Household Furnishings

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No matter where you live, you will need things to furnish your home. Household furnishings cover all the basic things you need to live comfortably in your home: furniture, kitchenware, fabrics and textiles, and accessories. How many of these items you use in your home and the types of items you choose helps to define your personal style and puts your personal stamp on your environment to change your dwelling from a house to a home.

There are all sorts of decorating styles and so many decorating advice books, websites, TV shows, and magazines that they would be much too numerous to mention. Any quick web search will turn up questionnaires and quizzes to help you identify your unique decorating style. I’ve scanned many decorating resources and discovered that though there are numerous design styles, 14 of these styles are the most popular. They are:

Modern

Image Credit: Interior Design Ideas

Contemporary

Image Credit: Decor Aid

Minimalist

Image Credit: Livspace

Industrial

Image Credt: Lazy Loft – Froy.com

Mid-Century Modern

Image Credit: Modsy Blog

Scandinavian

Image Credit: ScandiPOP Interiors

Traditional

Image Credit: Pinterest

Transitional

Image Credit: Decor Aid

French Country

Image Credit: Pinterest

Bohemian

Image Credit: Bohemian

Rustic

Image Credit: L’Essenziale

Shabby Chic

Image Credit: Interior Design Paradise

Hollywood Glam

Image Credit: Modsy Blog

and

Coastal Hamptons

Image Credit: NewHomeSource.com

Once you’ve identified your personal style (or styles) it will be easier to design a home that you find comfortable. Not everyone, though, fits neatly into a specific category. If I had to define my own personal style I would say “eclectic.” If I had to define my style as the above categories or some mix of them it would be a mouthful but I would say my style is Industrial Rustic Transitional with a tinge of French County while leaning towards Minimalism. Regardless where you fall along decorating schemes there will be a book or other library resource available to help you in a project of furnishing a comfortable home. You will probably quickly discover that the above schemes, while popular, aren’t the only decorating schemes. Many people have eclectic tastes or choose to go in another direction entirely.

One book I found particularly fascinating was American Junk by mary Randolph Carter.

Image Credit: Amazon.com

American Junk is an actual decorating scheme. While it’s definitely not my style (remember that minimalist lean I mentioned?) I found it really fascinating how one organizes junk into household decor. I really enjoyed “reading” the pictures in this book. The American Junk style often repurposes junk itself and turns items into functional hardworking household furnishings. If you need something to do on a rainy day or a cold wintry evening, this would be a good book to peruse.

Other books I checked out this time were:

Image Credits: Thrift Books, Amazon.com, and Publisher’s Overstock

Do you enjoy decorating? Do you have an easily identifiable decorating preference? If you have eclectic taste, how would describe your decorating style?

Housing

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Regardless of who you are, you need a place to live. Some of us live in apartments or rent houses. Some of us own our homes. Some of us are in transition moving from our current home to someplace else. If you are in transition you may need to buy or sell a home. Not all of us have the same idea about the perfect “dream home” and that’s ok. We are unique individuals and need to find the best living situation for us and our families. This week Dewey Hop is still in the 640’s, Home and Family Management. In particular this time we are discussing Housing and Household Equipment.

Where you live is a very personal decision which brings many factors into consideration. Can you afford to buy a new home, have one built, or buy a fixer upper and then finance the renovations? The area you aspire to live in can affect overall cost. If you’re like me, this can be an overwhelming process. Where do you even begin? Fortunately, I found a book you will find helpful if you are in the process of buying a home.

Image Credit: Goodreads

This book will walk you through basic questions which should be considered before buying a home such as are you ready to buy a home? What kind of shape are your finances and credit in? Should you build a home rather than buy an existing one? Is your lifestyle right for home ownership? There are many more questions and explanations presented in this highly recommended book which of course I won’t have time to cover in just one post. I would recommend this book whether this is your first home buyer experience or you’ve bought several homes.

If, like my sister just did, you have bought a new home but must sell an old one there are books to help with this as well. A proven thing to practice to help your old home sell is to stage it. Staging helps potential buyers visualize how space inside the home can be used. Staging is usually done by employing minimalist strategies and using a few strategically positioned objects. A great book to help with this is:

Image Credit: Amazon.com

Of course how well you have maintained your older home will make a big difference to potential buyers. Have you kept up with household maintenance? Have you made improvements to the home? Whether you are buying or selling these are important questions to ask. 

Is the home you are interested in in good shape? Will it require repairs or renovations? Have you budgeted for these types of costs? Will you have all the renovations done before your move in date? Will you move into the house and live in it while the renovations are ongoing? 

If, like me, you have bought a fixer upper, can you do any of the renovating yourself or will you have to hire a contractor? There are many books to address this sort of project. Two recent ones I’ve found are:

Image Credit: Thriftbooks

Image Credit: Amazon.com

Many of these types of books are adult picture books. They are great to look at, but I am unable to show you the pictures in all of the books. Again this is a very personal process. You must choose the projects / renovations that are right for you and your family. Fortunately regardless of what projects you need to work on, there are many books and resources to help you through the process.

Have you recently bought a home? Are you in the market for a new home? If you are already a home owner please feel free to share any of your experiences in this process in the comments section.