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How to Nest for Less™

My Evolving Tastes

in This & That on

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It’s kind of hard having a blog and having your design tastes evolve in front of a bunch of people. Sometimes you feel like you need to almost explain yourself.

Case in point, my design choices from our first home compared to our second home.

Our first house was a learning experience. We were 23 and 24 when we purchased the place and built it from scratch. We didn’t have much money to splurge on the things we really wanted, like upgraded kitchen cabinets. But with time and hard work, we made things work.

We painted those ugly builder grade oak cabinets a bright white and it really transformed the kitchen. In fact, painting those cabinets made me realize that I really do love a bright and clean kitchen which is why we opted for white cabinets in the new home.

kitchen-white-painted-cabinets1where the kitchen still has a loooong way to go…

kitchenBut some of my other interior design tastes really evolved. In the last home we loved brighter pastel colors in the rooms. The main color throughout the place was a light greenish blue color, Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams.

BHG great room makeoverNow our rooms seems to have more of a polished taste (and I use that term lightly). Goodbye to the beachy shabby chic colors and furnishings and hello “grown up” style… umm, I don’t know if that’s the right term but it feels that way to me!

Our family room and sun room both have more of a darker, richer feel. Something completely out of my old comfort zone. But this is what I’m drawn towards these days. Charcoal gray, mixing metals (lots of satin nickel and gold tones), and darker wood tones throughout.

nest for less family room makeoverBut I’m still doing everything on a budget. Lots of local discount furniture stores and thrift store shopping. I’m just taking a different approach; looking for key items and going into a store with an idea rather than trying to wing it on the spot.

charcoal gray breakfast roomOf course I will still be painting furniture and whatever else I can get my hands on. I’m pretty excited actually to try a new color schemes in paint, moving away from Duck Egg Blue and Pure White and more towards rustic, earthy colors. But you’ll see a lot more exposed, natural wood in our second home.

annie sloan chalk paint wall artI still LOVE brighter, pastel colors I just need to figure out how to use them in the right places. My old craft room oozed shiny, flashy colors. And I promise my craft room in the new place will have the same. There’s just something about creating in a fun-filled colorful, creative room.

craft room makeover DIY desk

Last thing I want to quickly touch on… design fads. I honestly try to stay away from the big ones: pallet projects, chevron, white planked walls, chalkboard walls, industrial pipe shelving (if I see one more shelving project where they drill into beautiful hardwood floors I’m going to scream). Let me just say I really try to design with blinders on. It’s not that I hate those fads, they’re just not me. I’m just trying to march to the beat of my own drum at this point.

So yeah, sometimes it’s hard to balance. I feel like I gained a lot of readership for my brighter color schemes, but I hope y’all understand that tastes evolve. Your style can change. You change. And I just hope you stick around to see where this goes.


 

I’m working on our loft over the weekend. BIG plans up there, even though it’s a tiny space. Hopefully I’ll have something to share by next week! OH, and I’ve been working on my friend’s bathroom makeover. Reveal coming on next Thursday!

 

 

 

 

 

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Comments

  1. Sue says

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    Great post, Erin! Actually, the fact that your blog is different from the others is why I like it. To me, it is kind of sad to see lots of bloggers parroting each other with the current trends. I read a LOT of blogs and it seems at times that they all blend together. As far as style evolution, well that is a natural process that is fun to watch and keeps your blog from becoming stagnant. Style is such a personal thing and to me as long as you keep the DIY aspect going we can all adapt our own style to the techniques and projects you present. No explanations necessary 🙂

    Sue

    • howtonestforless says

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      Thanks so much Sue! I agree with the parroting and blending of tastes. Sometimes it’s just nice to see (and do!) something fresh.

  2. [email protected] says

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    I feel exactly the same way. We brought a fixer upper and I find my design taste evolving. I too stay away from the latest trends and find my taste (to my surprise) to be more in the richer deep tones. I even find myself liking some brass lamps. LOL I love to read your blog and see how your take your time to develop your room and your DIY projects.

    • howtonestforless says

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      Ah, I feel like we were separated at birth. I LOVE brass lamps! I have one in my sun room and one in our loft right now. When my grandma passed away I grabbed them. My mom thought I was crazy, but there’s just something about an old brass lamp!

  3. Melissa says

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    I started reading your blog more regularly with the new house purchase and your new design direction and LOVE where you are going! I find ideas on your blog that I could actually use in my traditional style to keep it fresh and I love that (as well as the fact that you do not think budget is a bad word)!

    • howtonestforless says

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      Thank Melissa! I’m just trying to find the balance to make our new look expensive on a budget. And I find it hard to get traditional inspiration from blogs today. Glad to hear I’m helping a bit 🙂

  4. MaryAnne Deckard says

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    I agree we grow and change all th= time so our home should show that . Thanks for sharing you r beautiful style

  5. Anne says

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    Sue, Melvina and Melissa…well said! Erin, I agree you have to march to your own drum. And I love the word budget!

    Styles, colors, fads etc go in and out, they say. But if I like it and it is “out”, it stays. I have been hearing that granite is on its way out….HA…not in my house. I love it! But maybe in two years, I will be ready for a change, maybe not. Change is great if you want it. Each individuals style is their own and should be…so very personal. What works for one person, does not work for the next and that is perfectly OK.

    Erin, you do a fantastic job of not being “typical”, you DIY and you watch your $$$$$……and it shows style and class. Taking your ideas and doing it ourselves, with our personal style, is a blast of fun.

    Annie

    • howtonestforless says

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      Best comment ever. Seriously. You just made my day 🙂

  6. Tina says

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    Have to admit as an older reader of you and other younger bloggers I did a little happy dance at “natural wood”!! Moving up my to-do list is refinishing an octagonal table that my grandfather “antiqued” with ivory & gold in the ’70s–story in the family is that it is a wood-inlaid table. I can see all the grandchildren refinishing all this painted stuff & saying “what were they thinking?!?” I love painted furniture too but cringe when something beautiful is covered just for the shabby chic trend. And Erin I enjoy watching you evolve, you have lots of wonderful ideas that have staying power!

    • howtonestforless says

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      Hah! Happy fancy 🙂 Totally agree with the next generation looking perplexed at the things we’ve painted over. Just like when people in the 70s covered up beautiful hardwood flooring with orange shag carpet. What were they thinking?!?

      And thanks too for the kind words. I appreciate it!

  7. Katie says

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    I love you style – all of them! Of course Style Changes – just like how we dress ourselves, how we want to dress our homes changes as well! I never took photos of all my design changes throughout the last 17 years, but lets just say that I have had over 18 colors in my kitchen. Yes. Sure – I have had 6 kitchens, but still.

    I think it is fun to watch your style evolve – it is like watching you “grow” up – we can all think back and say “remember when?!” and that is an amazing feature – to bring people together and create a community!

    🙂

    • howtonestforless says

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      18 colors in your kitchen? That is awesome! I like saying “remember when” as well. And luckily I have this blog with lots of photos to help me remember 😉

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