One of the huge decorating styles in the 2000’s was the Tuscan look. It was the backlash against all the coldness of the decorating in the 1990’s. People wanted a "warm" home. People who couldn’t find Tuscany on a map, suddenly had to have the look. This ended up looking a lot like an Italian restaurant & here is why:
1. Color wash. I think there is nothing prettier than a yellow color wash. When done correctly. A lot of these faux finishes just ended up looking a lot like water damage.
2. Token Tuscan prints. There was no other way to go. Even though it felt like a dentist’s office.
3. Return of the accessory. This style of decorating has tons of tassels, beads, & architectural elements sitting on tables surrounded by a whole bunch of objects that have no point. It could be a living room or it could be a Tuscan craft show, & no one is telling you which one.
4. Faux terra cotta tiles, who needs the real thing? These were even often spotted of the stick on tile variety.
I think this is the room that people will classify as the quintessential look of the 2000’s.
I think one of the easiest ways to update a room is to change out the lighting. I always hate to see brand new furniture next to an oversized, dusty table lamp from forty years ago. I love to change out accessories because it is such an inexpensive way to add a new theme or feeling to a room. I can’t change out the furniture whenever I want, but I can update the accessories to make a room feel more current. I was recently in a national store, you know the kind that sells everything, & I was shocked at how much money they were asking for just a cheap looking lamp, then I understood why people seem to hang onto their lamps for so long. It can be very expensive & frustrating to find a table lamp if you don’t know where to shop. I saw a beautiful Quoizel Lamp at Barnes & Wagner Fine Lighting & was very surprised to see the price for the amazing quality lamps, as well as all of the selection of every kind of lamp, sconce, & light you could possibly need. It makes shopping for lamps a much easier experience.
Just last week I was wondering if we could still go sledding. Saturday was a momentous day though because we got to hang up the hammock swings. They say in Utah if you don’t like the weather wait 5 minutes. I love the hammock swings, everyone always fights over them, even the adults because they are so comfortable & so much fun. I’m so happy they are finally up, it’s like finally saying ‘Ha winter, I win yet again, take that!’. I think every patio garden should have at least one.
Note: That is not me in the picture. I couldn’t take a picture of our hammock swings because while I insist it is Spring, the yard is still a barren wasteland. Although, I wish I had a yellow house & I applaud the model for looking photogenic while sitting in a hammock swing.
Honestly, purple is my least favorite color. I hardly ever use it in decorating. I don’t’ know why, it just always has been. It’s just sooo…. purple. I know, I know, I’m a wordsmith. However, I have found out some things that make me like purple a whole lot more. Purple is a color often associated with royalty. There is a very famous poem about purple that goes like this:
When I am Old
I will wear Purple!
When I am an old woman,
I shall wear purple - -
With a red hat which doesn’t go,
and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves and satin sandles,
And say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
and gobble up samples in shops
and press alarm bells
and run with my stick along public railings,
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick flowers in other people’s gardens
and learn to spit!
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at ago,
or only bread and pickles for a week,
and hoard pens and pencils
and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
and pay our rent
and not swear in the street,
and set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner
and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised
when suddenly I am old,
And start to wear purple!
–Jenny Joseph
Purple is across the color wheel from yellow, which means these colors will compliment each other nicely. I especially love the idea of using purple for a little girl’s room instead of pink. I think one of the most beautiful bouquets of flowers I have ever seen was made up entirely of deep purple irises. Even purple has it’s beauty. How do you use purple in decorating?
