Home making pep talk

Since becoming a hermit I have been spending a lot of time decorating our home. Regular readers know that our old house has been a work in progress for over two decades. Two. Decades. I’m not done yet.

Having been working on a house that long I am now coming back around to rooms that I have already redone previously.

It’s harder to trash talk dated carpet and wall covering choices when I am the one who chose them. Styles change. Tastes evolve. Things wear out.

Years of painting my walls in deep jewel tones has morphed into the want for a brighter, cleaner look of cream colors and whites.

One thing I’ve learned from poring endlessly over HGTV and Pinterest is that “classic” is an every moving target and “Timelessness” in design is elusive.

Today’s timeless white “farmhouse fresh” style is tomorrow’s “cold bland vanilla” desperately in need of a “pop of color” tomorrow. It should be noted that I do speak fluent “decorating magazine.”

We recently tore out wall-to-wall carpet and I painted the worn floor underneath a glossy white. I adore it.

Only time will tell how I feel about it in the future but today a gallon of white paint brightened things nicely.

It has been said that pretty much any style that predates the 1920s is in the “classic” category. Rarely is anything from that era considered “tacky.” That is the domain of the 1970s through 1990s.

Familiarity often breeds contempt. Those of us who remember avocado green shag, shiny brass, and hunter green and mauve are more likely to pronounce it “dated.”

The transition from “trendy” to “tacky” often happens because something is repeated so much that it becomes banal. I’m looking at you concrete goose statue with outfits.

Then again Mr. Wonderful’s equally wonderful aunt adores hers so I say embrace what makes you happy. With that, enjoy your favorite things every day by only owning favorite things.

That may not be possible in all things but aim for your favorites as often as you can.

I have reached an age where I knock out walls, paint floors impractical colors, and routinely prefer to donate rather than accumulate household clutter. I don’t need seven cake pans (I prefer pie).

I don’t save things “for good.” I enjoy the fancy soaps, good dishes and decorative pillows. Better yet, if I don’t, I donate them.

Enjoying the good stuff doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune. Thrift is the new black and quality is often best found in vintage goods.

So clean up and clean out. Ask yourself what you want to surround yourself with — or not! Grab a paintbrush and take a swipe at changing some hues.

Today is a great day to use the good stuff ­— and your creativity — to make everything old new (to you) again. If you don’t like it forever, you can just do it again — and again.