Sunday, January 4, 2015

How I Found My Style Sundays- Bless'er House

How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours

Hi, y'all! My name is Lauren and I am absolutely honored to be here! Thank you so much, Pamela, for having me. (Isn't she the furniture makeover queen?)

If you've never "met" me before, I have a little blog called Bless'er House, and I say little because I have been blogging for exactly 1 year as we have been making our new builder grade basic suburban house a home.
Bless'er House-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours
It's been a challenge starting off with very little furniture, a tiny budget, and  a lot of plain, empty rooms to fill, but we have come a long way since moving in December 2013.

In the beginning, it was overwhelming, and having never owned a house before, I didn't even know what defined "my style", but thankfully, it didn't take me very long to figure it out.  Because you know what?  I just throw a bunch of it in together.
Bless'er House- Living Room-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours

1. My decorating style is?  I think I struggle with defining designs I love into just one single term. There are so many amazing ones out there, why stick to just one? So I guess if I had to slap a term on it, I'd call it Eclectic French Industrial Cottage.  Okay, you caught me. That's not really technical.  It's a little bit rustic and a little bit urban with a French flair. It seems to make sense in a suburban house that's sort of stuck between being in the country and city.
Bless'er House-vigentte with map-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours
Gallery Wall-Bless'er House-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours
2.  How did you "find" your decorating style?  Even during my college days, I gravitated toward French decor. My dorm room was decked out in a Paris / Old Hollywood scheme complete with a chandelier (I should have known then that decorating would become a long-term obsession). So I always wanted to keep little bits of French in the mix, but I also wanted a more masculine vibe once my hubby came along.

During the 4 month process that it took to build our house, I scoured Pinterest for all sorts of inspirations, and I always ended up with a mod podge of styles going in a million directions. I sort of lost myself for a while there.  

Then, I finally resorted to looking through my pins again to choose only a handful of inspirations that I loved most of all to narrow it down. I had to ask myself, "Did I pin this because it's pretty or did I pin this because it's me?"  
Vintage Inspired OfficeBless'er House-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours
A big part of it for me is keeping my husband's likes in mind too. If I know he won't like a certain piece, I won't even attempt to put it in our home. This is his house too, after all.  After I showed him some of my Pinterest inspirations, we discovered he was a big fan of the rustic industrial decor too. (Thank goodness!)

Most importantly, it has to withstand the wear and tear that often comes with a toddler. Our 2 year-old daughter tests out our furniture like it's her job.

After a while, I realized that I tend to like light neutrals along with soft green and blue tones. I was on a red kick when we first moved in to our house, and I've been working on phasing it out. Red is beautiful, but I felt like it wasn't me...that might be the shy, introvert in me I guess.  
Vintage Inspired Office-Bless'er House-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours
3.  What has been your most treasured find for your home?  I love incorporating pieces that have a story to tell (I guess the former English teacher in me is just a romantic that way). I found an incredible old wagon bench for our entryway, that I just know must have an incredible past.  

I sometimes wonder what letters or stories my thrifted typewriter once wrote.  

But my favorite of all is an old ladder we pulled from a barn on my in-laws' property where my husband grew up. Their house was built in 1904, and it is rich with history.  

My mom often says it's sort of funny that I love old, historical houses but ended up in a brand new builder box. For practicality and to avoid doing a total flip job, it made sense for us...for now. This girl still dreams about a house with tons of character though.  
Master bathroom-Bless'er House-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours
DIY Rope Chandelier-Bless'er House-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours

4.  What tips do you have for creating a beautiful home?  I think the most important thing to remember is to only fill your home with pieces you truly love. Don't try to follow a trend because it's in. Make your style an expression of you. 

Good style really doesn't have to cost a fortune. It just takes a discerning eye to find those diamonds in the rough.You can decorate so much of your home for next to nothing with a little creativity thanks to classifieds listings and thrift stores.

Sometimes it takes stepping out of your comfort zone to create pieces to fit your vision like I did with my faux planked coffee table and rope chandelier.  

Breakfast Nook-Bless'er House-How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours

But most of all, include things that have sentimental meaning. A house isn't really a home until you're surrounded by the people you love. The best things in life aren't things at all. A house doesn't have to be magazine-worthy to be beautiful.  
How I Found My Style Sundays- From My Front Porch To Yours
Thank you Lauren for stopping by today to share your style and tips. I have enjoyed watching you transform your home this past year with some amazing projects! I look forward to seeing what you will be up in 2015.



13 comments:

  1. Super cute home and style. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Thank you, Pamela, for introducing us to Lauren. I really like her home style and will be going over to check out her blog and follow along. I have enjoyed this series and wish you continued blog success in 2015. All the best to you and your loved ones in this New Year as well.

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  3. What a homey home-I love the ladder too!

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  4. I love her decorating style and the soft colors, very pretty!

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  5. Lauren has done amazing things with her home in a short year! She's got her style for sure!!

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  6. Great feature and lots of great ideas with this home! Lovin her style!

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  7. Lauren has a lovely home! I love both her gallery walls. Being a fan of clocks myself, I loved seeing the wall of clocks in her dining room. I think they make for a great gallery wall with a theme.

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  8. Loved seeing Lauren's home on here! I am such a big fan of hers!

    Deb
    @Seeking Lavender Lane

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  9. It was great seeing Lauren's home and her amazing ideas featured here!

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  10. This is so helpful to me! I love Lauren't style. I would still be in the "lost myself on Pinterest" phase if it wasn't for her blog :)
    Rebekah @ Charming Imperfections

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  11. So very nice to meet you Lauren....I love your style and creativity....you have certainly created a beautiful home for you and your family....and you are so right...a home does not have to be magazine worthy to be beautiful...it is beautiful as it is enveloped with love of your family and those who enter your home...So glad you went with what "you" love and it then developed into a beautiful home that has your signature on it!....Great feature today Pamela!!!

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I love when ya stop by so leave me a comment if ya have some time! I always try and respond but sadly enough sometimes I am unable to return the love due to noreply blogger status.