Making it Yours

I really love the way rooms come together over time, with special pieces finding their way into different rooms at different stages of one’s life. A chair that was once on your front porch might show up in your son’s room five years later, in the family room after that, and maybe twenty years later in a vacation home. Pieces that you carry with you throughout your life become more than just an object you bought at some store, they become part of your personal history.

In that spirit, I’ve come up with a new feature for Making it Lovely. I’ll be following one piece of furniture through several stages and presenting a mood board for each. The first will be the Borghese 3-Drawer Dresser.

I’ll create five rooms, each featuring the dresser, and follow it through an imagined life. It will make it’s first appearance in a little girl’s nursery, follow her through her teenage years, to her first tiny apartment, her first home, and finally to her dream home. I hope you’ll enjoy coming along.

37 Responses to “Making it Yours”

  1. ShannonNo Gravatar says:

    What an amazing idea! I can’t wait to come along for the ride! That is SO true about pieces of furniture becoming a part of your life. When my dad moved into his first place, he bought a set of furniture–two chairs and a sofa. Now I have the sofa and one chair (reupholstered by my mom) in MY first place, and the other chair resides at my parents’ cottage.

  2. BethanyNo Gravatar says:

    I love this idea!! How fun and unique. Can’t wait to see how this unfolds.

  3. KimNo Gravatar says:

    Awesome feature! I cannot wait to see it. I know that we have several pieces that have shown their way through several rooms and lives.

  4. PamelaNo Gravatar says:

    What a fabulous idea! I love the piece you’ve chosen… t’s beautiful.

    I echo the previous commenters — can’t wait to see how this develops!

  5. meganNo Gravatar says:

    what a great idea–can’t wait to read more.

  6. morganNo Gravatar says:

    I love this dresser. If I could have only convinced my boyfriend that it should be in OUR life journey..lol. Super cute idea, I have an old mirror that my my grandpa bought for my mom when she was 14 and now I have it in my home. I dont even know where it was orignally from its just part of the family now.

  7. AlmaNo Gravatar says:

    What a sweet idea! I have been thinking about that same thing lately as I’ve been preparing a nursery for my first baby. A lampshade that I made back in college features prominently in the room, and it made me think about things that evolve with you during your life.

  8. Miss B.No Gravatar says:

    I can not WAIT!!!! I LOVE your style, it’s so very different then mine (so not brave), but I love the virtual eye candy. You are fearless with color and your rooms always feel so HAPPY! You are like the female Jonathan Adler!

  9. This is an amazing idea — SOOOOOOOO amazing… I’m holding my breath!

  10. DesireeNo Gravatar says:

    It is SO WEIRD that you just posted this blog because I just got done writing this one. http://mommatobug.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-family-heirloom.html
    Thanks for the reinforcing how I already feel.

  11. WendyNo Gravatar says:

    This is a fun post. I have a small lamp that I made in 8th grade shop class, it went to college with me in my dorm room and is now in my house. My DH loves the fact that I made the lamp and I am sure that it will travel with me and perhaps our kids some day.

  12. AmyNo Gravatar says:

    I’m looking forward to seeing how you do this! I have an iron bed that was originally my grandparents’ (bought when they first got married). My father found it in their barn several years after they’d both passed away and refinished it for me while I was in college. After I got married, it became the guest room bed, and now I’m hoping it will be my daughter’s “big girl bed.” It’s lovely how a piece of furniture can be with you through so many stages of life.

  13. ChristineNo Gravatar says:

    This is exciting! Especially since I have this piece! I can’t wait to see how you imagine it!

  14. MonicaNo Gravatar says:

    Adorable idea!

    but add this and your cumin/Dorito craving….hmmmm?

  15. pookieNo Gravatar says:

    Monica, I was thinking the same thing…

  16. VicaNo Gravatar says:

    This sounds awesome! Can’t wait to see the posts.

  17. CherylNo Gravatar says:

    I love this idea! see, this is what keeps me coming back for more and why I give you some bloggie love. see it here: http://chroll.blogspot.com/.

  18. Miss B.No Gravatar says:

    But much more beautiful!!!

  19. casafroggyNo Gravatar says:

    I am having some fun right now with repurposing my living room pieces so I really like this idea, it’s inspiring! I look forward to seeing how you show the many iterations of the Borghese dresser :)

  20. JoiNo Gravatar says:

    so fun! i can’t wait to see your ideas!

  21. I’m so glad you’re all so excited about my new idea! I’m having a lot of fun with it already – I just put up the first installment: the nursery.

    Um, and Monica and Pookie, just what are you getting at? ;)

  22. daisy janieNo Gravatar says:

    Wha a cool, cool, cool idea!!

  23. KariNo Gravatar says:

    Sweet! I actually own that dresser and I currently have it in my hallway storing linens. It was given to me as a birthday gift last year and I’d be pleased to see what you do with it.

  24. This is a really awesome idea! I’m heading over to check out the nursery now.

  25. TrinaNo Gravatar says:

    This is a brilliant idea!!!!

    I have an old trunk that I use to store my knitting supplies in. This trunk was used by my grandfather when he came to Canada in the 1920’s.

    The only modification that it’s received is I stenciled small flowers on the top of it about 15 year’s ago, and I now need to reline the inside, as the fabric has torn.

    It’s amazing to think what recycled things are used for, and where they are used as they evolve. Almost like it has it’s own life!

  26. clistyBNo Gravatar says:

    (GASP!)
    We saw this last weekend, and my husband came sooooo close to buying it! I was proud that he appreciated the style.

  27. patriciaNo Gravatar says:

    Now that you have blown us all away – show us what you would do with your
    Egg Chair! You are brilliant, change your name to “making it brilliant”

  28. [...] Making it Yours (MIY) is all about using the furniture you have in new ways and taking pieces with you throughout your life. In this edition of MIY, our fictional homeowner has moved from a home with a breakfast nook and room for four Real Good Chairs to a new home where the chairs will have to be split up. We’ve already seen one of the chairs in a home office, and another in a modern, graphic bedroom. Now we’ll see the third chair in a vintagey bathroom. [...]

  29. [...] about time for another round of Making it Yours (MiY), don’t you think? MiY explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while [...]

  30. [...] Making it Yours (MiY) explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’m focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It started out in the home of a young woman who had just splurged on the rug (it was the most expensive thing in her apartment!), and it is making it’s way with her through several changes of residence. We first saw it in the living/dining area of her girly apartment. [...]

  31. [...] Making it Yours (MiY) explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’m focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It started out in the home of a young woman who had just splurged on the rug (it was the most expensive thing in her apartment!), and it is making it’s way with her through several changes of residence. We first saw it in the living/dining area of her girly apartment, and then it moved to the bedroom. [...]

  32. [...] Making it Yours (MiY) explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’m focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It started out in the home of a young woman who had just splurged on the rug (it was the most expensive thing in her apartment!), and it is making its way with her through several changes of residence. We first saw it in the living/dining area of her girly apartment, and then in her bedroom. When she and her sweetie moved in together, they made the apartment more masculine, and now they’re updating it a bit. [...]

  33. [...] Making it Yours (MiY) explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’m focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It started out in the home of a young woman who had just splurged on the rug (it was the most expensive thing in her apartment!), and it is making its way with her through several changes of residence. We first saw it in the living/dining area of her girly apartment, and then in her bedroom. When she and her sweetie moved in together, they made the apartment more masculine and then they continued and went for a modern cabin look. [...]

  34. [...] working on my fourth edition of Making it Yours! This one will be a little different; instead of following one piece of furniture through five [...]

  35. [...] come to the last look in this fourth edition of Making it Yours (MiY). This one may be my favorite, though it’s a toss-up because I really liked the first [...]

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