Saturday, September 10, 2011

Warmth of Color


I see so many beautiful white rooms and decor in blogland. I love the clean look and brightness but you know when it comes to crunch time (shopping) I never or rarely choose anything white for my home. Funny how we gravitate to the same colors. I tend to be drawn to the warm colors of fall and use them in decorating all year long.


Do you ever have the sense that your were born in the wrong place? I am so not a SoCal girl. I am sure I was meant to be born in New England and wear sweaters and turtlenecks. I am meant to see the change in the seasons and have a charming old home with smoke coming out of the chimney on cool nights. I have felt this way from a very young age. I doubt I will ever live in New England but I would like to move some day. Now, I am not unhappy with where I live, but I have lived within 20 miles of where I was born my whole life. So has hubby. We have hubby's family here which is a nice thing for my kids.


My husband would like to transfer eventually to a different department and we would need to re-locate but not too far from where we live now. Problem is we have a very social 13 almost 14 year old I am not going to yank from her wonderful group of friends that she has at our church. She works at the church twice a week and attends all the group activities for her age. We will have to time it very carefully and probably wait until she is done with high school. So four or five years. I am ready. I think I like to move every 10 years or so and I think I might even like a new home. I have never had a new home all brand new and clean just for us. I think my drive to take on major projects is decreasing the older I get. I just want to move in and have it be ready to live in. No major projects except landscaping. That I never tire of. How about you? Do you prefer new or old homes?

20 comments:

  1. I am with you, New England and a warm fire going in the fireplace. I could never live where it was hot all the time.
    Also, I need rain or water going on somewhere. I am fine with mountains. So, I live in Ohio where I was born and raised. But we have the change of seasons and snow (my favorite) lots of rain and lakes.
    And I get to visit Colorado several times a year. Still would like to live in New England hah.
    A new house would be nice but an old house with everything fixed would work. We can dream, right. Our kids are raised but now we want to be near some of the grandkids if we can.

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  2. Well, if you look at my latest decision, I'd have to say old homes. But then I've lived in all kinds. I've had new homes, big colonial homes, etc. But after seeing how new homes are often made, I just don't feel like they make them as strong as they once did. Maybe more environmentally friendly. But a house has got to be rugged to survive.
    Brenda

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  3. I love the charm and character of older homes, and most new ones are lacking in this department. But....I sooo understand the desire to not want to tackle those really large projects such as renovating one. Sooo, I guess I will stay put. Especially since I have begged hubby for us to sale our place and down size. Our house is not huge, but it is still too big for the two of us. It is our yard, pool, and gardeneng that I would love to change. Just our front yard is 1 whole acre! It is a huge job keeping it all up.
    I joke with him all of the time that if he dies before I do, I am going to the local real estate office and putting this place on the market before I make funeral arrangements for him. There is no possible way I could do all of this alone!

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  4. We bought a 100 year old home as a second home and "Wow", the money we have had to sink into that house to fix it up. While our friends are going on a cruise, we are fixing the gutters! If I had to do it over, I would have been satisfied with our present home. People are more important anyway so "love the home you're in" is a good mantra. Have a great day!

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  5. Oh I grew up in SO. Cal. I did get to live in the mtns. in Ore. for years and enjoy all the seasons with a fabulous fire in the fireplace and I definitely love turtlenecks and jackets. My favorite way to dress. Living in the desert now, no fireplace and no turtlenecks. Hope you get to move and enjoy the seasons someday. Hugs, Marty

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  6. Years ago my husband tried to get transferred out of California to Tennesee...we thought it would be a good thing for our family...it didn't work out and we have been in the same house for 30 years...I am satisfied with my life here...and when I see all the tragedy of the weather related events in other states I am especially happy in my Southern California suburbs!

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  7. Old houses for me :)
    Can ya tell :)
    We've had many, many, many houses. Our record is 6 moves in 10 years! We've built custom homes, big homes, small homes, etc.. But for us, hand down, it's got to be an old home. One that has stood the test of time.
    Yes... they are a labor of love and sometimes money eaters. But, for us ... they are worth it all.
    We have had so many people stop and take pictures of our old homes, and even paint our old home. Never had that experience with any of our new homes. It is fun, and old homes are pretty much appreciated by everyone.
    I am ready to make this cottage our last. SO-- for us, Cottage on Main is the last move :)

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  8. Hmmm old or new....I like both. In different ways. I could decorate it according to style and be happy in either as long as everything had functionality, but...like you...I had rather it be a cozy type of environment with change in seasons for sure. Hope you are having a great weekend.

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  9. We bought our condo here in the mountains of NC new...and had it custom painted in all of the warm colors of the mountains! I love all of your pretty things for Fall! It's such a fun time to decorate! ♥

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  10. I understand how you feel. We have lived on both coast, north and south. We have purchased old and new, and we have rented. I will say, and I am not sure it is relevant, moving across country is ten times easier than moving across town. More than location, I want to live near my daughter and her family. I have never lived near family. I want to be able to have family Sunday dinners.

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  11. I always dream of living somewhere in a small town with seasons...........my oldest daughter moved to New England for work 3 years ago tho, and she cant wait to get back to the west coast...had enough of the snow and storms I guess...and power outages...but I sure like to go back and visit!! its SO green!!!!

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  12. New homes are built like crap. Older homes were built much better than new homes. I would love to live in SoCal. We lived in Scottsdale, and it was my favorite place we have ever lived (we have lived in five states)...

    Are you back from camping?

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  13. I'm with you, Elaine...not a so Ca girl either. What fun is wearing shorts and tee shirts all the time? Where is the variety of seasons? Long to wear warm boots and pretty coats and scarves. Grass is always greener, eh? We have lived in 2 brand new houses; they are nice and clean but LACK charm and detail. Sterile. We found we have to add crown molding, windowsills, woodwork, charming door handles, etc. Old houses tend to have more personality. :)

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  14. I feel the same way you do Elaine, from the love of Fall and gravitating toward the warmer colors, and to wishing I lived in a place that actually had 4 seasons!! I too would love to move, but then our family gets rooted, and then grandkids come along, and pretty soon, another 10 years have ticked away. That is why we love our Big Bear so much. We are only one hour away from a place that does indeed have 4 seasons! We will probably retire there in 10 years, and still have the best of both worlds, with family so close by.

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  15. So know what you mean. I always gravitate to warm colors,and I should have been born back East too. But it was Riverside, California and now St.George, Utah. Funny how that works.

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  16. I would love to live in a spot that had 4 seasons also, but I'm in Alabama where it is basically hot and hotter. I live within 3 miles of where I was born and rasied...never lived any other place. I think if I could move any where, it would be the mountains.

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  17. 1/ I'm like you, love the whites others use for all seasonal decor, but I'm a gold/orange/purple person for autumn
    2/ moving to new environs sounds nice, but the no matter how hard you try to meet new people (especially if you don't have children activities to tie you together) the first 2 years of a new place, you have nothing but chitchat conversations, nothing of any consequence; the first months, the only time the phone rings is a solicitor, never a friend; you have no history with anyone so when you say "Judy is having surgery tomorrow" you have to explain Judy is you SIL who has MS & this is her 4th surgery in 2 years, ie why it is a big deal.
    I moved 7 times in the first 10 years we were married, saw a lot of the eastern half of America, but I have no lasting memories of good times with friends. Just think long and hard as a couple before you move.

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  18. Elaine, love the colors too but I am also a white fan. I love it all.

    Barb

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  19. Yes, you're right Elaine, I like the whites I see but I also gravitate when shopping to the colors I'm always drawn too! Everythig is great! Hugs, FABBY

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  20. I prefer the older homes...Until we purchased this home, we had built several different new homes...Loved the all..however, I have had a blast with this one...We have redone almost everything in the house...It has 3 different sets of (white) french doors, which I love...
    Other than the white on the doors, I'm not a fan of white decorations...I prefer the warmer colors...

    Enjoyed your post..
    Shug

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