The voices don't like you.
hahahaaha.
Good suggestions. :)

How can we be expected to help you without pictures?

I sympathize. What I thought was right for this house ten years ago is not what I think now. Partly I blame this on myself, for being fickle and easily distracted (my brain has always worked this way...."Oh look! A New Obsession! Let's go that way!")

Partly I blame this on the wise GW folks here, who have helped me start to understand different architectural styles.

Is there any direction provided by the style/age of your house, or is it one of those houses that is pretty much a blank slate (so you could pull it in a number of directions?) Are there any features in your house, that could provide a bit of direction?

"(Side note: some of these people need to step away from the paint brush. AND, scraping flat surfaces with sandpaper does not "distress" something. It looks badly scuffed. Emphasis on "badly." Just because you saw it on Pinterest, doesn't mean you have that talent. Try, but be realistic. Most likely no one is going to pay you $400 for a $10 dresser "lovingly painted and waxed" to look like someone ran over it with a vacuum cleaner.)"

Thank you. I love to laugh, and I especially love things that will keep coming to mind throughout the day and continue to cause me giggles. This is that. You have a wonderfully witty sense of humor.

As for what to do, mull it over. Some solution will present itself, or, you will resign yourself to live with it. Case in point. 15 years ago I redid my LR, and bought a beautiful 3 piece Cherry EC and end tables with inlaid trim. Just redid the LR again last year and guess what I realized? I don't love Cherry anymore (but do still like ok), now that there is a whole wall of it plus 2 end tables (that cost a decent amount of money) lol. Sooo, I bought the Acaica dark wood coffee table anyway. I figured, the woods are full of different trees and nobody's whispering "they don't match". ;) And, now I am moving into the kitchen redo and will fill it with deep dark chocolate /walnut colored cabs and table. Hey, it's a party!

Again, mull it over, it will come. And donating to various places always gives one a sense of satisfaction. :)

I agree with the suggestion to consider the house. I find that's a useful approach to arriving at a coherent picture.

I hear you.

I totally changed my mind in the 4 years of planning to installation.

My original design was cherry shaker cabinets with a gorgeous copper hood Circus Peanut's kitchen as my inspiration

So I purchased the copper hood, the school-house lighting pendants, and other antique lighting.

But my scope enlarge, while the budget stayed the same.

So in order to afford my reno, I had to go w/ Ikea cabinets, which limits me on door options. I went with the Ramsjo black/white, because I didn't like the other Ikea doors.

Then my copper hood wouldn't work well w/out costing $4000, so I went with an affordable stainless steel Kobe 1100CFM hood.

Well, now my kitchen is black/white/stainless steel, so that tilted us toward a whitish countertop.

The last drop in the bucket was going w/ the "newish" look of the blue/gray wall paint color.

The other factor: I just wanted it done, and w/in some budget.

Yup, totally strayed from my original design.

-- Good luck,

Amanda

This post resembles me. When I started 3 years ago, I was looking for a modern cottage kitchen - leaning heavily COTTAGE (to the point that various GW'ers were cautioning me about going too historical/detailed). Now, I find myself at times leaning way more modern, to the point that I have been considering not only slab doors, but acrylic finishes... It's discombobulating, to say the least. In truth, though, I've been spinning without a clear vision the entire time.

**From mudhouse - "...."Oh look! A New Obsession! Let's go that way!")"

As instructed I got my coffee and I was already laughing from Christines OP but mudhouse's comment had me spitting up my coffee. I was literally in hysterics.

Because that is me. When we first bought our house and started doing renovations I would bring all my obsessions to my PDH (Poor Dear Husband, in this case) and say what do you think - isn't this so cool, blah, blah, blah..... When I brought him my idea of an all black bathroom with silver accents (and what is wrong with that, I ask) he sat me down and said - "From now on just bring me the final three Serious and Practical choices that you are giving me to choose from. Work out your current decorating obsession on your own time." WHAT! I said, what are you talking about?

** And beth09 - I do like your analogy of trees not matching in the forest because the wood in my living room and dining room don't match. My coffee table and side table happen to match but they don't match anything else and my dining room table and buffet don't match. Each piece comes from a different place in my life and they are the pieces whose relationship has lasted with me and so have been kept. If the relationship isn't working anymore I will break it off without any hesitation.

So, yes, original vision or design or obsession or whatever you want to call it has nothing to do with where I wind up.

Christine - my impression is that through the years you have really gotten to know yourself and have probably gone through some changes and this change in tastes is a reflection of that. If some of it will work that's great but don't forget things will work for different reasons. Things will work because of emotional attachments, because of the effort you put into it, because they work or flow together and you like how it does that. If it really doesn't work and you can't find a reason to force it then I say - move on.

I love how you say, oooOOoooooo, with something that you really love like your beaded inset cabs and moms curvy antiques. Maybe use the "ooooOOoo" response as the deciding factor.

Anything that gets the "ehhhhh" with a wrinkled nose goes bye-bye.

Life is too short to be stuck with furnishings you do NOT love. Enough said :)

Ha ha, love your post. It had me remembering several posts you did a few years ago in GW when you were in your bliss, finding things in places I would have never thought to look, like Habitat for Humanity. And I am tickled to see you are still working through your projects and seemingly enjoying it. A change in taste is bound to happen sometime, maybe you can just view it as a new challenge of how to mix the styles together and make it all flow. If not, there is always the basement. Isn't that were most of us send the things we've has a change of heart with?

blfenton, there's not a thing wrong with an all black bathroom with silver accents (but perhaps we are not a good influence on each other.) ;-)

Lukiirish, I'm still making my rounds. Interestingly enough, I'm picking up stuff and selling it successfully on CL. Even if I only take in its price +$50? Some money in the house fund! :)

So. The house.
A completely nondescript 1976 ranch that was gutted and at least restructured with great flow (thank you very much). No style whatsoever, other than what I put in it. I'm not going 1970s, 80s, nor even backwards to MCM. Total eh-oh-that's-nice to me. I apologize to those who find it AH HA!

I'm good with mixed wood. But right now there is a lot of it.
Mudhouse, my example is, "Oh, look! A butterfly!" as I prance off to my next [strikethrough] obsession[/end] project.

I'm not shy about giving things that no longer speak to me. Instead of my SIL coming over with a U-haul to take away even the kitchen cabinets I'd built, collected, and/or even bought, I'm selling it now on CL. With great success, I might add.

I do know what speaks to me right now. I'm kinda hoping it'll last as long as my previous tastes, which were probably a good 20 years' worth. I was actually ahead of my time, decor-wise, even though it was only collected photos at that point! :)

I still haven't decided what to do with the Queen bed I bought. It's too nice to give away, to big to sell, and too angular, espresso maple for me to like it. I'm considering even making a bed, but what to do with that one....

It's encouraging to hear you've all gone through this in some way or another. I think I feel the same way about my more modern-ish stuff as you do your cherry, beth09.

Did I tell you guys I've been watching Hoarder marathons? I tape 'em and just let 'em roll. It's horrifying to find I have the same thoughts about some stuff and collecting things. OTOH, does it count when you're a lumber hoarder, but you actually build things with it? Things you're actually using? (Don't worry. I only collect newspaper for cat littler, which I do NOT save.) No figurines, no (awful) stuffed animals, no childhood toys, not records, CDs or movies. Gave away 30 boxes of books once. Just construction stuff that actually eventually ends up becoming something. I think I'm pleading....

"...does it count when you're a lumber hoarder..."

LOL. I recall you are buying flitch cuts now. That means A, you are officially a lumber hoarder and B, you will now have to invest in a bandsaw. Not the little dinky peashooters that sit in everyone's garage but a real bandsaw and you will have to learn how to operate it (don't worry, it's much safer than a tablesaw).

Band saw? Why? Can I cut out the beautiful eyes in the pine? :)
I have a table top planer (DeWalt) but it's only 13". I was thinking a bigger one would be the next best investment.
I don't like loud noises. Is a band saw quieter than a table saw?

I see a kitchen floor and porch ceilings where others see "What? MORE!?"
I've also sold some slabs that have definitely paid for my time, gas, and cell bill! :)

Well, if your house style isn't leading you in a particular way (or, restricting you to a certain style) I'd say you're on the right path by just pursuing the things that please you. Personally I always enjoy visiting homes with eclectic style, because they're usually owned by interesting people. I think there are far worse things than mixing items from different periods and styles, especially if they're meaningful to you (like your mother's antiques.)

So what do I do when you come to the actual substantial pieces I'd saved
for and purchased that I just plain no longer like!? I'm going to disperse of some of these items via Craig's List, as you have. And I'm working up my courage for a giant garage sale. (How is your queen bed "too big to sell?")

My rationale is, I enjoyed the anticipation and the purchase, and owning them for a while. So, I got that value out of them. Now, some don't work. So, shall we beat ourselves up about changing our minds about what we like? No, we shall not, because changing means we're growing, and growing is a good thing. Growing means we're aware, alive, having fun, and becoming something new.

And besides that, it's totally unfair to your queen bed to make it live in a house where it's not truly loved for its angular maple goodness. Set it free, and let it find happiness.

And besides that, when you sell your queen bed, and give somebody a heck of a deal, you are singlehandedly stimulating the economy and encouraging commerce. And goodness knows we need that. Why, it's almost your civic duty.

(Being able to rationalize anything is a very handy skill, have you noticed?)

"(Being able to rationalize anything is a very handy skill, have you noticed?)"

*note to self, study mudhouse's posts*

Oh, my can I rationalize! I make mama proud. I can sell someone their own socks and make it sound completely rational and logical. Yup. I'm wit'cha on that one.

(Side story:
When I was first with my husband, I took a fur jacket back to Sak's to have it repaired. I fell in love with a swing coat there. LOVE. I called my DH and told him I'd like to buy it.
He replied with, "Ok, but why are you calling me?"
I replied, rationalizing without thinking, "Because you'll fight with me and I'll do it anyway. ... Oh. I guess because it's really cool."
He advised, "So buy two. See you at home." )

"Too big to sell." I probably should have been honest with myself and said, "...and I'm too lazy to take the darned thing apart." As I fell asleep last night, it occurred to me I could face the headboard with something I like, and maybe not have to sell it. It's a nice bed, and does deserve love and attention.

"Civic duty." Hmmm.... I do stimulate the economy with my new CL ventures. Why not throw in something beautifully new. Or reface it...

Today I'm putting drawer glides in the two base cabinets that will become a credenza in my kitchen. I only bought them 5 years ago. Those Hoarder shows are getting to me. The only way to clear out my house is to install 1/2 the crap I have.

C - A band saw is quieter than a table saw. You would use it to re-saw your big pieces of wood into smaller pieces.

For solid wood, in practical terms, having a wider planer means running six narrow pieces of wood through it at the same time instead of three. Planers are not real practical for solid wood much wider than 12", too much risk for tear-out, and a planer is almost useless in highly figured wood. Consider a drum sander instead.

I think I have a drum sander. No, I think I have a belt sander that sits on the table, vs. me running it over things by hand.

I do have what I think is a hobby band saw. Makes sense what you're telling me.

Ha! I can so relate to you!! Our basement is half full of things stuck down there as my tastes changed, the other half is a mix of 10-15 year old computer parts (dh is in IT) as well as all the scraps and remnants from all of our projects, trim, wood flooring scraps, tools he will never use again and the list goes on. Mind you, we laid our floor in 2006! I don't know if I have the motivation (or guts?) to sell what is salvageable on CL though.

Hahaha Just send that too modern stuff to me. Problem solved. I used to dislike the style. Then we bought a house five years ago--a CA house with no design elements. Slowly my decorating taste shifted to more modern fixtures--even though I still cannot embrace everything (furniture). So now my design elements have a range, because I cannot start over until after the first run through of remodeling. I just refer to it as transitional. Transitional had to be a style name that was invented by people that went chasing Rhopalocera obsessus.

Computer parts? I spent 15 years in IT when IT was Computer Science, then MIS, and then, way before that, just someone who tinkers. Late 80s early 90s. Tell you husband I still have original IBM harddrives that are bigger than shoeboxes and weigh TEN THOUSAND POUNDS.

gyr_falcon, you made me snort.
Shicksal has an incredible home. Very MCM and he's very careful to use elements that are original or if not, amazing replicas. With all his woodwork and beautiful grain, his home tweaks my interest. Some of the Broyhill pieces still do. But for me, it's just not in my home. That would be a huge shift in style!

Today I accomplished installing the 4 drawer glides in this credenza piece. What a serious PIA for inset drawers. But, I've done it really well and now have to correct the other two cabinets. Thought I was on target, but this is better. Just another thing. In this case, done isn't perfect and will haunt me.