Owning A Home: What I've Learned (About Myself!)

Confession: 

I love home DIY blogs. 

I suppose I owe it all to Pinterest. I stumbled across the directions for building a set of Billy Bookcase Built-Ins by Censtational Girl, and have been following her ever since. I also have Pinterest to thank for hundreds of links to other blogs, and the occasional inspiration from Houzz (when the houses aren't extravagant). 

I suppose I always liked moving furniture around when I was growing up, and in college my roommate, Debbi, and I created combinations with our furniture to use every square inch of our tiny dorm room. When I met my husband, I reorganized and decorated his apartment. But nothing compares to actually owning a home. Owning a home changes everything. 

I have now learned that I much prefer interior design "transformation" over actual home renovation.

Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint is the only kind of paint I will put on my walls. (And ProClassic is my trim paint.) It's that simple. 

I love color. We bought 12 gallons of paint before we even moved in to the house. My home has 3 shades of blue (light, medium and dark), light grayish purple, dark green and light green, gray, turquoise with a dark stripe, and a shade of not-quite-green-or-blue. Oh, and the Pittsburgh bathroom is black and gold with a white stripe (Go Steelers!). Having rooms in different colors gives me so much more space to experiment with and try different looks. 

I love black, white, and silver accents. They're everywhere in my home.  

My English major background makes me a sucker for decor that includes words, definitions, and/or ampersands (&). If Mr. Awesome would let me, I would have a collection of ampersands. (I'm currently getting away with a small collection of owls, so I'm not going to push my luck.)

IKEA is the Do-It-Yourselfer's dream. If you can design it, IKEA has what you need. A wall of custom bookcases? They've got endless combinations with Billy bookcases. Want cabinets in your laundry room? Get a couple of Akurum cabinets and hang them yourself. And everything is so darn affordable! I didn't like IKEA until we bought a house. Now it's my favorite store. 

Speaking of stores, Lowe's is better than Home Depot. 

Hobby Lobby is hit-or-miss. You can find a lot of great stuff there, but if it's not currently on a 50% off sale, it's too expensive. JoAnns and Michaels are also ideal for seasonal decor. 

If you can't find just what you're looking for, be patient. You'll find it when you least expect it, whether it's a vase, furniture, or a paint color.

And last, but not least, there is always another project.