Kim Leggett - Home Stories: Design Ideas for Making a House a Home

CHAPTER 1 .
OUR STORY

CHAPTER 2 .
OTHER PEOPLES STORIES

CHAPTER 3 .
SHORT STORIES

CHAPTER 4 .
A STORY FOR ALL SEASONS

CHAPTER 5 .
SHOPPING GUIDE

Stories. They are all around us, ripe for the picking. When brought into our homes and woven into our lives they expand the footprint of where weve been and who we have become. They remind us of childhood days, family vacations, holiday celebrations, and new life chapters. They comfort us when life delivers rainy days and bring us joy when family and friends connect with us through the stories that we tell. Its only natural to yearn for an emotional connection with and seek harmony in the elements that surround us in our daily lives. Our homes should be put together with affection by our own hands, with the things we believe in and the people we love.

The idea of designing a home with a spirit of originality and imagination is empowering. To break the mold of traditional decorating and throw design rules to the wind takes practice. No doubt it takes a high level of confidence to get there. Mostly its getting past the fear that your home doesnt look like those of your friends or the images youve seen on social media. A storied home will never look like any other because each will have its own unique story to tell. You may need to untrain your eye, so to speak. When you consistently peruse Internet sites you are fooling yourself into believing that these images show the correct way to design a home. The next time you go down that rabbit hole, notice how many of the decorated spaces scrolling past the screen are similar. Once you break free of this contrived approach youll see beauty and possibility in both objects and design that will inspire you to tell your story in a more conversational way.

When I set out to write Home Stories it was always my goal to share inspiring ideas through beautiful pictures that spark creativity. But just as much so, I wish for the stories behind the design to inspire your heart, because styling a home with love and intention is what truly separates a storied home from a decorated house. Im excited to share for the first time our home and our stories. Each piece is special and built around our lives, whether its of a past or recent memory or told through the history of the collections that we have found along the way.

We all have busy lives. Designing our spaces shouldnt add to the stress. It should be enjoyable and easily accomplished while allowing our stories to take center stage. I think youll be pleased to find plenty of practical and affordable ideas and projects that can transform a space in a matter of hours or, at most, no more than a few days. While my decorating style is perfectly suited for me, its not for everyone. For this reason Ive included Other Peoples Stories (), a beautiful chapter celebrating the stories and design in the homes of some of my dearest friends.

In Pen Pals () takes you through spring, summer, fall, and winter with simple storied ideas to design a home with less fuss and more time to savor each season.

My hope is that no matter where you are at this moment of life, whether its in your forever home or in transition and dreaming, youll find a way to tell your storyone that will be retold and cherished for generations to come. And most of all I hope that you gain a feeling of confidence to say, I can do this.

CHAPTER 1
OUR STORY

Telling the story of our home means so much to me. Nearly everything brought in and styled within our own house is connected to our lives in a personal waywhether its the history of the piece itself, or a past or present memory.

Im excited to share with you the story of a nineteenth-century bookcase that once belonged to a Civil War soldier from my birthplace in Tennessee, a rug lovingly made by the hand of a homeless New Yorker living with AIDS, a collection of keepsakes gathered from family, an antique church sign that brought back fond memories of Sunday morning church services, and the surprise ending to a story of the time I convinced David to painfully sit through a Broadway musical.

Im especially proud to share ideas for making a house a home; such as how I transformed my dream farm table into an unexpected arrangement that precisely suits my family, and how a guest bedroom became a shared office space that works beautifully.

Gosh, theres just so much to tell! So, lets get started, shall we?

The straight, simple lines of the Odd Fellows lodge chair salvaged from Upstate New York make for a perfect perch to put on and take off shoes. It fit my city cowboy, David, just fine for pulling on his boots. Dont be fooled by the pretty picture though; it doesnt usually look this way. Most days its a catchall for bags, hats, jackets, and other articles of clothing.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The entryway sets the stage for what is to come and is the introduction to your homes story. Whether its a grand entrance or a space no larger than a welcome mat, theres plenty you can do to make an impact.

This entryway pairing of a handmade rug and chest began when I spotted the gorgeous early-1800s chest of drawers in a Smoky Mountain antique shop. I fell hard for its authentic abstract paint decoration. Its maker was not only a craftsman but also a painter, an accomplished artistone before his time. It felt more like a modern masterpiece than a fancied-up chest of drawers.

No room, including an entryway, is complete without the warm feeling offered by a beautiful rug, and I had purchased the perfect one many months before. Around Thanksgiving, David and I took a weekend getaway to New York City. We took our usual stroll along Broadway and Columbus Avenue, admiring the window displays, visiting our favorite thrift stores, and picking the Grand Bazaar NYC flea market. If you have never visited a Housing Works Thrift Shop, put one of them on your next New York City itinerary. Their nonprofit stores benefitting homeless people living with AIDS and HIV are chock-full of everything from high-end antiques to general run-of-the-mill thrift-store finds.

As I stepped through the doorway I noticed several large wall hangings that appeared to be works of art. Turns out they were a display of rugs hung on the wall to protect them from foot traffic. I was particularly drawn to one with alternating lines of creams, browns, and blacks. I lifted the tag to discover that these rugs were handmade by artists in the Weaving Project, a group of homeless women living with HIV and AIDS. Each tag told the story of its rugs talented maker. My rug was lovingly woven by Amirah in 2006 from shredded scraps of donated clothing and was called Winter Moss Spring. Although it was a blustery November day, my heart melted. I thought about Amirah, wondered if she was keeping warm in winter, and if she had food to eat.