Sometimes You Just Need an Expert.

If there is one thing that my husband and I argue about more than anything, it is how we should decorate our home (not just more than anything but by a landslide more than anything.) It is the one part of our lives that we truly refuse to compromise on, and we have such differing ideas on what we want, that we often give up an do nothing (hence the bare walls.) You would think deciding whether or not we should have another baby would be the main discussion at the dinner table every night, but compared to deciding on a new dresser, debating the value of having (or not) more children, pales in comparison. I know, the latter is only life changing, right?

In the end our common vision is the same, we both equally want a home that is whimsical, reflects our varying personalities, and that is unique without being over the top. We both like clean and uncluttered spaces, and are willing to wait to purchase items if in the end we know that we will get a higher quality piece that we love, rather than getting something to fill the space that down the road we will be looking to replace. This we agree on. What we don't agree on is how to fill that vision. If my husband had it his way we would live in a white room, with white furniture, and steel walls. Yes, the man likes modern. Like, really modern. I, on the other hand, and more functional and understand that a 3 year old is not going to do well living in a museum, so I tend to be more practical. If I had my dream home it would look something like Diane Keaton's in Something's Got To Give, but the problem is that my version of this has two major issues, 1) we don't live in a multi million dollar cape home and thus is all wrong for a urban apartment, and 2) it would end up looking exactly like a page out of a Potterybarn catalog, which in no way reflects who we are as a family, which is the exact opposite of what we want. So in the end these conflicting design strategies have basically left us stuck in the mud.

Well, when my amazing designer friend was visiting I explained this problem to her, and within minutes she said all we need is a little help from an expert. A mediator of sorts. She listened to what we both wanted, showed us some new design websites, and by the time we finished the last bottle of wine we had (on paper) finished decorating the remainder of our home (future nursery excluded.) Having a third party in the conversation allowed us to talk about what we wanted in a more clinical way, and when you add in her talent we were able to to in two hours what we haven't been able to do in two years. (I can assure you that the three bottles of wine didn't hurt things either.) After she left we both felt as though we could breathe a sigh of relief because we finally agreed on what we wanted to have our home look like, and those of you who know us in real life know that us agreeing is nothing short of a miracle.

The pieces were chosen to tie into some surf art we ordered a few months ago, and I am so excited because I think that by Christmas I should finally be living in a space that is something that feels like home to me, rather than a place that is begging to be lived in. Over the next few months it should all come together, and once I have it painted and furnished the rooms I will be sharing what I hope are some amazing before and after shots. For now here is a glimpse of what will be trickling in this Fall.

Living Room.

Master Bedroom.

Sometimes you just need an expert...

Move over Little Man, you are not the only one who is going to have a fully furnished room in this house.*

*The only reason that this is the case is because my husband wanted nothing to do with that room, thus allowing me to do whatever I wanted... which by the way I think turned out pretty awesome.