A Creative Oasis
A sneak peek at the transformation of the front room. The blank wall will slowly be covered in artwork. I have a feeling that there will be a strong Willow Tree theme across the works that I choose.
The front room is slowly taking shape; metamorphosing from a bedroom to what I am calling a creative oasis; somewhere to write, plan, paint and dream.
We’ve painted the walls, ceiling and floor and I have started adding in furniture to make it a cosy space to create. I have my desk under the window, a stack of hardcover books by my favourite author piled up nearby and a silver photoframe containing a precious image.
My beloved desk filled with items vital to my creative life. The little Peter Rabbit sculpture is my new ‘blog companion’, kindly given to me for Mothers’ Day recently.
A rug brimming with pastel coloured flowers and oozing cottage charm is now underfoot, which, paired with the lacey curtains from IKEA is giving the English Country Style that I am aiming for.
I have been lucky with finding furniture for this space; most of it I have found on Facebook Marketplace for an absolute song and with very little investment I have turned this blank canvas into the beginnings of something truly lovely.
The provincial style armchair in the corner was a bit of a gamble, and when I saw it in person I was a little dismayed about its proportions, but I was mentally measuring it against the wingback chairs we have in the lounge room. Recklessly, I handed over the cash and brought it home and once it was in place I disliked it even more. There was only one thing to do, apart from listing it for sale immediately; seeking inspiration from the internet on how to salvage this.
It was nice enough, but I didn’t love it.
It is amazing the transformation that was wrought by adding a cushion and a beautiful dusty rose pink blanket, both sourced from around the house. I found a pair of charming bird prints on Facebook Marketplace and added one of those near the chair, and all of a sudden it has turned into a sweet little spot to sit. I find the chair very uncomfortable, but our cat enjoys it.
The only discordant element in the room is the bright red sofa. It is cheery and unapologetic in its redness. I love it, but I will eventually buy new covers in a much more bland shade of oatmeal or similar, but it is staying in its current form for now.
It is interesting to see my style develop. For years I thought my taste was contradictory. Part of me loves clean lines, open space and minimalism; the calm of uncluttered surfaces and restrained colour palettes.
The other part longs to live inside an E.F. Benson novel, surrounded by books and little objects with stories attached to them: where the word “restraint" is found only in the dictionary. These days I am tending more towards the layered and storied look of the English country style. Where cherished mementos of my life and interests are on display and tell the story of me.
Its amazing how a small selection of objects can convey so much about a life; my favourite author, a previous profession, a cherished family member.
I love the look of dark wood. Many people find it heavy and old fashioned but instead of wood chips glued together and covered in plastic laminate, polished wood furniture is unapologetically itself. The knots and imperfections tell of a life lived under the sky, and I unashamedly seek it out and surround myself with it, adding my story to its.
The room remains a work in progress. The chair is still uncomfortable, the sofa still aggressively red, and I continue to conduct interior design experiments with the financial restraint of someone who regularly browses Facebook Marketplace “just to look”. But slowly, piece by piece, the front room at The Willows is beginning to feel more and more like my creative home.
But each small addition; each painting propped against a wall, each stack of books, each lamp switched on at dusk feels less like decorating and more like recognition.
As though, little by little, the room is becoming itself.
As perhaps, am I.
