| For the first nineteen years of my life I
| |
| | be able to start decorating from scratch,
|
| lived in the same town in my parents
| |
| | since we had brought nothing with us. I
|
| home. Whatever home decor there was
| |
| | went through the routine of sitting in
|
| interested me little, it was just there.
| |
| | different corners of the empty rooms and
|
| Then I went to Italy for a year and lived
| |
| | envisioned what, of the things I had seen
|
| with an Italian Duke and his family. They
| |
| | in magazines and home decor stores, would
|
| lived in a villa in Rome. There I noticed
| |
| | look good in that house. I settled on
|
| the home decor. The rooms were huge. The
| |
| | country cottage style home decor and in
|
| Duchess had a penchant for elaborate
| |
| | the end, of all the homes we had lived
|
| baroque wall mirrors. They were
| |
| | in, this one, still today, was the one we
|
| everywhere, with the rest of the home
| |
| | felt most comfortable and at home in.Our
|
| decor to match. Most days the gardener
| |
| | bliss lasted for almost two years until
|
| cut arms full of fresh flowers. I often
| |
| | my husband was transferred to Atlanta,
|
| helped to carry them because I liked to
| |
| | Georgia. Fortunately the company let us
|
| follow him around so that I could look at
| |
| | fly there ahead of time to check the
|
| the classical art statue sculptures and
| |
| | place out and I could see right away that
|
| fountains. They, and marble benches,
| |
| | in the colonial style homes we looked at,
|
| strategically placed between the trees
| |
| | country cottage home decor would never
|
| and flowers, were the garden decor. Since
| |
| | do. My husband came to an agreement with
|
| I liked to do it, it soon became my job
| |
| | his company, that instead of paying for
|
| to arrange the flowers in decorative
| |
| | the movers to transport our furniture,
|
| vases. I had a free hand in placing them
| |
| | they would give him a lump sum.With great
|
| on tables, cabinets and plant stands. It
| |
| | pleasure I acquainted myself with
|
| wasn't exactly decorating, but it gave me
| |
| | colonial style home decor, sat in the
|
| a satisfying feeling to contribute
| |
| | empty rooms envisioning what to put where
|
| something to those marvelous rooms.After
| |
| | and in the end came up with a truly
|
| one year I moved to Paris, France. Not
| |
| | elegant period masterpiece. What a
|
| much scope for home decorating there. I
| |
| | delight it was to entertain in that
|
| lived in a tiny furnished room, where the
| |
| | house.I should have known that it would
|
| home decor consisted of a narrow bed, a
| |
| | not last but must admit that I said yes
|
| pine wood chair, a wardrobe and a wood
| |
| | faster than my husband when his boss
|
| cabinet with a washbowl. A bare light
| |
| | offered him a job in Nepal.We had no idea
|
| bulb hung from the ceiling. All I added
| |
| | what to expect in that country. Things
|
| was a decorative mirror, a reading lamp
| |
| | seemed primitive compared to what we were
|
| and a crystal vase, which I kept filled
| |
| | used to but we loved it. We found a
|
| with fresh flowers from the market.After
| |
| | rather grand looking house where the
|
| that it was exciting to move into a house
| |
| | water pipes and electrical lines were all
|
| near Los Angeles, California, which I
| |
| | outside the walls. The fuse boxes were
|
| shared with my sister. Without much
| |
| | right by the entrance so that everybody
|
| planning, we decided what we needed and
| |
| | could see that this house was modern
|
| went out to buy whatever appealed to us.
| |
| | enough to have such luxuries. The floors
|
| As nice as the furniture had looked in
| |
| | were naked cement and there was no
|
| the showroom, somehow, in that house it
| |
| | heating. Sitting in corners of the empty
|
| did not seem right. For one thing, it was
| |
| | rooms to envision them furnished did not
|
| much too massive and the colors clashed
| |
| | do it here either, since there were no
|
| with the paint colors and window
| |
| | stores where one could just go and buy
|
| coverings. We did not have much time to
| |
| | furniture. Simple beds, with hemp cords
|
| stew over it since we both carried a full
| |
| | strung between the sides and badly made
|
| load of courses at the college and worked
| |
| | whicker chairs were all one could buy
|
| four hours after class and eight on
| |
| | ready made. Other expatriates advised us
|
| Saturdays.
| |
| | to get pictures of home decor we would
|
| The day after I graduated, I got married
| |
| | like to have and take them to a carpenter
|
| and my wonderful husband and I moved into
| |
| | who may or may not come up with something
|
| an apartment near his work. At first I
| |
| | similar. We did and also found a place in
|
| had fun buying new furniture and making
| |
| | the bazaar where we could order coir
|
| the place look nice, but soon I realized
| |
| | carpeting. It did not look like much but
|
| that apartment living was not for me. I
| |
| | felt invigoratingly rough under bare
|
| missed wandering between the flowers and
| |
| | feet. Dishes, cutlery and whatever else
|
| sitting on the garden bench under the
| |
| | one needs in a home also were of ghastly
|
| open sky with that first cup of coffee,
| |
| | quality, but it did not matter, nobody
|
| As soon as our lease was up, we moved
| |
| | else had anything better, except for
|
| into a house on a steep hillside. We used
| |
| | embassy staff, who got everything shipped
|
| the furniture we had, even though it
| |
| | in. Slowly the pieces of furniture we had
|
| looked out of place. Going around to
| |
| | ordered were delivered and little by
|
| flea markets and buying items without
| |
| | little the place started to look like a
|
| thinking whether they would fit in with
| |
| | home. Finally we could reciprocate for
|
| what we had, did not help. At the same
| |
| | all the many invitations we had accepted
|
| time my husband inherited his uncle's
| |
| | from ex pats and local people alike. We
|
| collectible knives, swords and sabers.
| |
| | might not have had the home decor we
|
| They presented a real challenge for me.
| |
| | would have liked but since the
|
| What was I to do with home decor like
| |
| | electricity often failed anyhow, by
|
| that?Mother Nature soon took care of my
| |
| | candlelight it did look delightful.
|
| dilemma. The house and most of what we
| |
| | Besides, we had one of the best cooks in
|
| owned was burned in the Bel Air fire. Of
| |
| | Katmandu and visitors told us that they
|
| course I was very sad about the loss, yet
| |
| | would have come to eat his food, had the
|
| I was excited.
| |
| | house been empty.
|
| Here was my chance to start all over
| |
| | We were supposed to go back to the
|
| again and this time I intended to make
| |
| | United States after my husband's contract
|
| the home decor match the house.We rented
| |
| | was up but even before that, his boss
|
| a bungalow with a slanting roof, dark,
| |
| | wanted him to transfer to Madras, India.
|
| exposed beams and lots of windows. We
| |
| | By good fortune we found
|
| moved in with just a few borrowed
| |
| | an almost new bungalow which had been
|
| necessities and stacks of home decor
| |
| | build on stilts so as to not disturb the
|
| magazines and books. As I saw pictures of
| |
| | roots of a huge holy tree in front of it.
|
| things that appealed to me, I would sit
| |
| | The house was built in a square around a
|
| in different corners of the empty room I
| |
| | courtyard with a mango tree in the middle
|
| wanted to furnish and envisioned
| |
| | and all rooms had big glass double doors
|
| imaginary items in place. It was a great
| |
| | opening out to it. When I saw the place,
|
| method to decide on my selection. Lime
| |
| | I could immediately envision a garden
|
| green and lemon yellow were very much in
| |
| | theme and was glad to find fabrics with a
|
| fashion then and probably would have
| |
| | lattice and bamboo design for the
|
| looked ghastly in any of the other
| |
| | curtains and matching green upholstery
|
| dwellings we had had. But in that house,
| |
| | for the sofas and chairs we had made.
|
| with the dark beams, dark oak flooring
| |
| | Even though it took many trips to the
|
| and big windows framed by citrus trees, I
| |
| | bazaar, and frequent reminders to the
|
| could envision that it would look nice.
| |
| | carpenters, eventually all the home decor
|
| And it did. It was a delightful home.A
| |
| | complimented the garden feeling I had
|
| year later my husband decided to go back
| |
| | wanted to achieve. It was like living
|
| to college for his Masters Degree. We
| |
| | outdoors.After that we moved fourteen
|
| loaded what we could into our Volkswagen
| |
| | more times, always to different
|
| Bus, sold the rest of our belongings and
| |
| | countries, all over the world, without
|
| headed for Austin, Texas, accompanied by
| |
| | ever bringing any furnishings with us.
|
| two babies and a cat. Money was tight and
| |
| | Each time I went through the same process
|
| home decor took a back seat to all else.
| |
| | of sitting in the empty rooms,
|
| Like so many student accommodations, ours
| |
| | envisioning the results I wanted to
|
| had a lot of make-do furnishings. The
| |
| | achieve, then finding the right home
|
| bricks and boards book shelves, the milk
| |
| | decor. The results were always perfect
|
| crate and plywood tables and second hand
| |
| | for that particular house.Few people move
|
| sofas and beds. Our newborn slept in what
| |
| | as much as we did. For them it is even
|
| used to be a packing box for toilet
| |
| | more important, right at the beginning,
|
| paper, nicely lined with colorful fabric.
| |
| | to decorate their home to suit it's
|
| It didn't seem to matter. I devoted my
| |
| | character. Having chosen what looks right
|
| time to my children. My husband devoted
| |
| | then will still look right years
|
| his time to his studies .In less than
| |
| | later.Elisabeth Mcgill is now living in
|
| twelve month he got his degree and was
| |
| | Arizona. To put her experience with home
|
| recommended by his professor to a company
| |
| | decorating to good use, she is in the
|
| in Pasadena, California.
| |
| | process of starting a home decor
|
| We found a lovely cottage style home.
| |
| | business. More on that when everything is
|
| Once again I was absolutely thrilled to
| |
| | in place.
|
