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