. . . decorated schizophrenically . . .

Usually I try to post some piece of art here, but I'm all out of new pieces, so I'll digress today. My favorite design blog is Mrs. Blandings (http://mrsblandings.blogspot.com/.) She lives in Kansas City, works for one of the lifestyle-decorating magazines, is a mother of young children, and I imagine her to be stylish and together in a way I never was nor could ever hope to be. As I get ready for hosting the Easter brunch for my extended family again this year, I wonder what Mrs. Blandings would make of my decorating style. At best, she would say it was schizophrenic. Look at the picture above. . . an heirloom tablecloth made and given to me by my mother. . . handmade by someone, an ancestor perhaps, in Germany, because that's where all my ancestors live. . . on top of a very plain (and cheap) greatroom dining table, with an oriental-style candle holder. This is where we have my immediate family's Sunday evening suppers. Betsy, together with the men in the family, have trashed the carpet underneath the table . . . juice, ketchup, anything Joey can throw off the highchair tray, all ground in and nasty.






















. . . and here's the dining room table. Note the antique wooden bowl in the center, huge and carved from one piece of wood, another family heirloom given to me by my mother-in-law, on top of yet another hand-embroidered heirloom table cloth from my aunt, with a country French dining table, modern Parsons chairs and black candleholders, and a antique carved wood sideboard.

I will admit that the tablecloths are only on the table for Easter brunch. They are made out of linen and I won't launder them myself, nor will I iron them, since I don't own an iron (except one that has wax all over the bottom of it from encaustic experimentation.) They don't get used much, but a family gathering seems suitable.

I believe my style is in flux. I would like to throw out almost everything I own and start over. I would like pale walls (except I love the Benjamin Moore Aura wenge colored dining room walls), light hardwood floors, just one big room, no separate living room, great room, dining room, den. I would furnish it in light taupes and ecrus and beiges and white and pale grays, with wonderful fluffy solid area rugs. . . very restful. Then I would put killer art on the walls in all the happy primary colors. There would be a whole wall of fabulous built-in bookshelves, filled not with trinkets but with books, or maybe small artwork. But that will have to wait until all the babies grow up a bit more (I am assuming facts not in evidence, i.e., that there will be more grandbabies coming in the future), so maybe it will never happen. I would rather have the babies here than a fabulous decor.