How To Decorate With Old & New

On this sideboard, I kept the decor simple with some modern pieces from Target (candlesticks and dough bowl) and World Market (lamp).

Do you ever sit in your house and look around and feel the urge to move everything around!? It is something that I always do, and I curse this little habit of mine because it always leaves me dreading how I broach the topic with S. I am always, and I mean, ALWAYS, a commitment-phobe when it comes to decorating. Perhaps Pinterest is to blame!

I also struggle with defining my personal interior style - what is it called? Modern farmhouse? Traditional? Primitive? Modern? Coastal grandmother? Grandmillenial? In my house there is a little bit of everything, so my “style” is perhaps all of the above. I will say, that when I heard “coastal grandmother” was a thing, I just about lost it. I’ve been on that trend for decades, it seems!

More particularly, I think what I have come to realize about my decorating style is that I enjoy bright, crisp, airy, classic and traditional. I crave a decluttered, clean home with crisp lines and simplicity. But I also want all the cottage feels, all of the vintage rustic quaintness, and heirlooms and antiques.

How do I make up my mind?! How can a house have all of that? Well, it’s a never-ending journey, and no room is ever “done.” Heck, I can’t even commit to an arrangement for picture frames on the wall! Or what to keep on the floating shelves! After doing a little self-reflection (what I do best!), I came to realize that the household decor in my surroundings is a mixture of old and new. I love the balance I’ve struck! Doesn’t mean I am not always looking for new pieces, though! So, this is a little collection of snapshots that demonstrate how I mix old & new when it comes to home decor.

This primitive style mirror looks aged, but I purchased it new.