My Authentic Style

I'm joining Amy at Whisper Wood Cottage today for her Authentic Style Link Party.

My authentic style for our home is actually very similar to the fabrics, colours and textures I enjoy in fashion. Simple cotton quilts, white fabrics and linens, leather, painted and natural woods, galvanized and wrought iron metals, browns and tans, blues, white and black, rugged denim and romantic crochet and lace accents. These are the elements of my authentic style and I feel most comfortable surrounded by them. We also enjoy accessories that remind of us of the farms and lakeside cottages that we enjoy here in our beautiful home province of Ontario. I think of words like rustic, farmhouse, lakeside, casual, simple, country, prairie and homemade when I think of our authentic style.

We are working on adding architectural interest to our suburban builder home with white board and batten, trim and bead board. Our home is definitely a work in progress.

I also make do by giving our older furniture pieces and accessories a new look with fabric and paint. By keeping my authentic style in mind, I now feel more comfortable altering the pieces we already have and when it is time to pick up something new, I won't be wasting money on the wrong style.

I have learned that we don't have to have things in our home just because another style is more popular in the blogs and shelter books I read. It is okay to love the pieces we have and make them fresh with simple changes.

I am learning to keep an eye out for unusual and vintage pieces for storage and display. But I am saving money by not buying things that don't suit us just because they are a good deal.

I love to make pillows, simple quilts and crocheted afghans to snuggle with and I have learned that these homemade items are an important part of my authentic style.

I like our walls to be neutral backgrounds for stained pine and oak furniture and accessories. I am learning that I can enjoy painting some wood pieces and keeping others stained. I know that I prefer solid wood furniture, reproduction or antique, and that I like a piece with character and a few dings. I like the mix.

Collections are fun and I love searching for deals on items I collect. Editing accessories and moving things around can give us a fresh look easily and affordably.

And simple blooms from the garden or an inexpensive bunch of flowers from the grocery store always make me happy. We like our home to be comfortable for our family and guests and our style is definitely casual and achieved on a tight budget. I don't know if there is a single name for my style, it is more just what we like and how we like to live. I am really enjoying the Authentic Style series at Whisper Wood Cottage and hope you get a chance to stop by too.

I'm also sharing this with LaurieAnna's Farmhouse Friday #3. We don't live in a farmhouse (yet!) but we love everything farm related and a farmhouse feel in our home.