Change is good: a new living room display

If you’ve been reading Growing Spaces for a while, you’ll know that nothing in our house stays the same for long. I’m constantly changing, tweaking, rearranging. It’s not a seasonal thing particularly, it’s something that I do all the time. I might pick up a new idea from another blog, or from social media or Pinterest. I might have bought a new vase/plant/stool/cupboard that needs a home created for it, or it could be that I just want to embrace the chance to potter around.

I find creating a new little display both relaxing and exciting – I’m in the zone, eyes often squinted in concentration as I try out new objects, replace others, and wander around the house looking for that one thing that will pull it all together or add the perfect finishing touch. It’s a bit like playing with building blocks to make the best tower.

When my mum asked if I wanted an old medicine cabinet that had been in my grandparents’ house, I immediately said yes, even though I had no idea where I would put it. On the drive home my brain was whirring away trying to imagine it in various places (at this point I was only picturing it hung on the wall for some reason), but as soon as I walked into our living room, I saw the perfect spot. There was an old radio (from my Nanna) on this end of our white gloss media unit (you can see it in my plant pot hack post here), that has occupied that same spot for ages and ages. Sometimes I find that when that’s the case, the display almost becomes invisible because you’re so used to it, and I think that’s why I like changing things up. Suddenly an area is reinvigorated and becomes visually pleasing again – I get a new sense of enjoyment when I look at it.

As soon as I took the radio away and popped the cabinet in its place, I knew it was going to work. And then I was on a roll. Some new plants joined the cabinet (I picked up the little turquoise ceramic pot on my first – and definitely not last – visit to The People Shop in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago), and I turned my attention to the artwork above. Again, the previous print had been there pretty much since we moved in nearly five years ago. I love it (it’s one Ben bought me years and years ago), but I’ve been after somewhere to hang this gorgeous hand-drawn map of New York by the wonderful illustrator Jenni Sparks (available from Evermade), and so it made sense to have an update.

Ben was worried the map would feel too busy, but I think it adds some life and energy to the space. I look at it and daydream – we honeymooned in New York and it’s our 10th wedding anniversary this winter so I’m desperate to return there to celebrate. This map shows NYC’s unofficial territories alongside well-known ones, and took Jenni months to create. I see something new every time I look at it – buildings are marked, Jenni has plotted her hidden gems, and there are also little graphic facts. It’s just the thing for someone as full of wanderlust as I am right now!

So there we have it – a change is as good as a rest, right? Do you like the new arrangement? And is your home constantly in a state of flux too, or am I alone in this!?

I’m going to link this post up to this month’s Create Make Share. The theme is ‘green’, but it’s a really loose theme that covers anything from a home refresh (like I’ve done), to a clever upcycle, to something green-fingered, to Spring-themed craft projects. If you’ve made anything this month that fits the bill, why not link up a post too?

 

Disclosure: Evermade.com gifted me the map featured in this post