When we moved into our new home three years ago, I found myself with a lot of empty spaces to decorate. I combined shopping at Havertys with shopping my house to create a room that I love. Keep reading for my pointers on decorating your home with items you have already collected.
One of the biggest projects I had in our new home was furnishing the formal dining room. In former homes, we had turned that space into an office. With this house, we decided to make the smaller dining area a work space, and utilize the dining room. We had purchased our first dining set from Havertys when we only had 2 kids, and with baby #4 on the way, we needed something bigger. So, as I mentioned, this room was my big project!
The only piece of furniture I had in the room was this enormous wall unit. I grew up with this piece, and it was willed to me after my father passed away in 2010. Since it is a focal point, I had to find a table set that matched it and figure out what to fill all those shelves with. I knew I could find the perfect dining set at Havertys…that was the easy part…but what to do with all those empty shelves?
I really dislike buying “stuff” just for decor’s sake. Part of it’s because I’m thrifty, but mainly it’s because I like when a home tells a story. I don’t want to look at a vase and know that I bought it because I needed something to fit in that space. I want to look at a vase and remember shopping with my dad in a market in Okinawa. I want each piece to tell the story of where I’ve been, where I’m at, or where I’m going. So, rather than go to a store, I “shopped” my home and created several vignettes with items my husband and I have collected over the years.
I love books, and that’s a passion that was passed on to me by my father. Most of the books I used here were his. Rather than discard them, I used them to create interest and to use as stands for various items. I like knowing that not only do the pages contain a story, but each book holds a personal story of where I got it and where I read it.
The masks are part of a collection my husband and I started on our honeymoon in Italy. Over the years, we’ve either purchased or been gifted various beautiful, handcrafted Venetian masks. The two leather masks were hand made by my uncle Raffaele, and given to us when we visited him in Australia. All of these masks bring back wonderful memories, ranging from my childhood Carnevale festivals in Italy to my trip to Italy with my new husband.
The other “story” told here is our love for fine Italian coffee…precisely, espresso! I don’t care for American coffee, as it’s much too weak for my taste, and I’ve always used a caffetiera to make my coffee. Over the years, I’ve amassed quite a caffetiera collection, and I can’t bring myself to throw them away. At some point I plan to paint or decoupage them to display, but in the meantime I have them grouped together here, with my espresso cups.
With the wall unit sufficiently decorated, I was ready to focus on finding the perfect dining room set. My favorite furniture store has always been Havertys, so that’s where I headed to make my purchase. I had a good idea of what I wanted: something that could seat 8, was not terribly formal, and that had a cherry or dark walnut finish. I told this to the associate who met me at the door, and she helpfully led me to 6 sets that met my specifications.
I immediately fell in love with the King Arthur collection at Havertys. I loved the distressed finish, which is perfect for a home with four young kids! The color was a good match to the wall unit I already had. The scroll accents on the table top reminded me of the accents on the wall unit. It’s hard to match different pieces of furniture, especially when one piece is over 40 years old, but I felt I had found a good complement with this table set.
I went home and showed my husband the set online. He loved it, too, and we headed back to Havertys the next weekend to look at the set together. Convinced that this was the perfect table, we bought the set. I really do love this piece. Look at the gorgeous detail on the table legs! The lines on the back of the chair are stunning, as well. I was thrilled to find a piece that perfectly completed the room. Now my family of 6 can create new memories and new stories in this space.
I’ll be sharing pictures from this post on Instagram using the hashtag #HavertysRefresh. Check it out to see the kinds of spaces others have created with purchases from Havertys, and feel free to share your own pictures! If you haven’t shopped at Havertys yet and want to check them out, their upcoming Columbus Day sale (September 29-October 12) is a don’t miss event. To stay up to date with future Havertys sales and promotions, be sure to follow them on social media:
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Havertys helps you bring your vision to life. Visit Havertys.com to find a store near you, detailed product information and design tools to guide you in your home decor purchases.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Havertys. The opinions and text are all mine.
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