The Details of Decorating

Written by Jaqui Lividini

Now that the winter is finally yielding to spring, and we are able to get back inside the house to continue work, it’s become painfully obvious that this accomplishment brings a host of challenges with it as well. There are details upon more details to contend with—specifically the details of interior decorating. As exciting as it may be to envision the house complete, the road to completion is a treacherous one!

The first issue is our furniture. The furniture for the house has been in storage for more than seven years. Yes, seven years is how long it’s been since we bought our beautiful beach cottage and began the renovation process—time certainly does fly!  There are a number of questions to answer, the first and most obvious of course being where is each piece going to go? will it fit?, and most importantly, do we even like it anymore?!

I bought an amazing five-foot square clock face at a Paris flea market years ago that I’m certain belongs in the house, but this in and of itself is a downright treacherous task. What wall is big enough to fit a clock face of such magnitude? Perhaps it could work as a headboard?

We have beautiful open shelves in the kitchen and I’ve been collecting Depression Glass for more than 20 years—seems like a perfect fit, but maybe not.  The glass colors are pink and yellow, which may be too sweet for my adult vision of my home.  Even more importantly will the glass work on the shelves or will it ultimately be too heavy?

And then there is the issue of finding certain pieces that I know I have but I can’t quite locate at the moment. We have three storage units with the overflow in my Mom and Dad’s basement. You truly need a map to find anything. For instance, there is a great shell mirror that I imagine is perfect for one of the bathrooms, but I need its measurements to know for sure, and I can’t find it!

Another Paris flea market find: 6 fantastic matching oval mirrors hung from satin cord—perfect for the foyer I think—but again they’re lost in space!  

I’m making a mental note to add “sleuthing” as a prerequisite for home renovation!