How I Found My Style Sundays- Our Lake Life

Hi there, So happy to be here. First, I want to thank Pamela for asking me to a be a part of her How I Found My Style Series. My name is Maria and I write the blog Our Lake Life. My husband and I bought our house by the lake 4 years ago and we’ve been decorating, renovating and landscaping the yard ever since. That view had us sold the moment we walked onto the property but decorating this house and finding my style in it has been quite the journey. I have to admit I think I’m still learning what my style is. It’s come really far since the beginning but I’ve had my fair share of design miss-steps along the way I even painted the living room a horrid shade of “highlighter green”. That paint lasted for less than 24 hours before I covered it over. It was that bad. Thankfully its a distant memory now with only a stray florescent green brushstroke occasionally resurfacing under a light switch now and again. My favorite design influences are Sarah Richardson, everything she does is just so good and timeless and Emily Henderson, that girl does quirky and collected like nobody else. if had to put a word on my style I’d call it eclectic. I find myself drawn to so many differently styles it’ hard to pick a favorite. I really just try to buy what I love. I’ve always been drawn to bright colors but have been trying to temper that lately with a lot of white, because my love of color can easily get out of control. It’s been a lot of trial and error trying to figure out my style and I think I’m still working on it. There’s always a project going on here and we’ve still got a ways to go but it’s so fun to keep changing and evolving I’m not quite sure we’ll ever stop. Lately I’ve been loving black window frames and I’ve been pinning them like crazy. I just got up the courage to paint mine and I think the change is going to be fantastic. We’re about to embark on our biggest interior renovation to date. We’re in the planning stages of a huge kitchen remodel and it’s got me so excited about our house all over again. I change my mind on design all the time so the favorite item in my own home changes from day to day but perhaps a recurring love of mine is the Robert Allen ikat fabric I found for my bedroom. It’s just so bright and happy. After almost 2 years living with those colorful drapes I have yet to tire of it and that’s an eternity for me. But a sentimental favorite of mine are my great-grandmother’s chairs that I recovered all by myself as my first big upholstery project . They started out totally awful, cracked orange Naugahyde, but with great lines and are now my most treasured item. The project even inspired me to reupholster a pair of cane chairs which I loved. We’ve worked just as hard on the outside of the house as on the inside, our style has really come through in the outdoor spaces as well as the interior spaces. We spend so much time outside it needed to feel like an extension of the indoor space. It’s getting there and we’re so happy with the results. The best tip I have for creating a beautiful home is for everyone to choose what you love. Browse for inspiration, look at beautiful images and really think about what draws you to those spaces. Try and dissect them into small parts. Is it the colors you love, the overall feeling, or how the furniture is arranged? But in the end it’s your house don’t be afraid to try something out. If you hate it you can always make a change but there’s a good chance you just might love it in the end. Thank you Pamela for having me today and welcoming me from my Front Porch to Yours I hope you’ll come visit Our Lake Life.

Maria thank you so very much for stopping by today and sharing your wonderful lake home! You and your husband have done amazing things with it. What a dream come true to live on the water!