How long do you keep things in a room the same, especially the fabrics?
Well, mostly the same. I think we all do some tweaking here and there all the time, but for the most part, do you keep your space the same for many years? I do know that fabrics can date a room. Many times, you can walk in someone’s home and make a mental note of exactly when they did that particular room, based on the fabrics. Can’t you?
I think for me I would say at least 7-10 years, I will keep my fabrics and most of the bones of the room the same. Maybe changing out some accessories here and there, but I try to be content and satisfied for several years before I go changing out the major things in a room. (from Charles Faudree)
I’ve learned that for the most part, keeping sofas a neutral fabric and color is the best for me. That’s a tried and true thing that I’ve stuck with over the last 20 years or so. Chairs can be something in a print, but even those can be iffy when you want to change out a look in your room.
I love the above pic from Charles Faudree. He’s the king of toile and traditional design, with beautiful toiles and checks mixed so perfectly. I fell in love with toile almost 10 years ago and still have that fabric in my house in the dining room and guest room. But, as much as I still love toile, it’s not what floats my boat right this minute.
Isn’t it funny how we can change our minds about what we love when trends and fabrics change?
Like this for instance. I’m going to swallow my pride and show you my old house, back in 1986. I was so proud to have a house of my very own to do what I wanted with it. And this is what I did. Some of you were just babies back then. Me? I was a single girl out to decorate her first place. Isn’t it lovely?  No, not the hair. And don’t laugh. You know you had hair like this too. :)I could definitely rock the big hair.
This beautiful shade of seafoam green was so in back then. In fact, do you see a comeback in the making? It’s not so different than some of those blue/green shades we are all loving now.
Of course, then we were pairing it with mauve (yep, I did mauve carpet, what was I thinking?) and I even threw in gray for some contemporary flair. My mother was sewing for me back then too and made the curtains and that window seat cushion. I thought it was SO pretty.
Then, sometime around the early 90’s, this dark and moody hunter green was everywhere. Hunter green and burgandy. I bet you had some of this too, right?  It was dark and cave like, but then I moved on to my red stage. I can’t put my hands on my old house pics, but I had a red very similar to this one in my dining room and I painted the whole living room with it and had new window treatments made for it too with a yellow/gold background (again, my mom sewed for me).
Don’t you feel like you are constantly growing when it comes to decorating? I sure do!
When we moved in this house, I didn’t change out many of my fabrics at all and it’s been almost 5 years that we have lived here. Many of those fabrics go way back from there. The only room I started over with was our master bedroom and bath.
So, I’m chomping at the bit to do a little freshening in my kitchen. I have loved, loved my red bunny fabric for a very long time now. My mom did such a great job on that window treatment and I said to myself that I would keep it until something else started to grab me. This window treatment is almost 9 years old now. It is still very charming and I certainly don’t dislike it, but some other fabrics have grabbed my attention. And this fabric that I found earlier this year at Old Time Pottery has been calling my name. You may remember I used it for pillows on my porch, but I have plenty left to do a window treatment with. I won’t even have to change the green paint in there, but these fabrics will freshen it up. Even though these colors are brighter than what I have elsewhere, I’m going for it. 🙂
Those 2 sample fabrics with it are from Tonic Living, a new site my friend, Kate, shared recently. I clicked over there and LOVED all the fabrics and the best part, they are so reasonably priced. They even offered a 10% discount on orders, with the coupon code, TONICLIVING, which I intend to use.
I’m pretty sure this pretty golden yellow lattice fabric will go on my chair seats. And I’m hoping that stripe is still available as I don’t see it on the website now.  I’m not sure yet what type of window treatment I’ll do, but I think it will be simple. You will definitely stay in the loop when I do figure it out! I admit, I’m a fabric junkie. My mother used to drag us in the fabric stores when we were growing up, so maybe that has something to do with it. But, when I see a fresh new fabric out there that catches my eye, it begs me to bring it home with me. I’m about a 7-10 year girl with my fabrics.
So, tell me!
How long do you keep your fabrics? Many years like I do or do you tend to change them more often or less often!
And what is it that gets the itch going for change? Is it fabric or a particular color?
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The giveaway winner for the Downlite pillow is #144, Patty Hibble. Congrats Patty, email me with your mailing address and I’ll get you connected.
Layla says
SUCH A GREAT POST!!! 🙂
I’m a fabric junkie too. Wish I could change it out DAILY!!!
XO,
Layla
Cheri says
Well I did notice “the Farrah Fawcett hair” and yes, your are right we all had that hair do but you pull it off better.
Now as far as decorating, I usually change things up every time we move, which seems to be fairly often lately. It needs to fit the new home.
Kim says
Girl you are hilarious! Of course I had hair like that! I am a Jersey girl after all. I just love all of the fabrics you showed and I’m with you about keeping things neutral for longevity’s sake. For the most part, I keep things the same.
xoxo,
Kim
Pat says
I think you are right on target. My house is 22 years old and the den sofas are on their 3rd fabric. The fabrics are not neutral and the first and third are very similar but they needed to be replaced because they got dingy looking over time. I have found that if I pay a little more to get something that I really LOVE, it lasts a long time rather than just buying something that I don’t love but it works. My den window treatments have only been replaced one time in the 22 years. Taking a clue from the heritage homes and hotels that I have visited both in this country and abroad, it seems to me that true classic design is timeless so I tend to stick to classic rather than trendy.
Kandi @ KandiLand says
Ha! I love the picture of you…thank you for swallowing your pride. And as much as we laugh today you were HOT STUFF in the 80’s! And those valances were in style back then. My Mom had one and she stuffed newspaper inside to make them poofy. 🙂
I buy neutral furniture so I can change out accessories, curtains and pillow slipcovers constantly. I think I have aout 20 different fabric slipcovers and when I get bored or the seasons change…voila! New fabrics. (Not that I’m a good decorator)
Thanks for the smile this morning!
Paula says
Thank you for sharing your story, it is basically my
story also. It has been 10-12 yrs since I redeco’d my
house. The wallpaper on the entry is getting dated
which I chose a more neutral palet but it still looks
dated. It is white, blue strips (kinda like what you
see in dr’s office, really small), the carpet is getting
dated/worn also. I had white walls and
just changed them to a light grey with white base
boards and white crown molding. I like the white
cottage feel, so I have kept it towards all the lighter
colors for yrs but I have brought some color in recently
when we just remodeled our kitchen in April (after 30
yrs of the original cabinets). So I took a few ideas from
Candice Olsen on HGTV and love the new look. I do
change as the season’s and holidays change. Like I will
be putting out a orange burnt throw on the beigh couch,
orange burnt candles on candle sticks, etc. I like decorating
each month for the season so I keep it neutral, like May
comes the spring look, 4th of July decor in July, watermelon
decor in Aug, and I’m putting out this next week sunflower
and fall decor, Oct -Halloween etc.
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says
I’m with you, Rhoda; I’m about 7-10 years on my tastes in home decor also. Sometimes it is just the fabric, but sometimes it is actual furniture pieces {like chairs}. I do love that Charles Faudree picture you have up top though. I really love all his designs. I think I had that seafoam fabric on your window seat, {but it was 1990-91 because I was in our second house then}! I love your red valance fabric and I actually have at least 3 yards of that fabric that I’ve been holding onto, and had been hoping I could do something with it. Unfortunately, I don’t have red in my house.
Vanessa says
I LOVE that photo of you Rhoda! 🙂 For me, I tend to lean towards the design philosophy that you invest in your mainstay items (sofas, chairs, etc.) and go fairly neutral with them and then you can switch out pillows and accessories. I tend to change more of those fabrics than anything else. Window treatments, for me, are so time consuming to sew and can be costly, therefore I try and find something that I know I will love for a LONG time! I’m getting ready to change up some family room pillows and already have the fabric for that!
Vanessa
http://southerninmyheart.blogspot.com
Missy says
I think it was the whole Miami Vice thing that caused those colors! 🙂 I was a teenager back in the 80’s so I remember the BIG HAIR too! I especially remember the guys with big hair..you know all those rock bands with the wild and fuzzy hair-dos! lol
I tend to keep my more neutral fabrics in place for 5 or 6 years, but change out the accessories pretty regularly. We’ve only been in this house for less than 4 years, so everything here is new for now! 🙂 I’m re-doing the rooms one at a time, so by the time I get the whole house finished it’ll be time to re-do the first one! :-0
Have a great week!
HUGS
Missy
Maya @ Completely Coastal says
I change decor whenever we move…, which has been about every three years! That photo of you is hilarious…, sorry I had to laugh!
Erin says
I’m on about the same timeline as you. Unfortunately, I tend to live with things longer because I just don’t have the money to change it out more often. For instance, my living room is is sort of cottage meets French country, but somewhere along the line I realized that I can no longer stand the red, blue and mustard yellow pallet. But alas, changing it to what I really want—beachy navy and tan/greige/off-white—is an expensive proposition that would require a new couch, new area rugs and recovering a chair and ottoman. I guess the excuse for that will be when this couch wears out. Hopefully it’s not built too well, lol.
the cape on the corner says
love it! i love that you are not intimidated or anything about putting up those pictures! you really rocked that big hair, girl!
ANTIQUECHASE says
This post is timely for me! I have been looking at my dining room pillows and finding them very dated looking… floral with plaid trim? ugh. I did them in 1997 so it’s time for a change!!
robyn says
Rhoda, this was such a FUN walk through Decor-Memory Lane! I have to say that you’d be gorgeous with ANY hair even if you had none! You ROCKED that look! We married in ’92 and had saddle leather couches and burgundy and green accents. My powder room was seafoam green. But my master bath was classic black and white. Black marble counter, white cabinets and the classic floor with the octogan white marble tile with the black marble squares. I SO miss that bathroom, still! We moved here in’96 and still had the saddle leather couch, we painted below our chair rail RL’s KILIM RED, but changed it within a year to a pretty sage green. Now we no longer have chair rail, we have board and batten and it’s white, above is called Impressionist blue by RL and the couches are dark chocolate. This was such a FUN FUN post and I loved reading everyones answers! THANKS!!!
Sherri says
I have noticed that I keep the same ‘main’ and add to them. I love neutrals in main pieces of furniture and then switch up the pillows, window treatments and other odd items (side tables, lamps, etc). I have been known to change out pillows and throw blankets with the seasons.
Sherri says
Oh forgot. The HAIR. Oh my mercy! Yes, we all had ‘big’ hair, but I had to giggle at the print and print (window seat and your dress) clash. 😉 I’d never snicker at hair being the daughter of a hairdresser. No M’am, not me. 😉
rue says
Hi Rhoda 🙂
My first house was 80s country with baby blue and mauve everywhere! My mom had those balloon shades in the house too and who didn’t have big hair then?? I used to stick my head out the window of the car with a can of hairspray because the dryer wasn’t strong enough hahahaha It’s funny how our tastes change.
Anyway, to keep current I paint the walls and change out pillows usually. The fabric part stays the same unless I buy new upholstered furniture, but since I can’t part with my antiques I just move them around. How often does the look of my house change? Every time I move which has been about every 5 years 😉
xoxo,
rue
Jennifer says
I think I usually make it 10 years. I have a lovely soft green on my walls in the living room but the busy traditional floral with burgundy trim is starting to feel too busy and dated. I am ready for a change. I am going to take them down while we do renovations in other parts of the house and hope to not put them up again!
What do you think about plantation shutters? Would you leave them plain or add a window treatment as well? The simplicity has always been appealing and I wonder if I will like them longer than 10 years!
Rhoda says
Hey, Jennifer, I really LOVE plantation shutters & I do think they look great plain with no treatments with them. Especially if all your molding is nice and wide, it’s a great look. I’d say go for that!
Nicole Mulvany (RSVP Shindig) says
I just talked about this on my blog a few weeks ago. Drapes were meant to be changed every seven years (especially if it’s a pattern.) You can get away with a fabric for ten to twelve it’s a solid. But, patterns are hard to keep for that long. I have curtains that have two years left and it’s funny because I can totally tell it’s time to change them out. I have patterns on chairs that really are on their last year. But, I think I am going to try to wait it out for a move and then send everything off to be reupholstered.
sandy says
Oh Rhoda! You were (and still are very beautiful)! As I get older, I pay less attention to trends and decorate the way I want. If I like a look, I keep it a loooong time. I still love color and just can’t get into the whole “white/gray/black trend!