decorating with opposites

I’m slowly putting things up on the walls of The Barn. I feel like our house can finally settle into whatever it needs to be for our family, because I’ve got this fun barn that’s kind of a grown up playhouse where I get to make even more holes in the walls and hang whatever I want.

These lacy dishes and silver deer head are examples of a few investment pieces that I hope will be around for years and years to come. They, along with the pillows tossed on the 10-year-old sofa that sits under the wall hangings, are some of the few new things we have for The Barn.

plate

I’m a big believer in keeping things around for as long as you can get life out of them, especially expensive things like sofas and rugs and beds. From time to time I splurge on some interesting, unique beauty that I’m convinced adds to the story our spaces are telling. Then I like to use pillows and DIY art work and thrifted finds in all sorts of colors, patterns and textures to finish it off in any style I feel like.

That’s why I like white walls and neutral furniture, because I can add in some pink and yellow (like I did yesterday with this book page hanging fixture I already had) or I can change it all to neutrals and blues without having to buy all new furniture. Just switch out my $10 and $20 pillows. But I digress….

working with oppoisites

So I have this new HEAVY deer head and these gorgeous plates from The LoveFeast Shop. And when I first fell in love with these I didn’t dream I’d put them together on the same wall in the same grouping. They simply didn’t relate. They were not super friendly with each other and they didn’t have a lot in common:

  • The deer head is shiny and metal and tailored and slightly masculine.
  • The plates are handmade, imperfect, various shades of bone, blue and aqua, they have lace imprints.

Enter the pom & tassel garland. He’s not just for looks, he’s a liaison, a diplomat if you will.

This unassuming pom & tassel garland hangs out with the deer head and tones down his superior attitude, but it’s also friends with the plates in his rustic, charming ways and says, ‘hey ladies, you can come over and play with the deer too, he won’t hurt you, trust me.’  The colors in the plates work with the colors in the garland, the warmth and handmade feel of both makes them a believable pair.

So the three of them {plates, garland, & deer} all get along fine now for me on this wall because they are all involved in the same conversation even though two of them don’t have much in common, the third fella is the extroverted life of the party and keeps them all together.

Is anyone still with me? Please tell me that you also know that the plates are girls and the deer is a boy and I’m not sure about the garland? Because if you think the plates are boys I’m not sure we can still be friends.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite things from the LoveFeast Shop…

favorite things

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Owners Chris Ann & Kristen are generously giving away a $200 gift card to the LoveFeast Shop. Just leave a comment to enter to win! GIVEAWAY CLOSED – the winner announced here.

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