Thanks for stopping by Flourish & Knot today! I am really pleased to be participating in the My Home Style Blog Hop, hosted by Casa Watkins. The hop, which began yesterday, features 20 bloggers’ homes! You’re invited to “hop” around by following the links from one blog to the next. It’s a fantastic way to find new, inspiring bloggers to follow. I know I have some serious house-envy for some of these ladies’ homes! If you’re arriving from the previous “destination”, Blue I Style, welcome!
We settled on “Classic + Evolving + Artistic” to sum up the look and feel of our home. Let’s a take a little peek and see why.
Erick and I have both have very distinct and differing views on how our home should be decorated. It has taken us the better part of two years to come to a consensus on how we plan to make this house “ours”. Erick’s style is more traditional: he gravitates towards finely-wrought detail in furniture, and the fact that he is an artist means that he is quite picky about what goes on our walls. My style tends to be a bit more eclectic: I like a mixture of high and low-budget pieces, and I don’t mind if things aren’t match-matchy. We’ve melded our decorating visions together by agreeing on two things:
- That a hodgepodge approach is definitely a no-no. Things have to feel cohesive.
and 2. That just because we like a certain piece or style or colour doesn’t mean it will fit in our home.
As I said in last week’s living room update, our main living space is currently “in progress”. In fact, ALL of our house is “in progress”! Our furniture is a mixture of hand-me-downs and family heirlooms; so in that sense, it is in a constant state of evolution. As we invest in pieces that are more in line with our combined decorating style, our home is evolving.
The evolution of our home is not only confined to our physical purchases. True, we love classic furniture choices that will satisfy our tastes for many years, but we also aim for a more updated palette: something that melds tradition and modernity. I love the mixture of our classic armchair with the lighter, grey-and-turquoise colour scheme:
The grey and turquoise feel fresh, without fighting against our more traditional furniture. One of my favourite details in our living room are the curtains and throw pillows I made from this gorgeous grey, turquoise, cream, and chartreuse floral print. For all intents and purposes, that colour scheme shouldn’t work with our dark, formal couch and armchair. But the paisley in the upholstery is really a smaller version of the pattern in the curtains!
Since my husband and I are both musicians, and given his artistic abilities, we are always on the lookout for artsy touches to bring into our home. One of my favourite recent finds was this beautiful hand-thrown Neriage bowl by Hermann-Suzuki Pottery on Prince Edward Island.
Displayed above the bowl are two small watercolour paintings by my grandfather. An appreciation of art comes naturally in our family! (Although I inherited exactly ZERO artistic skill from him. Everything I draw looks like a duck with four legs. True story.)
We also like to add little artistic touches to our seasonal decor, like this sweet handmade pumpkin from India:
It’s sitting on top of two of our cherished “art” books: “Songs of Gaelic Scotland” (an invaluable resource for traditional Scottish songs) and “The Art of Clarence Gagnon”. Gagnon was a Québecois painter, and one of my grandfather’s favourites. We firmly believe in “art” books that both look good and serve a purpose!
Our back deck is one place where we relax our style rules a little. I chose the colour palette and for once, Erick had nothing but good things to say! 🙂
We went with a preppy and chipper coral, white, turquoise, and dark blue scheme this year and it quickly became our favourite “room” in the house.
When we moved into our house, we agreed that we would consult and decorate all our common living spaces collaboratively (meaning I show Erick things on Pinterest and we disagree), but our two separate work spaces would be ours to decorate as we saw fit. When I made over my music room (on a low, low budget no less!), I went with a modern white, black, and yellow colour scheme.
I am also a firm believer in shopping your home for decor items. We have a limited budget for decorative touches, so I tend to re-cycle older items or give them a new lease on life. The cute little Mexico City picture is actually a greeting card from Erick’s family! It was too sweet to part with, so I framed it and it adds a lovely little travel touch to my music room.
Before I sign off, I’ll leave you with a second collage. This one is of how I would like my home to look five, ten, fifteen years down the road. Of course I know that our tastes and needs will change, but in a perfect world…
Clockwise, from top left: “Marrakesh” bedding/“Emile” chair/“Astoria” throw/Kitchen (by Peter Callahan)/Dining Room (by House Beautiful)/Mantel (via South Shore Decorating Blog)/“Winter Sunday” by Studio Mosaic/“Tyler” dining chair/“Tristan” sofa/Bedroom (via Loft & Cottage)/“Filament” pendant light/“Mandarin Blue” china
Remember that as a blog hop, you are encouraged and welcome to continue on our Home Style tour by visiting our next “destination”, Postcards from the Ridge! There is some gorgeous decor going on over there…
And in case you want to catch up on ALL the tour stops, here is the full list! I really encourage you to check them all out. We all have totally different styles, but everyone is so full of beautiful ideas for making a house a home. Thanks again to Casa Watkins for organizing all 20 of us and being our tour guide!
Now it’s your turn: which three word describe YOUR home’s style? Leave ’em in the comments!
You have a lovely home- it’s always a success when your personality and life shines through. I especially love those drapes! 🙂
Thanks, Sheila! I’m looking forward to “visiting” your home on this hop, too!
I love your home! So many bright colors and fun accents!
Thanks, Emily! I’m glad you enjoyed your tour. I really enjoyed checking out your decor, too.
I’ve enjoyed seeing so many different homes through the blog hop. Your back porch is so pretty and bright, and I love the curtains! Enjoy the process of merging your styles together–“evolving” was a great word choice for a new couple.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my little home tour! I enjoyed visiting your home, too. Yes, one of the challenges of being newly-married is merging so many ideas. But it’s great!
Sarah, your home is so pretty! And the back deck looks like the perfect place to hang out. I would be out there all of the time!
Thanks! We love to entertain out there. Sad that it’s just 1 degree this morning, though… Really means the end of the late summer weather we were having. 🙁
Your home is so pretty, Sarah! Love the back deck, especially!
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Thanks for sharing your home! I love your porch – it looks so fresh and inviting.
Thanks for sharing your home! I love your porch. It looks so fresh and inviting!
I like how you decorate on a budget and live within your means. Your style is also very organized, which is a skill on its own. I can relate a lot to you style although it is very different.
Thanks, Jessica! As a very energetic and go-get-em kind of person, I often have trouble reigning myself in and reminding myself that I can’t do everything all at once. Sure, I may have the TIME to do more projects now that we don’t have kids, but if I don’t save that money, we won’t be able to AFFORD a family ever! 🙂
I love your style! And I completely agree about shopping your own home to recycle items! I move things around our house all the time! It’s a great way to keep things fresh and interesting! Thank you for opening your home to us!
It’s both economical and fun – you pull out items you haven’t seen in ages and their new again!
Beautiful! I love how tidy everything is! Especially your music room. If only I could get my office to stay that tidy, and organized! Haha! Thank you for sharing your lovely home with us!
Hahah it does not look that tidy all the time!
Your house looks beautiful. Your porch makes me want to make a cocktail and enjoy an evening there!
If you are ever in the neighbourhood (and it isn’t winter and a million below zero… this is Canada, after all), we’ll have a cocktail out there! 🙂
Beautiful home. Love that music room. Looks so organized.
Thank you! Unfortunately, after the craziness of the start of the school year (and thus needing pull out half my repertoire of music) it doesn’t look so organized any more… Gotta work on that!
Sarah, your home is lovely and that porch is to die for! Thanks for sharing your space with us! Can’t wait to see more :).
Thanks, April!
Love your home style!! I can see all the elements in your home. I love your organization as well! Great style share and thanks for participating in the blog hop!! Pinned and shared.
Thanks so much, Stephanie! And thanks for setting it all up.
I like your style and I’m in love with your back deck!
Thanks, Jessica! It’s a sad reality that is has become too cold to enjoy the deck anymore… But therein lies the pleasure of summer in Canada: it’s fleeting, so we enjoy it so much more!
This looks so cozy! I could totally take a nap here 🙂 I love grey walls.
Thanks, Chelsea! We’re really happy with the colour: it’s really serene.
LOVE your blog! I don’t often visit home décor blogs, as I am into fashion, but I love this…! Your outdoor deco is just gorgeous. Also love the music room, I need to do that with all my music….organize! I majored in music in college, but my piano playing has gone to the back burner…blogging is taking all my time along with my job! Thanks for sharing!
Valerie
I hope you get a chance to play soon – music is such a great stress reliever! Thanks for stopping by to check out my blog.
So lovely! I love the outdoor space!
I loved looking at your home and hearing about the special pieces from your family. You have a great eye for mixing pattern, that floral in your living room is stunning. The music room is so much fun! I’m on the hunt for a replacement stool for my piano. I love the bench at your’s!
Oh! I forgot to mention the outdoor space! Love the colors.
Shoot, i don’t think my first comment went through. If you get duplicates, sorry. 🙂 I really enjoyed touring your home and hearing about the special pieces from your family. Your great at mixing patterns, the floral in your living room is stunning. And I love your music room. I’ve been looking for a replacement piano bench. I love your’s!
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks so much for your kind comments, especially about mixing patterns. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel I am making progress. Funny you should mention the piano bench… it isn’t finished! I know, I posted the music room, like, six months ago… Please don’t judge me too hard! 🙂
I just love your back deck! I want one haha! Beautiful home you are creating 🙂
I love the idea of coming up with three words you want to describe your home! It’s much better than a “theme” and I think will yield much more livable results.
Thanks so much. I agree with you completely: yes, I blog about my home, but I also have to live there! 🙂
Swooning over your gorgeous house! Love how fresh and bright it is 🙂
Thanks so much! It’s a work in progress, but isn’t all good design? 🙂
I love styling my home and decorating. It all takes lots of work, money and time. I enjoy the ride and take my time, its important so that it doesn’t get boring. I love your ideas thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Nicole!
Hi Sarah,
I came across your blog through twitter and wanted to check out your home tour. So lovely! I adore the mix of classic and vintage in your home. You have some truly charming pieces. My favourite spot was your patio 🙂
Thank you, Jelica! It’s our favourite spot too.