One of the joys of antiquing is how antiques make your home so unique, a true reflection of you. Of course there are design trends – like everyone is loving gray painted walls, and pretty linen fabrics are so popular right now – but within those design trends there are hallmarks of your home that are unique to you. 

Many of you saw my video blog where I showed how I was adding artwork to my home. I wasn’t quite finished with the room but definitely wanted to share my progress. Well, just days after we shared the final video, a pipe burst under my house and flooded nearly my entire first floor! Can you imagine the mayhem? Here are the real ‘After’ photos:

Of course, my hubby and I were truly stressed out, not quite sure what to do, but definitely knowing that we had to move out to renovate. There were many aspects of our first floor that needed to be redone, like our wood floors, walls and all nearby cabinetry, which included the kitchen. This was not a project I was planning or expecting to do anytime soon. So we’ve packed up our whole house and kids and moved in with the in-laws, which is its own adventure. 

Since life has handed us lemons, I figured now it’s time to make lemonade… I decided that maybe this is a good time to do all those projects that I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have the time for. One was redesigning our master bathroom, adding a bigger closet, changing out the old slippery white tile for something new and maybe even painting it a new color. 

We’ve loved our color, BM Delaware Putty, for seven years – but I am ready for a change!

Benjamin Moore 240 Delaware Putty

While thinking about some of the things we wanted to add, I began wondering how I could incorporate some of the latest design trends, but with my own unique touch. Often, customers ask me about whether they should go with more mainstream pieces and ideas. Here are a few ways I plan to add them – with a twist! – into my home.

As you may know, I love painted furniture. But I really love period painted pieces, and pieces with scenes and motifs painted on them like these. I know it’s not for everyone, but thankfully my hubby and I share a similar design aesthetic and we love them.

Another thing I love is gold! I had hoped to select gold faucets for our ‘new’ bathroom to go along with the marble I chose. But we decided to go for polished nickel for resale purposes. Instead, I am going to frame a set of antique intaglios I found in Europe with gilt frames. It will be a whole gallery of beautifully framed intaglios – all beautiful and unique to me. The framing could have been anything, but the important thing is that something you choose in that personal space becomes a reflection of you. 

I adore blousy fabrics and floral printed linens. They can quickly date a room, but just a little bit of print looks so elegant, and creates such an effective contrast to plain beige. Here are a few prints I hope to include in my project.

One place I love, love, love to express myself creatively is in my art. Every time I travel, I find myself picking up art for my home. This is such a great way to put something in your home that not only inspires you daily but says a little bit about what you like. Here are a few pieces that I picked up on my last trip from France that will go in my newly-renovated old home!

One of the joys of including antiques and hand made or hand-finished pieces into your home is that each of these pieces are a reflection of you, what you love and what inspires you. These sorts of pieces, along with all those little details in the finishing touches – colors, fabrics, patterns, artwork and accessories – are what give your home the personality of you and your family. 

Well, I’ll be sure to share another set of Before and After pictures – we are certainly closer to the before stage right now!