I've always struggled to figure out what "style" I liked. I tried shabby chic as well but it just wasn't right. Even though I liked the rustic and shabby portion, all that white and pink made me want to scream. I tried French country, which was much better, at least I could have my beloved blacks and reds, but it wasn't quite right either. I took all those "what style are you" quizzes and they''d always say either traditional or cottage, which I guess makes sense now. This didn't really all click until I went to a moving/estate sale that had a farmhouse table advertised. I was still trying to do the country french thing but when I got there and she took me inside to see the table (she had half the stuff out, half inside). I walked in and it was YES, I'm at home!! Maybe a little too heavy on the Americana for me but still, it all felt so cozy and comfortable. I love antiques (and boy did she have some!) but never knew how I wanted it all to feel. I bought the table and a grocery bag of stuff - knick knacky stuff and left a happy camper. I would have loved to grab a couple of cabinets and dry sinks but alas, way out of my budget. The table is so cool. It's not a table made to look farmhouse / barn style, it's actually a table from a really old farmhouse. No faux distressing, this baby has seen some hard days. I love it. Since then I've made 3 trips to the thrift store, each time spending $20 or so, and have a huge stash of cool stuff. I haven't put anything together though because I've been stripping paper and getting ready to paint. It's all piled in my garage just waiting to come inside.

Love the first pattern, Jan. Yes, yes and yes. I am very drawn to old pieces. I only have a few "new" pieces and they have patina. Made to look old things. I only buy vintage or antique accessories. I use family things when/where I can. Mom has told me to come go through a few drawers - can't wait. It was confirmed by an astrologist that I have an "old soul." I think that's part of the reason, if not the reason, I am drawn to things with history. I'm a big toucher when shopping antiques. I love running my hand across the top of something or picking it up for closer inspection. I often wonder who owned items before me and what it has witnessed. Imagine my horror of being raised by a furniture store family! lol I started buying old pieces at 21yo and had a few older family things in my room as a teenager. The home I was born into was 50s Danish, but I loved visiting my 90yo next door neighbor's home and was fascinated by her antiques. We moved to an English Tudor when I was 10yo and it fit my decorating personality. I like English things, but don't try to decorate in English. Def. eclectic, to fit what I am drawn to and feel good around. I love the coolness of Swedish, but would never decorate my home that way. I need warm colors/items. Texture is a must. I'm a very visual person. Could never live in a modern home (I do enjoy seeing) but would not be comfortable in one on a daily basis. Touches of French are okay, but I'm not into ornate pieces from any style.

Chelone, your mom did good by you. Mine knew nothing of antiques and wouldn't have knowingly bought one if she did. She grew up on a farm in Georgia during the 1920's and they cut the posts off their old 4-poster beds to help them look modern. But she did haunt the local auction almost every Saturday, and it was not only a livestock auction, but also a huge flea market. You know, the kind of flea market that a flea market used to be.......Big tables rented to sellers by the day, where you could buy toys, clothes, shoes, furniture, antiques, and car parts. Nothing brand new, just other people's stuff. We dressed from the Auction, furnished our house from the Auction, and bought our fresh produce from the Auction. The Auction still functions around here, but now it's full of the cheap junk from China and Mexico that you see everywhere. Not too many of the old time dealers around these days. But while I was even then, at 7 or 8, looking longingly at antique beds and dressers and chairs, while my Momma was buying toys and shoes and dishes, she did teach me a lot about bargaining, negotiating, and carrying small bills at all times. She kept her mind open to possibilities and she knew that if a deal was good, the time to offer cash was Right Now. She always said that if she left a row of tables and wandered down another row, by the time she got back to something she was thinking about, it would be gone. She moved back to Georgia many years ago and she's still a force to be reckoned with, but her memories of all those times is growing very dim with age. And Oceanna, I must have been typing my 5000 word post, because I missed your lovely red mohair sofa. Beautiful. And I was thinking about you the other day, wondering if you had found the right fabric yet for your vintage chaise lounge? Did you buy something yet? I'm going to vote for a textured chenille, maybe something along the lines of the fabric I made my drapes out of in the "Show me your drapes" thread... Red

We moved into a neighborhood of 1960s-70s colonials. One of the many things I liked about our house was the black slate foyer floor. A new friend came by and mentioned that "that slate is really easy to remove" and she had just put new large-format tile in her foyer instead. 12 years later and I still prefer my black slate. The other thing I wouldn't and won't change is the kitchen curtains. The kitchen faces the street and includes a breakfast nook, so we need some curtains, but I don't want to block the view altogether. The house came with cafe curtains, as well as an upper tier of curtains (not a valance) for the larger breakfast nook windows. They are somewhat sheer, maybe translucent is the word, which I like: it's like looking through lightly-frosted glass so I can see if someone is walking by the house without really being able to see who they are. The little ruffle probably dates them the most, but given that they are otherwise plain it's cute. What I'd really like is a toile pattern, but I just can't find a fabric that is translucent, without being "shiny".