Thursday, April 28, 2011

House and Home: Living Room




“Why haven’t you posted any pictures of your house?” someone recently asked me. If you recall, I posted “before” shots of our empty rooms before we moved in. I also posted “inspiration” photos to help me fill in our blank slate. Herein lies the reason I have not posted “after” pics. For our actual, moved-in house (though truly lovely) doesn’t quite match up to the “inspiration” shots I was drooling over last June. It turns out that it takes time and lots and lots (and lots and lots) of money to furnish a home to the standards of Elle Décor or Lonny Magazine. I look at my (lovely) Living Room, for example, and think: “I should post pictures. But no! It's not FINISHED!! It is missing the fantastic Turkish rug, the dazzling landscape depicting the Flint Hills under Storms, the Lee Industries sofa in that *particular* shade of blue, etc. etc. etc.)

This train of thought is not profitable, for it invites the demon of Greed. And the demon of Ingratitude. And the Demon of Discontent.

NOTE: I am not joking when I call these feelings demons. They are mean. They can RUIN your day—maybe your life. They are the ANTITHESIS of those virtues which help us live in the moment, they steel from us Now, Today, (see yesterday on the Hour of Mercy). They tear down our ability to love or to feel joy.

(SIDENOTE: It was this struggle which led me to confession a few weeks ago. Instead of clearly articulating the above, I told the priest that I was “addicted to interior design blogs.” And he laughed at me. Then he absolved me.)

So with all this in mind I decided to post pictures of our Living Room as it is Now.









3 comments:

  1. Charming. I, too, am addicted to home design... magazines, in my case...and it has not be salutary...

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  2. I'm telling you what you already know, but
    1. you are young! you have so many years to develop your house into home!
    2. you have a fantastic base to work with - your home is truly beautiful, no matter what rug graces its floors.
    3. your tastes will change over time (likely), so better to develop the beauty slowly rather than big re-dos over time.
    I feel that at any given time, I could make big changes to every room in my house, not to mention the exterior. The reality is, I have so little time to change even one thing, it helps just to take on that one thing at a time.
    Finally, stop to smell the ranunculuses :)
    I love it that you made your priest chuckle during confession.
    love,
    B

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