Cozy Corners

A cozy bedroom corner, filled with vintage
baby items, embroidered linens and a giant
pitcher full of roses from the garden.

Although I like to take in the look of a whole room, I gravitate toward cozy corners.  It doesn't matter where I happen to be - in a restaurant it will be the corner of the booth, preferably in a corner of the restaurant.  In a bookstore, again, you'll probably find me holed up in a corner with a stack of books and magazines.  The same holds true for my own home.  I love nothing better than a well-decorated corner, preferably with a good chair or sofa to sit in.

Recently, we decided that we needed to work on a particular corner of our bedroom.  We had acquired all sorts of vintage baby things and had a lot of other bits and bobs floating around.  The result is shown above.  This corner was put together using only things easily on hand, none of them perfect or particularly valuable, just a few things that weren't being shown to best effect elsewhere.

A 1950's sewing basket filled with tiny
treasures - notions, tags, a little journal,
vintage wallpaper scraps, old black and white photos,
buttons and so much more.  So fun to go through
on a rainy afternoon - and we've had a lot
of those this summer!

So many spots in our homes could use this kind of individual attention.  The best decorators are masters of detail.  They can, indeed, decorate a whole room in a way that is generally pleasing.  But, they can also create tiny vignettes within it, so that regardless of where your eye rests, there is something interesting and lovely to look at.  I think of it as I do a well-stocked bookcase.  When carefully arranged, whether by color, size or subject, a bookcase can really e quite beautiful.  It can add a great deal to a room in general.  Now, when you step closer to the bookcase, you can see each book, each title, and it's purpose for being in that particular spot.  It tells you a great deal about the people who live in that house.

None of this "goes together", but
they are all things that go with us.
A Carl Larsson print (no other artist
comes closer to inspiring our personal taste),
a picture of the White House worked in
needlepoint - a Christmas present from
Melissa - and books...  never ending books!

Every spot in your house tells a story.  The stacks of books all over our living room will tell you that we have too many books, first of all, but also that our interests are far too varied for any bookcase to contain.  The shelves devoted solely to favorite children's books will tell you that we have a lot of children but also that we, the parents, use our children as an excuse to read lots of our own old favorites.  The knicks and scratches and smudges on our "pristine", white woodwork will also attest to the number of small people about, and also the losing battle we face as we follow them around with magic erasers and white paint!  And, finally, the little arrangements of bits and pieces in corners and on tabletops, will tell you that we love royalty, fresh flowers, scented candles, little books, ancient LP's, magazines, framed photos and incense.

Books to pick up and read, good lighting,
tiny movie posters from favorite
film classics, paper roses in an
old china teacup...  this corner tells you
a lot about the people who live in this
house (that would be us!).

Your home is all about you.  Don't be afraid to surround yourselves with the things you love, whether they are perfectly harmonious or not.  The one thing that they should all have in common is that you really, really love them.  Following this formula, you'll have a house full of interest, character and warmth.

A combination of thrift store finds, homemade crafts
(you've got to love that button box and the
watercolored anniversary card!), vintage linens
and fresh flowers makes a jolly display.