How I Found My Style {From My Front Porch to Yours Feature}

A while ago, Pamela from From My Front Porch to Yours asked if I would be a part of her series…

…..of “How I Found My Style”…

So while I am away…scouring the flea markets of France with fellow bloggers and friends…

…..and the hubby holding down the fort….

………..I thought I would share this post featured at Pamela’s a couple of months ago.

When Pamela asked that I be a part of her “How I Found My Style” Series…

…..I was so flattered and honored to be among a great group of wonderful bloggers…

……….with a great sense of style, talent and creativity.

How I found my style goes back to when I was 6 months old…yes 6 months old…

…..I have always loved the “Southern Plantation Style”…

Now if Shirley MacLaine is right…

…..if we had past lives, then I would have been on a Southern Plantation hopefully with Rhett Butler.

The South, known for its hospitality, and the pineapple as its treasured symbol.

This is me!…I was 6 months old…now can you see the “pineapple design” in the background?

My little sister thought she was being “crafty” one day…

…..and cropped most of the pictures in my parents album.

So, there you have it…I was introduced to the “symbol of hospitality” at a very early age!

My decorating style largely “Southern Traditional”

This is what you see when you enter my home…

…..mainly a traditional style feel.

But then you can see how much I love vintage and antique architectural items…

…such as the antique wood and iron shutters over my fireplace that has an “old world” feel.

They are actually from an old villa in Italy (my hubby’s heritage).

A view of the living/great room facing the front doors…

…..a 4 foot pineapple light hangs in the foyer..OK..so I am still with my Southern Traditional style..

This is one of my favorite books…”The Welcoming House”…

Now moving in closer into the living room…you can see some changes in style…

…..from a coastal feel, to a garden feel with my garden finials on the hearth…

……….to a touch of french country in the toile pillows and a modern feel with the Ikat pillows.

I guess you have finally discovered that I so love a blend of styles…..

…..does that make me a non-traditionalist?…I have recently gotten away from labeling my style.

I want to think that my style is that of warm and inviting interiors….

…..that make me, my family and friends comfortable.

Other than being “infused” at 6 months old with my love of “Southern Traditional”…

My decorating style began when I was 10 years old.

I so loved my “Aunt Mary”, she was actually my dad’s cousin, but we kids called her Aunt Mary.

Aunt Mary lived in Coral Gables, Florida. I always couldn’t wait to go visit her…

…..she crafted, she made wool braided rugs, she antiqued, but mainly “junked”!

Yes, I used to drive along with her on trash day in Coral Gables…she was THE original junker!

She would get the best things from the curbs. Her best find?…An original Tiffany lamp!!

Way back then when people would pass on, their children would just throw stuff out in the trash…

…..old junk you know…So Aunt Mary, got me hooked on my appreciation of antiques and their value.

Aunt Mary and Uncle Clyde had a second home in the Florida Keys…

Yes, “my uncle” was an original “conch”.

When we would visit them there in the summers…

…..we would troll the beaches and she knew just where to go….

……….to get those treasures that washed up on the beach.

Her bottle and jug collections were phenomenal.

She also won many awards for her shell creations.

Aunt Mary and Uncle Clyde are gone now…with my dad and the angels…

…..I miss her so much and think of her whenever I am antiquing or junking…I can hear her voice.

She would say, “Antiques are like friends, choose them well, and you will never go wrong”

Then there is my mom….She is Japanese…and talk about “hospitality”…

She taught me that no matter what…you must treat your guests with the utmost respect…

…..and always make them feel welcomed and comfortable and never want for anything.

All that you do for people comes back ten fold..

…..you know, you reap what you sow, but she calls it “karma”.

I talk about my mom surrounded by pics of my kitchen…as that is always where you will find her…

…..or rushing toward you to fill your “half full” glass.

The men in my family just love her…she is 88 years young and can still run circles around us!

The master bedroom is very traditional…my hubby is a very traditional guy…

…..and he really has opinions on decorating..

We still have our very first bedroom set that we bought…Most of the pieces now are in the guest rooms.

OK, I am going to confess this….as it will date me.

We bought our very first bedroom set when we got married 43 years ago.

Yes, I got married when I was 2!!

I have known my hubby since we were in the 2nd grade…we were married then!! 🙂

It is great that we have the same taste and he loves our home as much as I do…

When we were dating, we passed by an Ethan Allen store.

I asked if he wouldn’t mind if we stopped…

…..he said, yes, and we spent hours in that store…I knew then “he was the one”!!

One Christmas, my dad surprised my sister and I with a new bedroom set….

…..he knew just what to get…one in the “Early American Style”.

It wasn’t Ethan Allen, but it was pretty!

Pamela asked me what has been my most treasured find?…

It has to be two things…things that I found, that I passed up because of the price…and…

…..shortly thereafter they appeared in my home as gifts from my hubby..

One of them is in the background of our little kitchenette in the media room…my pie safe.

…..and the other is my stained glass piece…which probably is my most treasured..so sentimental!!

We love our home…and we count our blessings every day…

When I finish this post, soon thereafter, there will be guests in this room for the weekend.

It is decorated with a “cottage” feel (another style I love)…

This is the main guest room…a “snippet” of it…

…..I plan to update my “house tour” next week as it is a year old!!…it’s time!

This is the view that my guests have…every room in the house, excluding some bathrooms…

…..has a view of the golf course..

……….the entire back of the house is french doors, both upper and lower floors.

As a teenager, when my friends were buying Seventeen Magazines…

…..and if I only had enough money for one magazine….

………..I would buy a House Beautiful….as it made me very happy!

So, back to the question?…What is my style??…

Well, I think from the many magazines that I subscribe to…

…..you probably have guessed, I love them all!!

Any style that is warm and inviting…and comfortable.

And if I can give you any tips today, I would say, decorate with what you love…

…..always paying attention to detail…to scale and texture and living with colors that you love.

To buy the best you can afford…you never tire of quality pieces.

With that, your home will just fall into place for you and your family to enjoy!

So, “From My Front Porch To Yours”…I thank you Pamela….

…..for this opportunity to share my home and style!