Thrifty Decor: Mara’s House

Further Details of a Folksy Gathering: Thrifty Decor

I mentioned a road trip when I last wrote. Actually, the road trip was all I wrote about, but I wrote in general, or maybe panoramic terms…. blithely throwing a crowded minivan, a lost toenail, a poplar orchard, and folksy gatherings all together into just a few paragraphs.

But I live for those folksy gatherings. They were the whole point of our trip. Particularly (for me) the first folksy gathering, at my sister Mara Lee’s house ( the source of today’s thrifty decor). Some time soon, I will write about Mara in detail, because she is one of my very favorite people on the planet. I may rant about the cruel injustice of our not being back fence (or front porch) neighbors…even though I’m usually disinclined to rant. Today, a metaphor will have to do: My sister’s house in vignettes.  Yes, decorating can be metaphorical.  At least in my world.

Mara’s Family Room

Rather than lamenting the lack of light in her family room, Mara Lee capitalized on it.  She made it cosy with brown paint and red accents, introducing touches of light with cream  and sheer ecru curtains.  This room is a warm embrace in an ample bosom.

PS: This is where Frank and I slept when we visited, on an air mattress we’d brought along. Which air mattress, against all odds, had a slow leak in it.  So by morning, Frank was essentially sleeping on the floor and I was wedged/stacked beside/on top of him, and Nora (who’d joined us sometime during the night) was plastered more or less on top of me. A fractured Princess and the Pea moment.

One thing I love about my sister’s decorating: she uses photos of her loved ones as art,  emphasizing both the beauty of  the people, and their significance to her. She saved up for and bought the hutch while she was still single; it remains one of her favorite pieces.

Decorating with Photos: Living & Dining Room

More examples of Mara’s using photos to decorate.  The eclectic mix (black/white & color, varied frames) is endearing.

Make it Pretty with Plants and Glass

Mara mixes real plants and silk flowers in her decorating.   Lots of live plants, many from starts…and geraniums bloom year round in a southern facing window.  Silk flowers in vases are scattered throughout.  This mixing of fake and real makes the silk more convincing, just by association, and evokes a sense of profusion.  Natural luxury.

She also throws in colored glass bottles, some bargain buys, some bonafide antique. Another enhancement by association.

Color With Abandon: Spare Bedroom Elements

I LOVED Mara Lee’s color choices in this spare bedroom. Sometimes, all it takes is a color splurge to communicate abundance.  This room is in the process of being decorated. I was so inspired by the stack of pillows, the wall color, the print, and the vase of flowers, that I came home and painted my daughter’s dresser a vivid color. I’ll show you that soon.

This is Just to Say…

I took pictures of vignettes rather than rooms because Mara’s house was packed full of visitors, and their luggage and bedding. Three of her eight siblings (including me), some with kiddos (including mine),  her parents, and three in-laws all dropped in for her and her husband’s annual acrotainment show.   Which I will write about later.  Here is a photo I took while the children in the living room were still sleeping:

And I am off to bed. The end.

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