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