Undecorating and Redecorating

Yesterday I took down Christmas. This is probably the longest I've kept it up in years.  I think part of the reason I delayed was because for the last couple of years we've really downsized the festive decor.  A small yarn wrapped tree vs. a large artificial tree.  Fewer ornaments, garlands and such.  Just the right amount of festivity for us and less intrusive to our usual style.  Maybe intrusive isn't the right word to describe a holiday but sometimes a lot of Christmas stuff irritates me.

What I love about taking down Christmas is the opportunity to redecorate. I always remove all of the accessories from the entry way, living room and dining room and start from scratch. I haven't bought anything new for the house in years. I like to scramble things up and move things around....look at the rooms in a new light for the new year.

Textiles on the hall tree

Moth themed entry way table (Metal sculpture by Kari Von Wening. Plate by John Derian)

The mantle is tough to design because of the oversized flat screen television mounted above. I found the painting at the Long Beach flea market. The onion vase was a lucky thrift store find. The decorated bronze box was designed by a good friend.

This vintage tool box is just the right size to squeeze under the television and fill with small objects. Placing items within boxes is one of my favorite ways to display my collections.

I created kind of a nature vignette on the mantle this time and decided to keep the lights.

I really pumped up the color in our dining room niche with vintage and contemporary textiles. I won the two pillows in an internet contest guessing the number of pillows in a Volkswagen.  Carl designed, made and installed the windows.

Dining room table with two Mata Ortiz vases and an antique Moroccan box. I've had the box since my time at Paige's Place in Riverside.  I love its primitive style and chipped paint. Apparently it's a box for carrying tea glasses.

There's a bit of a travel aesthetic as I decorate.  We found the vintage seltzer bottle in Buenos Aires.  I designed the tablerunner from vintage textiles. Carl and I are pictured at the High Line in New York City.

A project for the new year

We enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas and are heading toward the new year. In December, I tend to do a mental review of the past year and try to put together some kind of plan for the next. Not really resolutions or goals but more of a direction. In 2013 it was downsizing what I own. In 2014 it was thoughtful consumption.

I recently received a book from a friend titled "The Life of a Bowerbird" written by Sibella Court. Sibella resides in Australia and the title references a native bird that takes great care in building a nest decorated with stolen goods and found objects- sort of like our magpies.  Sibella relates to the habits of the bowerbird in her overwhelming love for the lost, the forgotten, the oddly beautiful.  The book includes photos of things she loves....haberdashery, writing instruments, scissors, printing blocks...all manner of old and inspirational objects.  She explains ways to organize and display your collections while her brother Chris Court's photographs provide beautiful and inspirational examples.

As I leafed through the book for the first time I noticed a remarkable resemblance in what we love.  Old typewriters.  Measuring instruments.  Feathers. An idea began to take form to create some sort of narrative of the things that make me happy.

I opened the case of my Olivetti Underwood typewriter, rolled in a sheet of yellowed onion skin paper and began a list of those things.

I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this idea. Perhaps drawings? A bound book of some sort? We'll see where this leads. Once again, it's exciting to be starting something new.

Best wishes to you for a healthy and fulfilling 2015 spent doing what you love.