Decor Inspiration Abounds - LJeys Interesting Reading

It was November, 2005. My young son and I had sold our three bedroom condo and moved into my boyfriend's tiny two bedroom unit. It's easy to wonder now, as I look back, why it didn't occur to us to do it the other way around, but hindsight is always 20-20. Once we were in, we realized the enormous challenge it would be to make our tiny condo into a home. With differing styles and way too many things, we were faced with an organizational nightmare, and very little space to make things happen. I've got to hand it to the both of us, however, as we were able to whittle our things down sufficiently and get everything moved in. The plan was to get settled, and then do some decorating to make this our home, but after the big move and some heavy sighs, we were just glad to be in! The decorating would come, but not before a little side-bar: We'd only been living together a short couple of months, when the three of us embarked on an adventurous vacation to Sayulita, Mexico, a little fishing village just north of Puerto Vallarta. Some friends were getting married there, so we decided to go and brush up on our surfing and sunbathing skills.

We were not at all prepared for the stifling heat and humidity that greeted us upon arrival. The bugs - of which, I am not a big fan - were ENORMOUS! To this day I swear those stinkin' insects knew I didn't like them, and attacked at every opportunity, to get back at me. My boyfriend says it was because they saw me as a beautiful flower, and just couldn't resist (isn't he sweet). But I was pelted with mosquito and all manner of other insect bites within the first two days, and am quite sure I resembled a leper with the welts that covered my body.

My boyfriend's buddy owned a beautiful home in Sayulita (go figure), which is normally rented out, but it was available for part of our week-long escapade, so he graciously allowed us to stay there for a few days. The house had this incredible open-air balcony with a Palapa roof top, and a traditional Mexican style decor that was really charming, and very authentic. It sat high up on "Gringo Hill" and had beautiful ocean views. It was spectacular, with it's Saltillo tiles and towering cathedral ceiling!

Excited beyond belief about our new temporary habitat, my boyfriend & I nabbed the open-air Palapa bedroom on the top floor, while my son (the more astute of our group) slept with a fan in an enclosed bedroom. We later discovered that night-time was attack (or feeding) time for mosquitoes and other insects. It wasn't until the third night that we discovered we could move the mosquito netting from one of the other bedrooms to our outdoor paradise. Once we fastened that over our bed, and I was able to communicate to the "doctor" at the farmacia that I needed something to stop the itching, we were off and running on our grand vacation!

No sooner had we figured everything out, when it was time for us to move to another house! My boyfriend's buddy had booked the house over the last few days of our stay, so we rented another and moved on. When we drove up to the other little house (which was closer to the beach, and the location of the wedding), we weren't quite sure what to think. It looked a little eclectic on the outside, to say the least, but upon entering, we were propelled into a world of a thousand vibrant colors. It may sound awful - but it was fun and inviting! The little palapa-style house was decorated in the bright colors of Mexico and we felt like we'd entered a whole new world! My senses were most certainly in over-drive.

We all concurred: It was a cute little house. It felt inviting and warm, and had a quaint style about it. We quickly made ourselves at home. At one point Tom said, "I really love these colors! I think the decorators used the different colors in a really cool way!"

We'd talked about what type of decorating to do at our own condo just before this trip, but we'd left it alone, not having a definitive idea. When he was so positive about all the color, I was inspired. I wasn't sure I wanted these colors in our little place, but it certainly got the wheels turning in my brain.

The vacation was over all too soon, but when we returned home, it was back to business as usual, and the confines of three people living in a tiny condo. I had to do something. I determined I was going to add some color to the kitchen. My boyfriend is great that way - he trusted me! I went to the home improvement store nearby, bought a painting decor book, and proceeded to pick some paints. Our condo's walls were all white. The colors I chose were bold, and potentially risky, but I knew they would look good, once it was all finished. My job was to convince everyone at home that everything would be okay as the job progressed!

I put a deep red on the back wall of the kitchen, which is the first wall people really notice when they look at our kitchen. My boyfriend was really nervous as I was painting it. My original plan was to get the red on, then wash over it with a school bus orange, to give it an antiqued look. Once the red was finished, however, we all loved it so much, I left it! I took my cues from the cool oranges of the second house in Sayulita (see picture at very top) for the wall on the left in our kitchen, and in the archway ceiling I used a lighter version of that orange (by mixing in lots of white paint). It really warmed the place up quite a bit, and gave it a very cozy feeling. The only thing left to do was update the track lighting over the counter.

We added the perfect little lights within a month or so (on the right) , and the kitchen was complete! Most who come to our little place tell us the kitchen is their favorite room. They say they love the red wall, and they feel like they just want to hang out in there!

I was glad I kept my eyes and mind open to new ideas and possibilities. Sure, I liked the little house near the beach in Mexico, but at first glance I thought the bold colors might be a bit much in my little space. On the contrary, those bold colors warmed the place up immensely. Inspiration for decorating abounds, and can be taken advantage of, if we are only on the lookout!

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