Lindsey has no idea I’m going to talk about her house today.  But, it has to be done.

Last week Lindsay shared some photos of her house with a post called Get Real { A House Tour}. And she showed photos of her house as is.  Nothing new, we’ve all seen bloggers show their real life house. But, I learned a lot by looking at Lindsey’s house and I thought it would be fun to chat about.

I’m hoping I can put into words what it is that I have taken away from seeing her home in full use.  Basically, I still think her home looks ridiculously gorgeous. And, we all know, her style is perfectly lovely and her house is just amazing but, even if you don’t love your house as much as you love Lindsey’s there’s a lot to learn from these rooms, they look great even lived in. Kind of like the beautiful girl who wakes up with bedhead and an old tee shirt on. I think there are many a country songs about how that girl is prettier anyway.

So what IS it?  What’s the secret to having a pretty house even when it’s completely lived in? This is something I desire in our own home~I can’t escape the fact that we live fully in it so, how can it look ok in the midst of life?  That’s the real secret, right?

Here are a few things I noticed:

1. Space.

Lindsey doesn’t fill every square inch with tchotchkes, patterned rugs, patterned drapes, 5 extra chairs… even with two bolts of fabric on her floor, there’s still room for toys.  No matter what size house we have, the temptation can be to fill it up, but, allowing some room for the everyday happenings can create space for you to feel more comfortable with the stuff of life sitting out in full view.

2. Cleared off surfaces.

Linsdey jokes about what is on her counters and island but, for the most part, they aren’t covered with decorative pretties that go unused.  Most things on her island are things she used that day. So, leaving stuff out didn’t just add to the already there stuff.  So, if you know your season of life is going to be messy, why not clear off your surfaces to accommodate what needs to happen.  Let’s face it, it still looks pretty good and not overwhelming to straighten up because she doesn’t have a bunch of non essentials happening. And, when you find extra house plans on your island, if it isn’t already coated with pretty unused things, you don’t get annoyed as much.

3. A dedicated dumping spot.

Yes, it’s filled with stuff, but, I bet she could have it cleared off in 8 minutes if she needed too.  I can learn from this. I keep thinking I’m disorganized because we always have shoes, bags, keys, receipts and so on and so forth and things of that nature and everything….all over our foyer and kitchen.  WHY don’t I just acknowledge that we need a dumping ground and create a place for it so that I’m ok with it?

We’ve talked about it before: The two Ways to Achieve your goal of a less messy house

1. You can learn methods and tips and tricks to help keep your home less messy.

2. You can lower your expectations and accept the fact that you will have messes and that each season of your family’s life will bring different kinds of beautiful messes.

 

My office has looked like for the past week.   My In-Laws even stopped by and I didn’t try to straighten it up.  I just closed the glass doors hoping they would put a prettier frame against the reality behind them.  Instead of seeing a big daunting mess, I can see the fact that our taxes are done and I get to work from home.

 

Remember this book? A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life: How to live creatively with collections, clutter, work, kids, pets, art, etc…and stop worrying about everything being perfectly in it’s place. Yeah, that puts a little spin on our priorities.

 

We have a hardworking home that puts up with all of our abuse. I’m really grateful for our beautiful mess.  Instead of thinking about what my house isn’t, I want to focus on what she is.

Yesterday afternoon on a whim I asked on facebook and twitter if anyone had a photo of their lived in house they could share.  I got so many beautiful photos and am still getting them~thank you all!  Here’s why…