Home Style Guide – Brought to you by Federated Media

I’m going to let you in on one of our top-secret awesome resources for a whole lot of the fabulous art and décor seen on Cool Mom Picks.

Presenting: The most excellent, super-cool design resource, Trunkt.

 

Trunkt is a directory showcasing artisans and creative entrepreneurs loaded up with tons of gorgeous photos to help get the salivary glands going. If you’re the type who seeks housewares and décor that no one else in your life will have, this is a great place to look for it.

Some of the artists we’ve featured that have a presence on trunkt include Shosonna Snow’s lovely porcelain bowls and ornaments, gorgeous handmade tea towels from Hammocks and High Tea, the whimsical teapots and serving pieces from Daisy Dog Studios, and bookcases from Dust Furniture which would make Dr. Seuss proud. (Seriously, they’re wacky. Limit yourself to one piece.) But surely you’ll find plenty of your own picks, plenty of which are available right online.

We can’t all own that original Eames sofa or $10,000 hand-carved antique table. But add a single cool hand-embroidered pillow to that affordable couch, or deck out your dining room with a one-of-a-kind artisan centerpiece and suddenly your home looks less catalog page, and more…home.

-Liz Gumbinner, Co-Editor Cool Mom Picks

I can’t help but get obsessed with throw pillows! I always seem to be on the look out the next one to be added to my collection. Pillows are the perfect way to transform a new look to your pad by adding a fresh elements or splash of color to a chair, couch, or bed. And these days there’s nothing like handmade — an applique deer here, an embroidered flower there. I love the variety and whimsical, fresh prints that can be mixed and matched together to make your living quarters your own.

Here’s a roundup of some of the most stylish and cute pillows found on Etsy. Clockwise from left: jamtart baby’s I love Orange Flowers, Olive’s 50’s Birdcage Pillow, arieltelsa’s Lilah Embroidered Leaf Pillow, green room’s Peu Garden Pillow Duvet, Fat Orange Cat’s yellow antelope pillow, and joom’s Plum Cardinal Throw Pillow.

You can also search for more cute throw pillows on Etsy.

My husband likes to tell the story of his mother’s all-white living room. In his childhood home, this room stood as a sparkling symbol of his mother’s ability to keep a room clean through sheer force of will. No food was allowed in this room, nor shoes, nor excessive flatulence. One held one’s breath while passing this room in case one’s exhalation fogged the glass coffee table.

He speaks of this room with a combination of admiration and resentment. As an adult, he loves nothing more than a neat space, and I’m sure he wishes our living room were a bit more pristine. But I can also hear the perspective of the kid who was kept out of part of his own home in case he “messed it up.”

Now I’m all for adult spaces in a home. I would hate for my kids to miss out on the experience of eating off of the “grown up” china, or of maintaining the sitting room as a place to relax together, but not necessarily spread out all of the toys. I also appreciate thoughtful decor. But I want the entire family to feel comfortable in our home. Our house doesn’t look like a Pottery Barn catalog picture, and I wouldn’t want it to feel that way, either.

I’m finding, as the years go by, our favorite decor and furniture either came as a result of our travels, or is worn enough to look comfortable without looking shabby. I’ve never been one who could walk into an home store (or browse an Etsy shop) and find that “just right” piece for a particular room. I have a motley collection of furniture and accessories I’ve collected as hand-me-downs, one-offs, and bargains (with a few impulse buys thrown in for fun), and I just keep rearranging them every few years. The idea of creating (or maintaining) anything as cohesive as an all-white room just doesn’t compute.

I admire the pride my mother in-law took in her home. (While it’s much more relaxed today, it continues to be spotless. Even in the presence of grandkids. Amazing.) But I’m also perfectly okay with a less-than-perfect home. I prefer to see the scratched tables and the scattered belongings as evidence of a living, breathing — comfortable — family.