decorate – Page 3 – Designing Goldilocks

Mirror mirror

If you’re like me, you buy something at the store with the intention of setting it out. One day.

Over the years, you come across the item. You could get rid of it.

Or you could set it out now. But the space just isn’t ready for it. So you wait, knowing one day the space will be ready and this item is going to look great.

That was the case with a collection of chevron mirrors I bought back at my condo when I thought I would be living there forever.

I bought the two smaller mirrors at Target. I wanted three. They only had two, so I grabbed them, thinking I would find a third one at another location.

I found the large- and medium-sized mirrors at Bed, Bath & Beyond. All with the intention of hanging them up. One day.

Well, that day never came at my condo, but the day did come at Goldilocks.

The larger mirror works perfectly on the wall near the entryway. I am a firm believer that a mirror belongs in the entryway, if you have an entryway.

The two smaller pieces fit just right on the half wall behind the front door.

The medium-sized piece works alone in the hall leading into the bathroom.

The mirrors hang on separate walls, but they are close enough to each other to tie the spaces together.

And like I said all those years ago, the room would be ready for the mirrors. One day. And today was the day.

Every entryway should have a mirror. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Three smaller chevron mirrors tie the spaces together. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Putting metals to the mettle

Every home decor has a metal.

Gold. Silver. Nickel. Brass. Antique brass.

Some decors have a combination of metals. I used to think you had to be either/or. That was, until I started designing Goldilocks.

Because John and I wanted yellow for the exterior color, we kept with the warm color palette and chose brown for the interior walls. This made it easy to go with the standard sable-colored cabinetry. And when I think of yellow and brown, I think of gold metals.

But I had a growing collection of silver and grey furniture at my condo that I wasn’t about to part with. Plus, the kitchen appliances and vent hood were going to be stainless steel and the chandelier over the dining table, silver.

What to do?

How was I going to mix the cool effects of grey and silver with the warmth that exudes from yellow and brown?

Enter the monochromatic artwork we found for the dining room walls. The art pieces include gold, silver, grey, cream and black and help transition the warm color scheme in the kitchen into the cool color scheme in the adjoining living room.

I realize now that it would have been okay to mix the metals without the monochromatic pieces. But the artwork gave me the permission I felt I needed at the time to cross the color palette lines.

What metal is your house? Have you ever thought of metals in this way?

These monochromatic art pieces help mix the warm browns and cool greys throughout the main floor. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Toothbrush holder-turned-vase

I love taking an item intended for one purpose and using it for another.

Case in point. Bathroom accessories.

The toothbrush holder to be exact. Who really uses the toothbrush holder?

I mean, I understand the purpose and I get its handy function. But do we really want our toothbrushes on display? I think not.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t buy the toothbrush holder if it is part of a collection.

Take the downstairs bathroom, for instance.

I bought the toothbrush holder that came in the white and chrome hotel collection, but instead of using it to hold toothbrushes, I use it as a vase. I place a single stem of something or other in the center hole and leave the other two holes empty.

In October, I displayed a single maple leaf.

For Christmas, a sprig of holly.

In March, some clover.

For Easter… well, you get the idea.

This allows me to purchase the items in a collection so that all of the pieces match, but without being so predictable in how I use them.

Give it a try. Or better yet, tell me how you’ve recreated an item’s purpose.

Turn the toothbrush holder into a vase by placing a single-stemmed floral or greenery in the holes. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Because she fits just right

I joke to my friends that my house picked me.

I wasn’t looking to buy a house – by myself or with John.

But five months prior, John had suffered three strokes. He wanted to get out of his three-story condo that included a spiral staircase he now found precarious.

John’s condo was under contract. He was only weeks away from closing escrow.

It was early 2018. John wanted a single-level house that he could navigate easily. He lived alone. He was making strides in physical therapy, but he also had outgrown condo living, even before the stroke.

I had my own condo in the next town over.

Then one sunny afternoon, John and I happened upon a hidden community that was just a stone’s throw from his current neighborhood. The houses were larger than he needed and more than he wanted to spend, but it didn’t hurt to look, right?

As soon as we opened the door to the bright yellow model home, there was no turning back.

The house had everything John and I wished our own condos had. The floorpan was compatible with our lifestyle. The square footage allowed John and me to have our own spaces, and with common areas that would bring us together, too.

A week later, John signed the purchase agreement for a house of our own and I got the ball rolling on selling my condo.

Follow me on this journey of designing, decorating and adorning the home I named Goldilocks for her striking yellow-gold exterior… and because she fit just right.