Mine doesn’t. It’s far too cluttered. But I’m working on that. What I do know is there are bits of my heart and soul somewhere scattered about here. Hidden behind piles of school permission slips, under lego and mostly needing a good dust. 

Life with kids is a bit frantic sometimes. The weeks are a dash through getting them dressed each morning (matching socks are a rare bonus), School runs which should be called dawdle sprints, mealtimes which create far too many dishes and then bedtimes which are often the happiest time of everyone’s day but also a challenge and tiring. But there is a whole lot of love and once we get the place organised a bit better i feel we are on an upward curve. 

Our boys are 5 and 7 now. They scatter socks and mess wherever they go. I swear I spend most of my day simply picking up socks, books, lego and cereal from the floor. But yesterday they actually helped me move their desk during a regular rearrange. I caught a glimpse of days to come when I will have two amazing able helpers to really help with stuff. 

I’ve veered a bit off track here, what this post was suppose to be about was how when you choose your own pieces for your home from the vintage or artisan world you are making an intentional choice, you’ve sought out something that really reflects your personality rather than just being told what to like by the big corporates. If you wouldn’t buy art from a supermarket why would you buy furniture from the equivalent? It’s not just the amazing quality and variety you get to choose from either as each piece will have aged in its own individual way mellowing over time into a unique finish. And any piece that has been restored also reflects the personality of the restorer so you get to choose that also! 

My pieces reflect my choice of high quality design when I personally select them at auctions, private sales and flea markets. The uninterrupted time I get to bring a piece back to life is something I find truly blissful. It’s the only time I can choose to listen to the birds singing or jazz playing whilst I sand. I cherish that time and the process of patiently restoring a finish to a table and revealing a luminous woodgrain once more. One thing the kids have taught me is patience and that is an essential quality for restoration. I think the meditations from years of yoga on and off have helped with that too. 

Anyway, my point is, when you are choosing to bring anything into your home, make sure it is something that really reflects who you are or who you want to be. And to do that, first spend a little time pondering what the answer to those questions are for you. Once you know that, your choices become intentional and intentional choice puts you back in control of your life. If you don’t know who you are or who you want to be then spend some time on that. You’ll thank yourself for it I promise.