Fall Home Tour 2018

Confession…most, if not all, of the years I have shared my fall home tour here with you, there has been quite a bit of ‘staging’ done prior to taking the photos.

Vintage suitcases trying to look casual all stacked on top of each other with pumpkins spilling out. Extra throw blankets and pillows tossed onto chairs which makes it more than evident that no one is actually supposed to sit there.

There would be tables set for parties that were never going to happen or freshly baked bread with just a few pieces sliced up to look like they were waiting for someone to walk by and grab one.

I would huff and puff and sweat as I moved around furniture and rearranged things to get the perfect shot and then as soon as I had captured the image, huff and puff and sweat moving things back to the way they are normally arranged.

Which means that what you would see was not really an accurate portrayal of how my house looks on any given day.

Now, from a photographer’s perspective, there are always things which have to be adjusted to get the best look, always staging involved.

But, this year I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

This year, I wanted it to look like it would if you just popped over to pay me a visit one day. Granted, normally you would see dishes in the sink, a laundry basket or two, papers on the desk in the kitchen and socks, so many socks. What is it with kids leaving socks everywhere?

But, for the most part, this is my home…unstaged.

Now, for the sake of full disclosure, I will say that for my fall mantel blog post I shared last week, I did move a couple of chairs away from the wall and had them flank the fireplace.

And I won’t be taking you to see the rooms upstairs because with a 15 and 11 year old, well, you understand.

But, if you’re ok with a blogger sharing a fall home tour that has a little less and doesn’t look like the inside of a home decor store exploded everywhere, then I’m your girl!

All I wanted this year was to see ripples of fall through my home rather than huge splashes.

To have little pops of the colors of Autumn here and there but only if it could be done in a matter of minutes and didn’t involve any huffing and puffing.

I’m not going to have a table laden with gorgeous place settings and handmade napkin rings.

But you are welcome to sit down on a stool at the kitchen island and talk to me while I figure out what to make for dinner.

Lately, more than ever, I’ve been feeling that pull towards simplicity in my seasonal decorating.

And not just in my decorating but in my life too. My desire to have a peaceful home is greater than it’s ever been. With so much coming at us all of the time, creating a haven for myself and my family means I’m choosing to control what I can control.

And because I believe a peaceful home begins with a peaceful heart, I’m giving myself the gift of really enjoying the seasons rather than making them stressful by dragging out decorations that will only be used for a photo or spending hours staging rooms that look like they’re an advertisement.

So, I’ll just keep sharing ideas for your homes that I think you might like and inspiration for your heart that I think you might enjoy.

Because my desire isn’t to just have a home that is beautiful to look at but, instead, to have a home that is beautiful to live in.

Thank you for letting me open my door to you today dear friends,