I recently redecorated a bit in my dining room. The shuffle was prompted by a pressing desire to lighten things up (resulting in the relocation of the black and white drapes), and the addition of an old (new to us!) china armoire we found off craigslist. It was my birthday present! After last year’s crazy house-calming campaign before the baby came, several rooms of my house adopted a cool, muted neutral palette. The only problem with cool colors like gray, black, and white, is just that–it can feel cold and uninviting. So my goal was to create a more family-friendly dining room that felt charming rather than formal. When every square foot of your house must serve multiple functions: the dining room is also hubby’s study, the schoolroom is the playroom, the master bedroom is the sweatshop sewing corner and the hubby’s library, there’s not the luxury of having just […]

The family room: where the family camps out, hosts Bible Studies, cuddles and reads throughout the day, watches an occasional movie, listens to Celtic reels, relives old memories through albums, and sits by the fire while the man of the house picks his guitar. It is both our family haven and our sphere of hospitality; it serves as both a romantic corner for tea and cookies after-hours, as well as open space for the kids to get their energy out before bed. The walls of this room bear witness to many an argument followed by the laying down of arms. If they could speak, they would share insightful stories of the losses and joys overheard from the lives of those who’ve found safety to share within this home. And with the arrival of each new life, this room becomes the still and silent setting for many a sleepless night, early […]