Wall Design Love

I love to redecorate. If you come to my house, it’s quite probable that the next time you come, furniture will be moved around, a room will be repainted, or some new accessory will be showcased on a couch or a shelf.

My hobbies in redesign began when I was very young. I mean, really young. And I have a bright pink Barbie house to thank for that!

Playing Barbies was one of my favorite past times and my favorite collection of toys. It’s not that I was interested in their unrealistic figures, keen fashions, or teeny tiny feet, but that Barbie could be anybody she wanted to be! I loved that kind of thinking as a kid. I enjoyed Barbie being an anthropologist, a teacher, a mom, or an astronaut. She was not limited by anything except my own imagination.

The only thing I loved more than playing Barbies was “setting up” their houses and various play areas. Looking back, I set-up to play Barbies for longer than I actually played Barbies. My love for design and redesign really started back then.

This love transitioned into bigger spaces once I was older and strong enough to move my own furniture around my bedroom. Once I got older I’d give my mom advice on room layouts and assist with furniture purchases for our house. I loved that she trusted my eye to make decisions for our home. Thanks Mom!!

When I was away at college (The University of Iowa-Go Hawks!) I fell in love with a little TLC show called Trading Spaces. My roomies and I watched it religiously! We loved the totally unrealistic idea of redoing a room in 48 hours!

Over the years, Trading Spaces faded away, but my love for interior design stayed strong. Lucky for me, my hubby doesn’t mind my love for all things design and my obsession with HGTV. That means that he also doesn’t mind when I say, “I have an idea…”. He usually knows that means that I have the restyle bug.

Now, as adults with a family home, three kids, a dog, and a fish (yes, fishies count, too) our budget is a little small for my “ideas”. I find myself plagued by a love for design with a teeny-tiny budget, much like Barbie’s feet! Which is why I often resort to redesigning my rooms and trying out a new layout instead of buying new stuff!

Last week, I was ready for new wall art. But I felt stuck and needed a little help. When I get stuck in design, there is only one person to call~my friend, neighbor, and fellow redesign extraordinaire, A!

The two of us are pretty unstoppable when we talk design and decor. And the way we bounce ideas around is one of my favorite ways to spend a few hours! We have similar design interests and style. One of the reasons we mesh so well is that we both see potential in the ideas we throw around. So it’s really fun to discuss options, try them out, share our thoughts, and repeat until we find the right balance or fit for the decor dilemma of the hour.

Most of my house has a fairly comfy, light, and breezy feel. And even though I don’t live anywhere near an ocean, I like that it feels as though the ocean is right outside my front door. Which is an ultimate dream of mine…a midwestern girl can dream, right?!? That being said, my family room, front living room, and master bedroom walls needed a pick-me-up! That’s when A came to the rescue!!

She was able to come over one night after all of our kids were in bed and we went from room to room, looking at walls and seeing what was hanging on all of the walls in my house… I mean e.v.e.r.y. wall! We explored options of moving frames from the basement to the master, canvas art from the family room to the front room, mixing and matching various frames to make a photo wall, and so much more.

Once we started taking things off my walls we were able to create a new vision and the co-redesign process exploded! My friend A even realized decor she had at her house, but wasn’t using, would fit perfectly with my home’s style. She ran across the street and came back with a stack of frames, metal art, and other framed pieces that we could repurpose at my house. And yes, it helps that she just lives a few houses away!

We spent the rest of the night in a sort of style high. Moving things from here to there, reassembling picture walls and moving art around. We made sure to take pictures of layouts so that I could hang everything up over the next few days. Which I did, all by myself! Just like Barbie could transform her careers, I became an interior designer and a handy”woman” over the course of a few days!

I love how somebody else can get you out of a funk and make you see things in a new way! A’s enthusiasm and love of repurposing is invigorating and contagious. Plus, I love the way she sees the potential of something and doesn’t write it off without giving it a try. We probably tried 50 different layouts for my master bedroom photo wall. Sometimes just rotating one frame or switching one for another. Those little and small changes may seem insignificant, but I can guarantee that without her ability to see the potential in every detail, we wouldn’t have come upon the final design~which I LOVE!!!

So today, embrace the POTENTIAL that your life and circumstances present to you. Don’t disregard the possibility of something great, just because a small change seems insignificant. Try to step outside of your comfort zone and see things from a NEW PERSPECTIVE. Without A’s perspective, I would still have walls that were blah instead of TA-DA!! And finally, don’t let your design and decor dreams stay in your head or your Pinterest Boards! Try repurposing what you have! MOVE things around give your tired decor a NEW LIFE in a different room, in a new color, or with a new photo! Live your life, enjoy your mistakes, but LOVE it all… All. of. it!!! If you don’t love it, make a change, but call a good friend to help you first!

There are no happy accidents~

~Kim