With the coming of Spring, I decided it was time to re-decorate my home. Over the past few years, my home decor style has changed into a more simple, laid-back farmhouse style. Today, I am sharing my 6 reasons for why I am clearing out my home of stuff I no longer like and am starting fresh this Spring. Read on to learn why I plan on changing the look of my home.
Starting Fresh with a Blank Canvas
My living room has that empty, hollow, just walking through a house you are looking to buy, kind of sound right now. The walls and couches are bare and the furniture has been reduced to less than half of what it was before. The TV is hanging in the middle of the wall with no stand below it.
Many people might think it like looks plain and unfinished but to me, it is a space full of promises and possibilities.
We moved into our home over eight years ago and, as most newlyweds do, we brought in all the old hand me down furniture that people had given us, with a few pieces rummaged from our parents’ basements mixed in.
I made new white slipcovers for the couches and ticking stripe cushion covers for the 90’s set of This End Up chairs. I sewed pillows and curtains and painted a few end tables. I reupholstered benches and repurposed old furniture.
I finally made the decision to let go of all the old pieces and here is why:
My style has changed a lot in the past eight years
1. My style has changed a lot in the past eight years. When we first moved into our home I painted each room a bright color, yellow in the kitchen, blue in the bedroom, green in the dining and family rooms, bright pink in the girls’ room and bright green in the boys’ room. For several years, I enjoyed that color scheme. In my later 20’s I repainted every room in the house a more subdued shade, gray in the boy’s room and living room, a paler yellow in the kitchen, a paler pink in the girls’ room and white in the bedroom. Now, a few years later, I am painting several rooms for the third time, white in the kitchen, a lighter gray in the living and dining rooms and a bright white on all the baseboards, crown molding, doors, windows, and cabinets, from the off white color I painted them originally. I think I have a painting addiction. You would too if a store that sells Benjamin Moore paints was practically within walking distance like it is for me 🙂
I read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
2. I read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The book has a lot of things that this Midwestern Christian conservative mother of four finds weird, like the practice of thanking my possessions each day for their service to me, but I gleaned some very valuable insight from it. The basic premise of the book is to only keep in your home things that spark joy. After reading the book, I went through my house filling trash bags with meaningless stuff from every room. I didn’t realize how much stuff I had until I filled my van completely full several times to haul it all off to the thrift store. The book taught me to not hold on to stuff so tightly and to only own things that have meaning and bring joy. I realized that I didn’t even like most of the things in my house. They were just there because at some point I acquired them.
I’m 30
3. I’m 30. My house is full of things I acquired for free in my 20’s, mostly hand me downs that people gave us when we were starting out. I never actually chose most of the pieces myself, partly because we weren’t ready to spend extra money on our home and because I wasn’t sure what kind of style I was going for. Now that I have lived on my own for 10 years, I (mostly) know what I like.
I just couldn’t figure out how to make everything in my home work for me
4. I just couldn’t figure out how to make everything in my home work for me. I kept trying to rearrange and re-think the layout, but I could never find an arrangement I was happy with. I think to simplify, and even starting from scratch in some rooms, will inspire me to add things that I love.
I’m a stay at home mom
5. I’m a stay at home mom. I see my house all day every.single.day. I see it a lot and I, therefore, get sick of it.
I was inspired by other bloggers
6. I was inspired by other bloggers. In January, I read the article “How to Simplify Your Home” article by Bre from Rooms for Rent that was all about simplifying. I also read an awesome article called “Resetting and Trading Up” from Miss Mustard Seed where she talks about getting rid of things you don’t love and looking for opportunities to trade up. I am setting aside all the money I made from selling things in my living room and I am going to put it all towards different pieces that I like better.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and have inspired you to decorate your home with pieces you love and bring you joy too!
Thank you so much for stopping by the farmhouse!
Have you ever simplified your home and started fresh? How did it positively affect your home? Leave a comment below. 🙂
Ashley Taylor says
Great article, it makes me want to start clearing things out of my living room. My house has a very open layout so it is so very hard to make things fit and look good. Thank you for sharing you ideas.
farmhouseonboone says
Sometimes starting fresh makes all the difference!
Leah Schulz says
Those ruffle pillow are too cute for life!!!
Maggie says
Great post! I am right there with you. I’m excited that I have found “my” style after going through several phases while I lived in my apartments. We painted our entire house the lightest shade of grey when we moved in and I find it so calm that the entire house is light and bright.
farmhouseonboone says
Thanks Maggie! I’m sure your home is so beautiful! It took me a loooong time to figure out the style I like but I think I’m finally coming around 🙂
Melissa Woods says
Crazy, I am doing the exact same thing this spring. My husband and I decided we are going to stay in our home twice as long as we originally planned. So we are no longer moving next year, we will move in 5-7 more years. After this decision, I said, “Okay, I’m gonna need to change some things to be happy.” I completely changed my living room (all new furniture and color scheme and wall art) and am now in the process of making over my red kitchen to white and painting all the trim in my home white to take it out of the 80’s. I think starting fresh with a blank slate is completely liberating and intimidating. I think I’m going to read that book you mentioned. I often feel like my home decor style doesn’t belong in the Midwest as well (I’m in MN).
Thanks for sharing with us!
Melissa
farmhouseonboone says
We ended up staying way longer in our “starter” home than we thought too with no plans to move any time soon!
Andrea says
What are your opinions on the Benjamin Moore color of the year? I am considering painting my room with it but I’m kinda on the fence. Ya know, white? Is it a cool tone or warm? How does it paint on? I heard its similar to Sherwin William’s Sleepy White, which I liked, but I just don’t know. There are just so many things to consider with this one. I would like to know your thoughts!
farmhouseonboone says
When talking about white you need to be very careful. White, believe it or not, is a VERY bold choice. It reads open minded, ready for something new (wall art, for example) and a person who vast ocean full of possibilities. Unless you are sure you embody all of that and more, I recommend steering clear of white.
Amanda says
I can relate to this so well. I love your blog and style of decorating. What color do you use on the walls of your home?
Lisa says
Thank you Amanda! I have White Dove and Gray Owl, both by Benjamin Moore.
Maaike says
I would love to simplefy my house but my husband likes to keep everything and then you have to find a balance. It is so hard to make work like that.
Lisa says
Yes that can be tricky!
Elizabeth says
We are also process of renovating our home. Our house was so eclectic and random (from hand-me-downs to picking things up without a thought as to how they would fit with my existing decor.) We are not clutter, eclectic type people but we lived with it for 13 years before I realized why I don’t like my current house, or the one before it. I filled our van several times over with donations and sold the rest. We still have a long way to go (my husband would prefer furniture to sit on until we’re ready to buy!) but, it’s been a fun and difficult challenge figuring out our “style” as we go. I’m now a firm believer in saying no to things we don’t like even if they are free!
Lisa says
Yes! It took me so long to realize that too. 🙂 When we were first married I accepted anything and everything that was free. All we ended up with was clutter. Haha.