Monochromatic Peace

The weekend is here which means I'm perusing Apartment Therapy with a vengeance. I came across this bedroom shot which I just adored. When it comes to our bedroom, the hub's and mine, I've always preferred the scheme to be light and airy with some nice color pieces thrown about. The bedroom is such a personal space that I fill with with all of my nostalgic pieces that really mean something to either myself or the hub--my grandmother's quilt hanging over the bed, my baby clothes hung on peg boards, the boys' pottery made in preschool, and the like. I enjoy being awoken softly in a gentle-to-the eyes sloom.

While the rest of the house is quite the mishmosh of color that peaks the curiosity of the child within me, the bedroom, I feel, should be soothing to the soul. Most all of our wood pieces throughout the house are a very heavy wood, a lot of antiques and just plain dark. After we were married, I got so tired of all the old dark art deco bedroom furniture we had collected that we finally moved it to other rooms of the house. I first worked with the iron bed that we purchased on a trip to Atlanta visiting my mom's sister, Aunt Mary. It now proudly slumbers guests in the downstairs bedroom. (We upped to a king this past year!)

Then there was a closing sale at the then Woodward & Lothrop's where we found this perfectly cheap armoir in a pickled oak. I loved it. (The upholstered off-white chairs came from the same going-out-of-business sale.) Perfect for that light bedroom feel I was looking for. From there came different sales, piecemeal, that somehow fit in with the scheme over the past 20 years. While nothing truly matches, it works for us quite pleasurably.

I feel the same about the kitchen space. It, being the heart of the house, should feel open and airy and inviting. Over the past ten years, I planned almost every aspect of the kitchen I desired. For it to come to fruition (well, almost) is a dream come true. I clipped pictures and articles of everything I liked--again the monochromatic cleanness came into play. I hadn't even realized it until I took all my folders, ideas and clippings to the kitchen remodeler (the idiots that they are) and spread it all out on the table.

I'm pretty darn happy with it overall. I'm trying to release the negativity that came with it because it is such a darn gorgeous kitchen, if I do say so myself.

Which brings me to my latest endeavour. I am truly trying to teach myself how to meditate. I have never been able to! I remember in Lamaze class, I would giggle when the teacher would ask us to find a peaceful spot in our minds. It was ridiculous! Breathing, I'm ok with. Trying to get thoughts out of my head? Not so easy. My niece Madeleine is enamoured with Buddhism which thrills me to no end. I purchased this book, really, for both of us. I will be passing it on to her this week in the hopes that she too will enjoy learning to meditate. Perhaps if I had started out when I was a wee teen, that would have helped. lol I so want to get this Tonglen practice down.

If we all could breathe in the darkness and exhale with only light and goodwill, what a wonderful place it would be. I'm trying.

Happy weekend everyone!

xo
Ro