# Does your home reflect your personality?



## csalt (Feb 28, 2007)

Our neighbours have a home that is very light and elegant in its decor and furniture etc. The wife in this couple is the same, cheerful, elegant and bubbly. Her presence is everywhere , so is her husband's because he just adores her.

Our home is homely, peaceful, plain and cared for with objects treasured by both of us around the place. We are pretty much the same. ( I have a short fuse at times!)  BH (Beloved Husband) is a tranquil easy going man. His family treasures are important to him. He is important to me, so I enjoy keeping our home well cared for.
The kitchen is mostly 'my domain' and I do have a need for that to be clean to *my *standard of clean!  We have other friends whose home also reflects their personalities.
How about you?


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## VeraBlue (Feb 28, 2007)

I would hope that everyone's home would reflect their personalities and tastes.  It's impossible to describe my home, but if you based it on my personality, the match would be perfect.  Whimsical, magical, playful, mysterious....that about sums it up.  

On the other hand, my mother in laws home was decorated by a professional decorator.  With the exception of a few pieces that were in the family, nothing reflected my mother in laws personality...so as a result, I never really knew the woman.  You learn about a person when you can see the things that make them smile.  When it's just a collection of things that look good together, that tells you nothing.


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## urmaniac13 (Feb 28, 2007)

If our flat is to be expressed in a few words, "*chaos and disorder*"... is that me as well!!?  

Well... our flat is extremely small and "the stuff" we have is now totally exceeding the saturation point which the available space allows...  let's see what comes out when we move to our new flat which is almost 3 times bigger...


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## lulu (Feb 28, 2007)

one of the reasons I find it har to settle in rented is the restrictions one has in personalising!  The first home I bought was a very very old cottage, completely irregular in shape with lots of rooms and even thought was small it was possible to get lost in it, and because it was t shaped the rooms were private and held their own light and personality..  I have been doodling the same house in the margins of my notes through school, university and adult life, I hope one day I get the oppertunity to buil it.  Even in rented I have to replace with my own curtains, in this case saris as they are easy to hang and transport internationally and can be styled to fit any window.  

I strongly believe that we are influenced by what is around us.  My b-i-l has a lot of imo negative imagery in posters in his rooms, and has anger control issues and depression.  I might occasionally listen to the same sort of music and watch the films etc, but I much prefer to surround my self with things that make me smile, and happy and that I believe to be beautiful.  In the same way, one of the main things I love about DH is he inspires me to be a better and happier person: whereever I live the decor will have to match him because he is a fixture, lol.


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## Barb L. (Feb 28, 2007)

Iam pretty much a laid back person, easy going wearing earth colors, my home reflects the same, browns, dark blues, and  wine colors.  No bright colors, which I do not wear either.  Lots of warm oak trim, mini blinds.  Pictures of family on the mantle, anyone could come in here, lay on the couch an take a nap !


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## csalt (Feb 28, 2007)

urmaniac13 said:
			
		

> If our flat is to be expressed in a few words, "*chaos and disorder*"... is that me as well!!?
> 
> Well... our flat is extremely small and "the stuff" we have is now totally exceeding the saturation point which the available space allows... let's see what comes out when we move to our new flat which is almost 3 times bigger...


 

You still won't have enough space   every extra cupboard I've ever had I've managed to fill and need more!!


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## ChefJune (Feb 28, 2007)

Where I live now is the first place I have ever owned, so, altho I always made every apartment my own, one way or another, that was nothing in comparison to what is happening now in my beautiful apartment.  There are no longer any _white_ walls in my place. Every room is either warm or restful. I am having such fun decorating it to be my little piece of France in Jersey City...  altho I can't wait to be finished, operating on a budget means "finished" will not be next week, or even next month.  It's fun to anticipate each new piece.

I inherited a wonderful Art Deco chair from my folks that was very much in need of tlc. Monday the upholsterer picked it up and I am so excited because when it comes back it will be red silk embroidered with gold bees!  That's the latest change.  Then, a good friend who is a decorator is making me an ottoman of the same red silk with bees fabric!


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## urmaniac13 (Feb 28, 2007)

csalt said:
			
		

> You still won't have enough space every extra cupboard I've ever had I've managed to fill and need more!!


 
You are such a prophet Csalt... I was fearing just the same thing!!


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## YT2095 (Feb 28, 2007)

Yes and No,

you can easily tell there are 2 Very different adults living here (and a child).
My side of the bed(room) wouldn`t take a Genius to work out, it`s all very neat and tidy, Zero Clutter and purely functional.

the rest of the house is a combo of us both, but my array of book shelves would give me away also.

my Lab is where it`s really at, there`s no guesswork involved there 
Everything has a Place, and I can go grab almost anything in there even if blindfolded.
it only gets a mention in here because I spend a good 12 hours a day here, and at home 8 of the remaining 12 are spent asleep.

happily it`s an Annex to the house so I can still do all my cooking duties without issue


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## lulu (Feb 28, 2007)

I think the very fact you lab is an annex to the house speaks volumes YT!


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## YT2095 (Feb 28, 2007)

well it`s Safer that way, and I get Zero Interferance shall we say 

although it`s only door is from inside the house, that suits me, it`s still a NO-GO area 
it`s a Skywalk building, so only held up at 2 ends (less noise that way).

Mine Mine Mine I tell you!!!!!


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## Alix (Feb 28, 2007)

What a cool thread! I'm almost afraid to answer this one because it will reveal so much about me!  

YT, your description of your bedroom made me laugh. Its like you were describing my room. Ken's side is orderly and neat, and my night table makes him cringe. There are books piled high all over it and around it. Neat IMO, but not his. LOL. 

ChefJune, we don't have any white walls left either. I noticed a while ago that every bedroom is painted a different shade of blue. The girls each picked an ocean colour. (One has Spongebob decor, and the other an undersea/dolphin motif). Our bedroom colour was matched from a photo of us on a catamaran on our honeymoon. Sigh, I loved that trip. The living areas of the house are different earth tones. The kitchen (which you can see on the Kitchen thread) is a creamy colour with a hint of peach in it to go with the swirls in my floor tiles. The living room and hallway are Monroe Bisque (love that name) which is a bit darker. And the basement is a dark gold with navy accents. 

As to the decor, well I guess you could call it "comfortable". I grew up in a place where it was OK to put your feet up and thats how I want people to feel when they come in. Kick off your shoes, let me get you a drink and some munchies and snuggle down on the couch so we can chat. Its always a bit untidy, and there is pet hair everywhere despite my best efforts, but you can feel the love and peace in our house and thats just how I like it.


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## jkath (Feb 28, 2007)

I love this thread! Alix - I love the idea of colormatching from your trip! WOW!

My home is still a work in progress, but with the rooms that are pretty much done, they reflect us! My formal living room is a beautiful pale aqua ...well, here - you can see it:








My office upstairs is a match to the living room as well.

My kitchen and family room is the color of when the sunshine hits a pale wall. It's warm and sunny, more casual. Black couches with chocolate accents, and pine wood. The bar is near there too, and it's coordinating as well.

My bedroom's got black iron furniture (kinda swirly), white trim and deep red linens. We're thinking of changing them out to white and painting the walls the deep red instead. (The walls are 16' high, so I'm kind of putting it off!) The fireplace is old brick, but I'd like to put a white mantle over it.

I like to have everything organized and in it's place. The only exception is my stack of paperwork on one of the office tables. It's always there!


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## YT2095 (Feb 28, 2007)

Holy crap!

I aint inviting you to Our place then! :P


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## jkath (Feb 28, 2007)

I like everyone's place! I just feel best when I know my housework is done!

(what I failed to mention is that my kids are both doing the "beyond-lived-in" look in their rooms. They get good grades, and are nice kids. I give them quite a bit of leeway.)


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## Alix (Feb 28, 2007)

jkath said:
			
		

> I like everyone's place! I just feel best when I know my housework is done!


 
Hey, I have plenty to share, wanna come do mine?


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## jkath (Feb 28, 2007)

sure! I've always wanted to go to Canada! I'll help organize your closets too.


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## Uncle Bob (Feb 28, 2007)

Does my home reflect my personality? Very interesting question! 
Never thought about it.
Or maybe does my home reflect my life?
Are they the same?

Have to think about this...Maybe drink some bourbon tonight and ponder these questions..

Very beautiful living/dining room Miss Jkath...elegant, refined, very graceful..I approve!


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## YT2095 (Feb 28, 2007)

the entire Footprint of our house would fit inside her one room!

and I`m NOT joking!


*sigh*


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## csalt (Feb 28, 2007)

jkath, that is real elegance, we coiuldn't hold a candle to it!!

http://

Come into the garden instead


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## shpj4 (Feb 28, 2007)

My home definitely reflects my personality.  It is done in all shades of green with white washed furniture and pictures everywhere.

I bubble and so does Jolie and our home is filled with warmth and confort.


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## Katie H (Feb 28, 2007)

This is a fun thread.  I find it interesting how each of us makes our "nest" our own.

As for Buck and me, this is the first OLD house we've lived in.  Prior to this one, our homes were built in the '70s or '80s.  This one was build in *18*80 and has lots and lots of character...and a ghost on the first floor.  There are three floors.

We have 4 bedrooms, one of which is my office.  There's a formal living room, formal dining room, family room, breakfast room, kitchen, two bathrooms, a sitting room off our bedroom, a dressing room off the second floor bath, a laundry room/pantry and a second bath.

The house is Queen Anne Victorian and sits on a big hill here in town.  It has a widow's porch on the third floor with a dome-topped roof on it.  A deep porch wraps around two sides of the house. There is fish scale siding on the front face of the house and lots of curly-cue trim on the peaks and on the eaves of the first and second floors.  The house looks like a great big decorated cake, with a Hershey's kiss on the third floor porch.

There are 52 windows, 7 exterior doors (5 on the first floor, 1 each on the second and third) and 25 interior doors.  All the rooms have transoms over the doors.  What this means is there is almost NO wall space for hanging art or pictures.  The family room alone has 9 almost 8-foot windows in it.  The length of the windows is a real challenge when it comes to curtains or draperies.  Fortunately, I know how to make just about any type of window treatment and have dressed most of the windows in appropriate Victorian-style treatments.

There are nooks and crannies and lots and lots of stairs.  Even though we've lived here nearly 13 years, I still find myself going up or down a lot to get something I've forgotten in spite of my best efforts to be efficient with my trips to and from the three floors.  This is the ultimate Stairmaster!

Buck and I are avid antique collectors.  Have been for years.  The astounding thing about moving here was that all the Victorian furniture we had collected over the years fit perfectly in this old house.  I am still trying to figure out where we had it crammed in our house back in Maryland.  It was almost half the size this house is and I don't really remember feeling cramped.

In spite of all the antiques, we LIVE in our house.  It's comfortable and we share it with several indoor and outdoor cats.  With all the windows, it's kitty heaven.  On a sunny afternoon, it's common to see someone napping in the sunshine.

We're also "book" people.  Both of us are avid readers and that is obvious by all the books we have.  They are in every room.  Even the dining room I was surprised to discover the other day.  Don't think any have made it into the laundry/pantry.  I wouldn't be surprised to find some there, though.

As for the color schemes in the house, we're still at the mercy of the previous owner.  Until we have a new foundation put in, we can't do any major decorating.  Paint is about it, but every square inch of the house has been wallpapered.  Our bedroom is the worst.  Nightmarish.  Black wallpaper with rose/purple flowers.  Love wakin' up to that every morning.  Oh, well, in time we'll be able to make the changes.

Our kitchen is hilarious.  It was added to the house in the '30s.  Prior to that cooking was done in the small building a few steps away from the house called the summer kitchen.  The kitchen's small.  Really small.  And has next to no counter space and cabinets.  Until we bought a small base cabinet at Lowe's, we only had 1 drawer in the kitchen.  I have so much stuff hanging from the ceiling on makeshift racks, it looks like stalactites in a cave.  Actually, though, it is quite convenient.  Will definitely incorporate some form of my rack system in our new kitchen when we remodel.  That's way down the road at this point.  I really believe this house will always be a work in progress.

We love our house, warts and all, and wouldn't trade it for anything.  Each day is an adventure and I always get a feeling of happiness and safety each time I drive up the hill to the driveway.  It really _feels_ like home.


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## americanwit (Feb 28, 2007)

I try my best to keep everything in order.  My wife on the other hand is a slob, it's all I can do to keep her mess in order. I just unpacked her after moving into our new home over two years ago.


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 28, 2007)

I share a two-story townhouse (fancy for 'apartment') with a fellow greenskeeper. It's 1,300 square feet and ridiculously expensive. I grew up around boats so there's a heavy nautical theme and any space left over is covered with Ohio State memorabilia and a variety of promotional golf banners left over from the clubhouse. I've kind of taken over the kitchen and half of the space has been converted to a small-scale brewery. Now that I think about it, the apartment screams sports bar/fraternity. And this coming from a guy who's getting on the wagon.


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## Buck (Feb 28, 2007)

americanwit said:
			
		

> I just unpacked her after moving into our new home over two years ago.



Wasn't she a bit cramped in that packing box for two years?


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## Barbara (Feb 28, 2007)

We live in a Spanish/calif.Hacienda style home. Big open rooms - my office and master bedroom are on the second floor. When we bought the house 4 years ago we did some changes to make it our own. First of all they did not have one bookcase in the whole house so we turned the formal living room into a library and we love it - quite often we eat in there on the game table I bought second hand that has drawers for poker chips.

The kitchen is beautiful to look at and has lots of storage and counter space, but a major flaw is the Hood over the island cooktop is too low. Still trying to figure out what to do. Also, it seems all I ever do is walk around the **** island. Am I rambling??


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## goodgiver (Feb 28, 2007)

The decor in my home is early attic. Nothing matches. Dear Hubby and I are very laid back people. When you come to visit us you come to visit us, not what we have. We have many ppl come to see what we are up to all the time. One time we moved all the furniture out of the kitchen and living room and put in orange crates. Gosh did we really have fun.


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## jkath (Feb 28, 2007)

Thank you, Uncle Bob - funny thing is that I always admire the homes from the south - maybe that's why you give it your approval.

Katie - your home sounds wonderful!!

Barbara - mine's a spanish style too - and in southern California....and we've always got poker chips around for dh's obsession...erm...I mean hobby. Sounds like we ought to be neighbors!


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## kadesma (Feb 28, 2007)

_I'm very traditional, my favorite colors being beige and chocolate brown, I'm small and blond favor jeans or cords with a chasmere sweater, tennis shoes or loafers..I enjoy quiet so our home is in the country rather a ranch style on eight and a half acres. The house outside is yep you guessed it tan with chocolate brown trim..Inside my kitchen is a coffee with tons of cream walls and white trim, with touches of black. I got all black appliances my windows have wide slat shutters in white, the floor looks like old old old faded terra cotta tiles, but is just a laminate...I do have a touch of whimsy about me and my dinning room reflects that..Victorian lace curtains an old buffet,curio cabnet, gilded mirror over the buffet and no wall paper but a lovely victorian trim around the top of the wall..I'm in the process of looking for a new celing fixture as the one I have is not me, DH could care less so I' m scouting My family room is getting a planked wood floor soon as we now have put in our or I should say my dream, leather sofa,chair,love seat in yes chocolate leather, the legs and parts of the arms are carved dark wood..The coffee table is rather Art Deco 30's wood the center of which is a beautiful marble, marble lamp on side table that matches the coffee table. the room is long and has a slopped beamed celing one wall is old brick from the presidio in San Francisco and goes floor to celing..3 bedrooms that we want to re-do when we have grown grand kids, two and a half baths, back laundry area, large wonderful pantry and a large back yard and pool..I'd say the house reflects me in many ways and in other not at all..Were we to build again, I'd choose a spanish or English style home. But home is home and I'm happy to be here._
_kadesma _


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## Uncle Bob (Feb 28, 2007)

Miss Jkath..

You know I didn't think about it that way...but now that you mention it. It does seem to have a certain Southern Charm to it. Wonder where that came from ...Maybe it's the window treatment or the table...I dunno. Or maybe it just the over-all ambiance


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## Constance (Feb 28, 2007)

I'd say ours does, since we designed it ourselves. My husband, the engineer, designed the general shape (dutch coop), layed out the electrical, plumbing, etc, and I layed out the interior. We hired a professional house framer, because our design involved a lot of different angles and cantilever stuff, but it really is "our house", and we love it.


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## ChefJune (Feb 28, 2007)

jkath said:
			
		

> I like everyone's place! I just feel best when I know my housework is done!
> 
> (what I failed to mention is that my kids are both doing the "beyond-lived-in" look in their rooms. They get good grades, and are nice kids. I give them quite a bit of leeway.)


  as long as you can close the door, you don't have to look at it!  and hopefully one day they'll get sick of the mess.  
Did someone say Pet Hair?????   Ms Julia Child Kitty rules this roost, and since the day she came to live here, the house has been renamed "Chez Julia," because it is _definitely_ HER house, and she let's no one forget that.

No matter how hard I try, kitty hair is an ever present "accessory!"  might as well laugh, its a fact of life!


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## QSis (Feb 28, 2007)

goodgiver said:
			
		

> The decor in my home is early attic. Nothing matches. Dear Hubby and I are very laid back people. When you come to visit us you come to visit us, not what we have. We have many ppl come to see what we are up to all the time. One time we moved all the furniture out of the kitchen and living room and put in orange crates. Gosh did we really have fun.


 
I'm coming to your house, goodgiver, and you can come to mine anytime!  I bet my "early shabby" trumps your "early attic".  

My dream is to have ocean-front property some day, so I've been saving for that horrendous expense all of my adult life.  In the meantime, my total disregard for home decor and material goods is evident in my townhouse.  Also, I'm a rather "casual" cleaner.

But, hey, it's presentable, comfortable, and it's very much "home" to me!

Lee


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## lulu (Mar 1, 2007)

Pet hair relieves me in a home I visit: makes me feel less bad about the stuff I arrive with on my clothes, siamese cats: pale hair shows on dark clothes, the dark hair on pale clothes....you cannot win


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## Snoop Puss (Mar 1, 2007)

Absolutely not. I don't think I could manage jkath's level of tidiness, but I would like it significantly tidier than it is... We're moving in the next few weeks, so we're surrounded by boxes. Each room is not much more than a corridor amid stuff piled high on all sides.

But even under normal circumstances, our home reflects my partner's personality. Mess, chaos, disorder, randomness... he claims it helps his creativity. We both work from home. His 'office' has been described by a good friend as an 'indoor garage'. Though you couldn't get a bicycle in there, let alone a car. Even the cats find it a daunting trying to find floor space to walk on.

But you know the weird thing is that in fact he's doing most of the packing. I guess because most of the stuff is actually his. But his packing is so neat and so well ordered. Boxes of just the right size for items swaddled in bubble wrap cut just so. Each box protected at the edges and corners (the number of times I've heard "you could stand that in a puddle and it wouldn't matter" is beyond belief) and... labelled in the neatest handwriting with full details of what's inside. This will be the first time in I don't know how long that I have some idea where things are. Some of these boxes are likely to stay sealed for several years, so it's just as well. But what a strange contrast - total and utter chaos on the one hand and meticulous order on the other!


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## csalt (Mar 1, 2007)

In a way our home is linked to America. We live in a bungalow which was formerly the married quarters for USA Officers.

RAF Sculthorpe Alumni Page

We live very close to all the 'local interest places'

Our home would fit several times into some of yours but it's our 'nest' and we love it.


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## jkath (Mar 1, 2007)

Snoop - your partner's 'messy here, organized there' sounds like my sister.


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## Alix (Mar 1, 2007)

lulu said:
			
		

> Pet hair relieves me in a home I visit: makes me feel less bad about the stuff I arrive with on my clothes, siamese cats: pale hair shows on dark clothes, the dark hair on pale clothes....you cannot win


 
lulu, you are welcome in my house ANYTIME. I can furnish all the pet hair you want. LOL. (And FYI, grey fleece or flannel will hide nearly any colour hair. The fleece is particularly forgiving.)


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## Katie H (Mar 1, 2007)

Alix said:
			
		

> (And FYI, grey fleece or flannel will hide nearly any colour hair. The fleece is particularly forgiving.)



Been there.  Done that.  Last night.

I had on a pair of black sweat pants and sat down in the recliner to watch some TV.  I was joined by Ashley (my avatar), Miss Augie, Miss Rodeo, Chessie Lou and Tigger.  By the end of the evening, I was wearing grey, white and orange shag sweat pants.  All part of being owned by a cat.


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## simonaskitchen (Mar 1, 2007)

I'm laughing looking around about my home! It's a disaster!!!! It seems a whirpool just came in to visit us! I've a 3 years old daughter who always jumps, and runs, and drops whatever she finds! The kitchen is the room she prefers, with all tools to be used for toys...I think that my home reflects my life now: always running and always in a hurry..and always desperatly in disorder!! 
But I like it!!! Simona


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## Constance (Mar 1, 2007)

Here's a photo of our 4 room house...2 bedrooms and a bath upstairs, 1 bedroom and bath downstairs plus living area...combined living room, kitchen and dining room. Underneath is a full basement with laundry, darkroom, workbench, and carpeted finished area that used to be a den for our grandson.


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## Constance (Mar 1, 2007)

Here's the view from the deck...


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## lulu (Mar 1, 2007)

Now surely the deer should be in the pet pictures thread, lol!

What a very very beautiful spot.  I'd love it.


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## mudbug (Mar 1, 2007)

Connie, that's really lovely.  I'm enjoying everyone's descriptions of their homes.  I'll get around to it soon.


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## TATTRAT (Mar 1, 2007)

my lil condo is quaint and cozy for just me. I get compliments when I have people over, and have gotten the, "WOW, I can believe you live HERE?!" Never quite sure how to react that way...just cause a guy has tattoos all over, and long hair(used to) and a "beard", doesn't mean he has to live like a he**s Angel. I even did all my own art

I feel it reflects ME on the inside, as for the outside appearance of me, I guess the jury is still out.


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## jkath (Mar 1, 2007)

I'd love to see pics, TATT


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## TATTRAT (Mar 1, 2007)

I have a couple in the gallery here, I'll see if I can find the links.

Here is one, I can't find the other...


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## jkath (Mar 1, 2007)

Great rug! Great artwork! Your place is really nice, TATT!!
(and it's neat and tidy too!)


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## Constance (Mar 1, 2007)

Certainly a lot tidier than mine! 

Very cool pad, Tatt!


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## mish (Mar 5, 2007)

Yes, for the most part. I didn't put big $ into this place, as I want to sell & wont be doing any major renovations, so, the decor sort of fits my personality...

(Far) East meets West (Coast) - Modern/Asian/romantic - lots of glass, candles, b/w/beige with splashes of mute tones, uncluttered. Almond leather sofas, glass etageres (two 7 ft tall that house stereo/tv and glass shelving w backlights & mirrors). Glass dining room & coffee tables. Deco calla lily octagon mirror in the dining room. Tiered deco chandelier over the glass dining room table.  Antique white fireplace with glass obelisks and glass mantel clock, with wall hanging wrought iron tealights above. (Had a tree in my living room w an uplight, but ditched it... may look for something more bambooey.) Two standing floor lamps that look like pillars, lit from the insdie, on either side of the fireplace. Black & beige area rug with pale pink & green flowers (sort of oriental looking), steel modern lamps with rectangular modern white shades. Black satin embroidered oriental pillows on the sofas. (They match my black satin oriental pjs & kimonos. I blend into my decor lol.)

B/W bedroom, modern patterns and oriental art, bamboo on the windows. Shoji (sp) lamps. I got a little carried away with Marimekko (pattern), I used to reupholster dining rooom chairs & is the pattern of my comforter and umpteen pillows on the bed.. some I made myself. I have a sundeck/pool/sauna, but don't use them much... although I love the ocean/water/sun. 

The kitchen is very small, but I have a wall-mounted pot rack I love. I went to a glass/morror place and had a mirror installed to the back... sort of looks like a window. Still much to do... always a work in progress.


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## Alix (Mar 5, 2007)

Dang Tatt, clicked on the link but got nothing.


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