HGTV Curriculum

In the spirit of learning from all of life and resources around you..

For a couple of years I have gleaned from HGTV (a home/garden network) while I work in the kitchen. The same little box that gave us a window to the world in which we saw the statue of Saddam topple years ago, has also given me hours of background noise in how to match colors, arrange furniture and organize my space.

My favorite shows are those where they spend next to nothing and make a space a lovely place to be. I have just enough background in composition to know that it can make a room pleasing to the eye.. kind of the Fung Shoo or whatever it is called... a nice place to be.

Now, I am not a decorator, or do I want a model home. I don't need to have worries in that department. I have always been proud of our lived-in atmosphere. Books here and there, projects started, piles of someone's latest venture. That is homey.

But, I also know when I step into a room if it makes me want to stay. A nice place to be.

We have a front room in our 1970's house that I imagine was intended as a formal living room. It sits between the entry and dining room. For the first 3 years we lived here it had no furniture in it save a piano, thus was dubbed grandly, The Music Room.

After our stint in an apartment (during our mold remediation), we purchased the rental couch and chair that was provided. They are a nice color- sage green, and comfy, fairly new and a nice neutral style.

And so the room sat. The piano, the couch and loveseat and another Queen Anne recliner Boomer made his own.

The room is never used, had no umph and no charisma.

Enter my new rug. My RCIA candidate friend had a lovely rug she had no use for. She asked if I would like it. I fit my akward room very nicely! The c0lors were perfect- so was the style. And my mind flashed back to several decorators' voices on past months of HGTV... 'anchor.. anchor.. anchor.." My room had a anchor.

I knew what I needed to do. I could see a vision of composition in the room. Problem: I had to move the piano. I got it moved about 3 feet, then had to stop and wait for my muscle guy to get home from work. He did, and helped me move it.

I positioned the couch and chair by the front bay window and grouped some floral pictures and a small crucifix over the chair. Perfect reading nook. And Boomer can see out the window to guard the house.

The piano went against a wall, a small piano nook. With the winged back chair, I made another sitting corner, with table lamp, and chosen objects from other parts of the house.

I removed clutter (such as the plastic bin of library books.. holding that was the room's other main purpose.)

Yes, I still need a couple of pictures to draw the colors together, but now I can *see* the type of window treatment I need! It is so obvious, whereas for the past 8 years I had no clue.

But even unfinished, the room has been transformed.

First, no one complained. My boys do not like much change, but no complaints from them at all! To the contrary, they both spent a couple hours, on and off, in there reading, talking and hanging out.

Boomer loves it. He sits on the chair and looks out the window and even better, from the new position of the couch he can now lay on one end and see into the KITCHEN! What better? Laying on a couch while also monitoring for food drops.

Ralphie has been told not to sit on my new rug. You probably see this coming: his favorite spot is right dead in the center of the rug, looking at me cluelessly.

A picture can best describe:


And, my dh likes it, too. He enjoys his new reading space.

So, HGTV sunk in a bit. The room is drawing us. It reminds me a bit of flylady.... do one little bit, enjoy the reward and it draws you to do more. Next... decluttering the kitchen.