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.
Shannon
September 24, 2008 at 1:14 pmWhat 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.
Bethany
September 24, 2008 at 1:15 pmI love this idea!! How fun and unique. Can’t wait to see how this unfolds.
Kim
September 24, 2008 at 1:29 pmAwesome feature! I cannot wait to see it. I know that we have several pieces that have shown their way through several rooms and lives.
Pamela
September 24, 2008 at 1:30 pmWhat 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!
megan
September 24, 2008 at 1:50 pmwhat a great idea–can’t wait to read more.
morgan
September 24, 2008 at 1:55 pmI 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.
Alma
September 24, 2008 at 2:04 pmWhat 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.
Miss B.
September 24, 2008 at 2:20 pmI 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!
woodley park-zoo
September 24, 2008 at 2:22 pmThis is an amazing idea — SOOOOOOOO amazing… I’m holding my breath!
Desiree
September 24, 2008 at 2:33 pmIt 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.
Wendy
September 24, 2008 at 2:40 pmThis 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.
LayersofMeaning
September 24, 2008 at 2:52 pmwhat a neat idea!
Amy
September 24, 2008 at 3:11 pmI’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.
Christine
September 24, 2008 at 3:18 pmThis is exciting! Especially since I have this piece! I can’t wait to see how you imagine it!
Monica
September 24, 2008 at 3:24 pmAdorable idea!
but add this and your cumin/Dorito craving….hmmmm?
pookie
September 24, 2008 at 3:41 pmMonica, I was thinking the same thing…
Vica
September 24, 2008 at 3:53 pmThis sounds awesome! Can’t wait to see the posts.
Cheryl
September 24, 2008 at 4:01 pmI 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/.
Miss B.
September 24, 2008 at 4:06 pmBut much more beautiful!!!
Melissa M.
September 24, 2008 at 4:21 pmBRILLIANT!
casafroggy
September 24, 2008 at 4:30 pmI 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 :)
Joi
September 24, 2008 at 4:54 pmso fun! i can’t wait to see your ideas!
Making it Lovely
September 24, 2008 at 7:13 pmI’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? ;)
daisy janie
September 24, 2008 at 8:59 pmWha a cool, cool, cool idea!!
Kari
September 24, 2008 at 9:19 pmSweet! 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.
Jennae @ Green Your Decor
September 24, 2008 at 9:57 pmThis is a really awesome idea! I’m heading over to check out the nursery now.
Trina
September 25, 2008 at 6:25 amThis 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!
clistyB
September 26, 2008 at 2:01 am(GASP!)
We saw this last weekend, and my husband came sooooo close to buying it! I was proud that he appreciated the style.
patricia
September 28, 2008 at 4:56 amNow 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”
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Kathy
June 23, 2010 at 1:11 pmI love the idea of using “dressers” in the livingroom or dining room. : )
Now….could you please come to Michigan and fix my livingroom. Too much furniture and none of it “goes” and none of it makes sense. It’s all too big and I need someone to “fix it”. LOL!!