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I’m a firm believer that it’s not enough in life to complain about or tear down what you don’t like. You also should spend a little time building up the things you DO like. So in that spirit, and in contrast to my post about decor trends that I am “over,” I thought I’d share a few trends that I simply cannot get enough of.

Painting furniture! Although I know there are times when the original or restored finish is the best solution for a particular piece, I have no problem at all with the concept of painting furniture. Painting furniture has made a strong comeback in recent years thanks to products like chalk paint and mineral paint. And the results have been amazing!

The time-worn look. Things that show their age speak of history. And as I get older, I am realizing that things which survive decades just have a lot more personality than things which are brand new. (They’re also, generally speaking, of higher quality, but that’s another issue altogether.) So give me a home filled with carefully-chosen pieces or even impulse buys, full of imperfections but evoking the spirit of having seen (and survived) a thing or two.

Roses! I just love this flower as a motif on anything and everything – dishes, linens, even furniture! Every time I see roses as an embellishment, I feel transported to an English cottage garden filled with heavenly scents, beautiful blooms, and perhaps a secluded bench to invite thoughtful enjoyment of the surroundings.

Junk-to-treasure. Make garden art out of a bowling ball? A coffee table out of book crates? A pendant light out of a metal colander? I love the clever re-purposing of cast-offs, discards, and just plain junk. These types of items give a home character, give new life to old things, and keep junk out of our landfills. Win, win, win!

What trend or fad do you find yourself ooo-ing and ahh-ing over?

I have to admit it: there are a few decorating fads I’m “over.”

Some I never liked at all, one or two were okay when they first appeared on my radar but quickly wore out their freshness. Most, I am still seeing in my Pinterest feed and I end up scrolling right past them.

Of course, I realize and appreciate that there are people who love these popular looks. Indeed, personal taste is just that – personal – and in fact, it all boils down to opinion. And you know what they say about opinions.

So for the record, here are my least favorite decorating fads of the last few years:

Chevrons – The chevron, as a motif with its straight lines and pointy tips, doesn’t look comfortable or homey, and never did. Even if it’s on bedding, or a pillow. It just looks painful. You know who can get away with chevrons? Charlie Brown. Yep, Charlie Brown rocks the chevron and always has. In fact, he never wears anything else. Does he have a dozen identical chevron shirts, or just one? And if the latter… how on earth has it survived the laundering all these years? In any case, Charlie Brown looks good in chevrons. My bed does not.

Chalkboards – Chalkboard paint hit it big a couple years ago and suddenly everything from cookie jars to refrigerators became an old-school write on/wipe off surface. This is one of those things that I’m actually sorry to say I don’t like. There are some very cute projects out there – heck I even made one myself! I just haven’t seen or thought of anything that really fits our style or daily logistics here, so I haven’t used it in my own home.

Ombre – I knew what “ombre” looked like, but I didn’t understand why it was called ombre until I looked it up for this post. Turns out it’s from French or Latin meaning “shading.” Not to be confused with hombre, which is Spanish slang for “man” or “guy.” Although, I suppose if you were of French & Spanish descent, you could actually be an ombre hombre – a shady guy! Okay, so at least I understand the term, even if I’m ready for the trend to exit stage-right.

Okay now that I have slaughtered a few of the sacred cows of DIY and decorating, it’s your turn. What are you over? What are you still loving? And yes, it’s okay to say chevrons, chalkboards, and even ombre.

P.S. – I was never into crafting with the facial hair motif, either, so I mustache you to stop that.

Update: I’m linking my sweet little table and chairs to Kathy’s “Return to Loveliness” party at her blog, A Delightsome Life… because it definitely returned to loveliness after its makeover! Please stop by Kathy’s blog for more lovely posts!

One of our luckiest recent curb finds was a dining table and four chairs, which was sitting out in the parking lot of the apartment complex a few weeks before we moved out. What was odd about it, was that it was set up with the chairs all around it – as if it was waiting for a family of four to come along and sit down to an outdoor dinner!

We drove past it a few times – the chair cushions were completely awful – but finally I couldn’t resist. Due to some odd twists, we didn’t really have a dining set for our new place, and I loved the light colors and “open” feel of the framing on the set. I thought it had sort of a garden/patio/bistro feel, perfect for what I envisioned in our open-concept kitchen/dining room.

But those chairs. Oh. My. Goodness.

We used a few wooden “place-holder” chairs for a few weeks immediately following the move, then I got to work recovering the seats on the found set. I was kind of hoping to find something salvagable under that nasty brown seat cover. Instead I found this:

Just as bad as the top layer! So I removed it all and kept only the wooden seat base, which was unfinished. So I painted it white so at least it would look good from underneath.

I took a simple gift wrap-style approach, using two-inch foam cut to size for the seat, a linen lining, and some checked upholstery fabric in pretty garden colors. My primary goals were to get the pattern straight and keep the corners looking tidy.

I think overall they turned out really cute!

Here are the first two sitting at the table in the new-to-us house. And, for now, the set looks great in our kitchen/living room, keeping things light and airy without adding too much bulk to the room.

I might… someday… try building a new harvest-style top for the table. Not bad for a parking lot find!