Decorating at age 25 when you first get married is sooo way different than when you’re 50 don’t you think? My first attempt at decorating was when the style was… well, I don’t really think it had a name. I’ll call it The Era of the Cave. We had it decked out in burgundy, navy and teal green; teal carpet, teal and white checked linoleum floors, teal striped floral wall paper that covered every wall in our small bedroom and teal laminate counter tops with teal painted walls in our kitchen. Goodness me, even as I type that out I’m thinking – what was I thinking?! Well I know what I was saying – “Mhmm, this place looks fabulous. It all matches”.
Most of the decorating back then was determined by 3 kids and 2 dogs. I think if I could have gotten away with plastic furniture and rubber walls and not been mocked as a horrible wife and mother, I would have done it. Wouldn’t that have been a statement? Maybe a better statement than the accuracy of a dirty brown streak that ran the length of the walls in the hallway where the kids rubbed their hands every time they walked through or when they smudged their feet on it from deciding that was the perfect place for a camp out.
After being there 13 years, we needed to move. The Mister drove an hour and a half one way every day to his new job and he thought that 3 hours in the car would be better spent with his family. No one can argue that so we built a house. I decided that since the kids were older, we were going fresh and new. The burgundy plaid sofa we’d found at a garage sale and the coordinating floral chairs we found on the side of the road (all recovered of course) and that burgundy sponge painted cabinet were not coming with us. The Cave Era was out.
Sad thing was, it had been “out” for like 5 years. But with small kids and a busy life, my days were spent raising kids, not keeping up with the Joneses.
This new house was neutral in color because it would be easier to decorate while living life. Furthermore when the moms came over they wouldn’t judge me for being 5 years behind in decorating. It had taupe walls, taupe counter tops and taupe floors. So much brown it was like living inside a Little Debbie snack cake. But after 5 years, we finally painted something. It was a wine colored accent wall in the breakfast room. I know what you’re thinking – Oh my golly she did it again. She went with burgundy! But I didn’t. It was wine colored. It coordinated with the grape window treatments and the wallpaper border which of course matched the seat cushions on the chairs to the dining table. Are you thinking I was crazy? I’m sort of thinking I was. But everyone liked it. They thought I had it goin’ on – I was rockin’ it. Uh yeah, no. I was rockin’ it like puffy high top tennis shoes with high wasted mom jeans and little did I know the wine style was going out in a year.
But as luck would have it, I didn’t have to live with the wine theme after it was out of style. We were moving again. Not because the hubby got a new job but because we were tired of the kids being right there with us; right there under our feet, right there when it was time to get ready for school and they shared a bathroom or right there when I was trying to pluck my eyebrows and they came barging in asking if they could use our bathroom. Yeah, because of that. When we built the house the kids were so precious we thought they’d love to be with us and we’d be one happy family for decades. Nope. They didn’t want to be around us and we didn’t want to listen to every My Little Pony, Littlest Petshop or Pokemon conversation they ever had.
The move this time was only 5 houses down on the same street and is the house we live in now. It didn’t take much to talk the Mister into buying it. All I had to say was “It has a game room with a door so when extra kids are over we can shut them in and not hear the commotion and each kid will have their own bathroom”. But you’ve heard me say it before, I should have negotiated better when it came to the decorating. The Mister told me we could paint the ugly gold walls when we moved in. 8 long years I’ve hated the paint on these walls. Woe is me – late to the party again.
You’ve also heard me say 2018 is going to be my year or maybe that was 2017. Either way, I’m painting these walls even if I have to hire a graffiti artist to do a walk through railcar touch up. Question is, will I be 5 years late to the prom with my color choice? Last week I saw Benjamin Moore Paints announced their new color of the year as “Caliente”. I literally burst out laughing. It’s red! And what did they pair it with besides gray and blue – gold! Oh My Word , gold! Hahahaha.
Now that I’m 51, I finally know what I like and can decorate for myself. I don’t have to worry about kids etc. And my new choices? Well, I can say this about my them; the color will be neutral and the decor will be me. I want a mix of farmhouse charm, a little vintage with repurposed items thrown in everywhere. And it will for sure scream – Cindy, you are the bomb.com! You are going to be in style forever! Or at least 5 more years.
I hope you find your style way before I did!
I’m part of a blog hop called the Fantastic Fifties! You should check them out below. You might find someone else you’d like to follow! Just click on the links to go to their blogs. Thanks for stopping by today!
I am right there with you! I held on steadfast to my red everything until we moved 4 months ago. Then low and behold catalogs are arriving in my mail filled with red!! I have blue now but I already wonder if it will be “out” in a year. I’m just not going to worry about it!! We need to love our surroundings and that’s all that really matters. 😉
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So true Stacey! We SHOULD love our surroundings and I do, except 8 years of ugly gold walls. 😉
Oh my gosh Cindy I laughed my way through your blog! I’m so grateful we didn’t have money in the early years of our marriage because I didn’t know my style either and would have spent it on who knows what! I wonder will we look back at these days and think the same thing ! Hope not. Things change quickly in the decorating world I’m so thankful God doesn’t change He’s the same yesterday ,today, and forever! Thanks for the good laugh
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I cannot imagine what we would have done with a more money?! I don’t think we will look back and question our decor decisions. Mostly because we are less inclined to care what others think at this age and we’re going to be to old to want to do anything about it. Glad I make you laugh. Honestly, when I write these posts, I am just writing. I don’t think,hmm, I wonder if this will make them laugh. But I’m glad I do! And YES, I am very grateful the Lord stays the same. If not, he would have dumped me a long time ago.
Cindy I really enjoyed your post and can totally identify. Style goes out the window when you have kids. But now you have more than made up for it with your beautiful style. You know I love the way you decorate your home and so it seems to me you just needed to be in the right place at the right time.
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Mary, thank you so much. Those sweet words made my day!
I remember the days! The first place I decorated with mauve and country blue. The second-dusty rose and sage green. I get it. Now I’m more industrial modern, with an eclectic twist. The walls are mostly light grey, barnwood here and there, graphic prints and pillows, industrial elements and a wall through the kitchen that’s cobalt blue. No mauve or sage anywhere! LOL As we grow and figure out who we are it’s so much easier to decorate. Can’t wait to see your new look!
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LOL yes, those were the days. A couple of years ago when the new colors that came out were a newly named country blue and peach I nearly fell over. Wow, I think we could come up with new versions of color combos for people – don’t you?! Thanks for visiting and your look sounds awesome!
This brought back memories! I love your cottage and that chandelier! I would never use white paint on anything back in the day when the kids were small! I remember when my son would take his markers and write allover my sofas. Now everything is white. That is a sign that the kids are gone I think.
Maria
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Thank you Maria! Haha. Our youngest did that to the backseat of the car! Thank goodness it was gray. And yep, I think having all white must be the sign of no kids! 😊 It’s my fave look for sure!
Teal! Oh and the peach and seafoam green. How about the “Jewel Tones”? Or the blue and yellow years? Looking back the colors we chose, they were so awful, right? And yet, at the time, they seem so perfect. I really enjoyed your take on your decor history!
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Oh my goodness I think we should be the new queens of telling people what looks good and what doesn’t. I’m glad I’m finally at the age where I don’t care what others think but especially know what actually looks good! Well at least I think I do. 😬. Thanks for visiting!
My problem is that I love ALL styles! I love color and yet I love neutrals. I love silver and I love gold. I love antique and I actually even like some modern. sigh….
🙂 gwingal
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Well I say rock it girl! Mixing styles is the best style of all! Thank you for visiting!
We went through the colourful stage for several years – with feature walls done in suede paint and strong colours. I actually liked the splash of colour, but when we moved to our house eight years ago, all the walls were cream and we never added any colour to them – now we just have little splashes of colour in cushions and glassware etc – and it suits me just fine.
Leanne | http://www.crestingthehill.com.au
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Well that’s what’s important! Liking what you have and being happy with it. 😊 Glad you stopped by today.
Everyone went through that Tuscan phase and I am not going back there no matter what Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams predicts color wise.
You are on point with reaching an age where you know exactly what your personal style is.
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I agree! Never will I go back to that phase! Took me 50 long years but I finally got there. Thank you for visiting today.
I totally identify with this too! When I married my man, we had more arguments about what color the walls should be. I wanted neutral & he wanted color! We had a mix of both, but our decorating style is hodge-podge. We’ve lived with hodge-podge for over 20 yrs now, so I don’t care if I keep up with the styles or not! We might care when it comes time to sell this place. Loved your post! Wow, all that teal!
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Wow all that teal is right (insert rolling eyes)! And I think hodge podge is better than matchy matchy. And you know that outside the pictures on our IG accounts and in our posts there’s a room with hodge podge. We all have that somewhere! Thanks for reading.
We moved into our house 12 years ago. The house had builder white everywhere. I immediately painted the walls a lovely warm tan, which was so in style. I would love to paint the walls. We have 2 foot ceilings so my hubs said that he would be dead or we would have to move because he refused to paint them again. Recently we have thought about moving. LOL. I too have felt like I sometimes come late to the decorating party!
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Tammy, I think we might be married to the same person – LOL. Not sure which is worse, packing up years of stuff and dragging it to a new house or selling a limb to get the house painted?! Wish you the best. Thanks for visiting my blog.
I love your decor! It’s so true how we find our own style as we (cough cough) age. I happen to be a gal who loves and enjoys color. I don’t get those all white homes but to each their own for sure.
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Thank you Carolann! I like color too. Thankfully, the house in the suburbs has color and the farmhouse is neutrals. One day though when I have no more kids or pets, I seriously hope to go all neutral with just a splash of color here and there instead of the color overload we have now. Thanks for visiting today!
Oh my goodness!! Even if you struggled to begin with in your decorating style…you’ve definitely found it now. Your photos are LOVELY. I enjoyed your trip down memory lane too.
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Thank you Rachel! It only took me 5 decades but I finally got there. 😉 Thank you for visiting today.
I have always done what I wanted with decor no matter what is in. I am rebel that way. What cracks me up is I have always loved the country/cottage look in decor, carefully collected items, wood floors, metal elements and now it is back in but they call it Farmhouse instead of country or cottage. All of the colors we look back on were pretty in their time when tastefully done. We may very well look back in 10 years and think the same about what we enjoy now. 🙂 Funny how our tastes and what we think looks pretty changes as we travel through life and the best thing about being older is we don’t care if something is in style or if others will think we are bonkers for having it in our homes, it makes us feel good and that is what is important.
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Oh how I wish I would have known what I liked or even seen the cottage look when I was younger. And I’m in total agreement with you – I’m glad I’m at an age where I know what I like and won’t care what I see on TV or in magazines. I can hardly wait to come see your blog! Thanks for visiting.
Just loved reading your post. Teal carpet. Check. Teal and burgundy wall paper border. Check!! Circa 1986 and boy did I think I had the whole decorating thing down pat! It certainly has taken a lot of years, but now I decorate for me and my family with just a casual glance at the “trends”. I choose things that make me happy, things that make my home a cozy and welcoming to those who come to visit!
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Thank you Maureen. Glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like we were decorating sisters. 😉. I’m determined to do he same when decorating – stay away from trends and do what makes me happy! Thanks for stopping by. 😊
Thanks for the major laugh, Cindy!!! Too funny! I always loved all the cherry wallpaper I’d see in the model homes but my colors began as country blues then morphed into roses with blues, then pinks. Finally I painted an accent wall in a cool toned blue-green and yeah, I kept that color and moved it to our next home…all 13 years there. Did eliminate the Barn Red from the living room at year 10 and went with a pale Dove Grey. Still waiting to use greys in the next house. 😉 Great story! Happy to be on the Fantastic Fifties Blog Hop with you and the other fabulous ladies! My post JUST went up on Thursday evening. <3
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Thank you Barbara for stopping by and reading! I’d forgotten about the cherries! Glad you laughed too. 😊. I’ll pop on over and check yours out as well.
p.s. The ugliness I had to live with?? 13 years of needing new carpeting… Lol!
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I get it girl! That’s an entirely new obnoxious blog post. 🙄
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Maybe I’ll have that changed out by next years Fantastic 50’s blog hop! But I’m not holding my breath. 😩
I smiled all the way through your blog and comments! I always thanked God we didn’t have money to decorate back in ’73 caz everything would have been Mediterrean black wrought iron, red and gold crushed velvet, and dark wood! At 66, I am still finding my way, but I love warm cream walls, a mix of vintage/cottage, and frou frou! The reality is quite different, but I am working on it. Still don’t understand why anyone would want a house that looks like an operating suite or a subway wall. Color is an upper to me–sometimes in accessories like throw pillows and pictures, always in clothes and jewelry! Good thing we don’t all like the same thing, huh? There’s enough of all the styles to go around!
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Hahaha. That reminds me of when we go to Antique shops and see the Velvet Elvis pictures! We always say it’s not a real antique store until we see that and a Jesus picture. LOL. And yes, it’s a good thing we are all different. 🙂
I was seriously into the era of Country Blue with Mauve many years ago. How fun it is to think thru some of my decorating phases (or lack thereof)! The photos you’ve published with this post are lovely! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Visiting from the Fantastic 50 Blog Hop
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Thank you Marci for commenting! Those pictures are from things that are down at our farmhouse in Navasota, TX or that I’ve made. 😉 Thanks for stopping by. Hope you visit again!
Cindy, I had to chuckle as I read this. I think all of us from the blog hop remember the early days, way back when, we used avocado green, rust, teals, gold, burgundy, and all the other colors that were so “in” at the time. I’m much older than you, and I remember wallpapering our living room/dining room with a rust colored flocked wallpaper. I know it was really sharp when I did it, but when I look at old photos and see that wallpaper, it’s like “what the heck was I thinking”. Even now, our lower level has pale yellow walls, but the Mr. was pressuring me to make a decision so he could paint it. I don’t like to be rushed, so I’m hoping to repaint it in a few more years. I love what you’re doing with your decor right now. Great taste!
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Thanks Carol! Glad you liked it and can relate. I know for sure that when I look back in a decade or two that I won’t hate or laugh at the “new” me. Mostly because I don’t think I’ll care what others think or I could just take off my glasses and not see it. 😉
Oh, I feel so guilty because I am so behind in painting my walls. I use to do a room a year but somehow the years are going by way to fast. One good thing about being over 50 is we have the confidence to decorate the way we want to and not have our house look like everyone else’s. I say paint the walls the color that pleases you.
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Well, this is a guilt free zone Debra! And you are so right when it comes to confidence over 50. I say NO MORE to being intimidated by trends! LOL. Thanks for reading sweet friend.
I really enjoyed your post and could relate to a lot of it being very almost 50 myself and 3 kids but only one dog. However, we have lived in the same house for the past 22years, so it’s been a case of several redecorations. The kids are slowly leaving home so I’m looking forward to transforming one of their old bedrooms into a craft room.
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Oh I’d love to have a craft room. I do all my stuff on the dining table and it’s not a good situation – at all. So glad you enjoyed the post. Hope you visit again sometime!