I've Been Cheating on Fashion with Home Decor
Credits: Photo - Anonymous, Styling - Sarah G. Schmidt, Location - Sarah G. Schmidt’s Home
Yep, I’m about to be that person. You know the kind. They say they’re all about one thing, one true love – for me, fashion – and then they date someone new, or get a cat, or have a baby and suddenly there’s not as much room for you in their life.
Sigh.
My affair has been building for a while. And really it should come as no shock as it’s still a stylish endeavour and solidifies that I am not immune to the millennial desire to change things up.
For me, personally, this whole thing was part of the realisation that came to the forefront of my mind’s eye achieved by staying very, super dooper close to home these past eighteen months.
While I had thought a couple years ago that I may want to downsize my home, it turns out that living here during the pandemic proved pretty nice. Pre-pandemic, I think I took for granted that I have both a front door and back door that gets me right to the street. I am so fortunate to have that access. I can walk to all of my critical services: doctor’s office, grocery store, pharmacy, dentist, restaurants, shops – within 10 minutes and the furthest out is 45 minutes. No need for a car to get around. I am privileged to the max and when it comes to home stuff, I’m leaning the F in.
With the recent departure of our long-time roommate/ brother from another mother (and father) out of our basement, our priorities pivoted. Now is an opportunity to take over all of the space and really use it. After much planning and consideration, it turns out I like the home, it’s walls, and want to renovate it to suit me and my partner best.
It’s wild. My online shopping habits have changed. The websites I visit changed. I’ve come to the realisation that I have changed. Here’s the tea: I’m cheating on buying clothes with buying home décor. It’s true. My Apple News subscription home page has just as many if not more décor magasines than my former can’t-get-enough-crush on fashion outlets. Move over Vogue and Flare, I need Home and Garden, Architectural Digest, and 25 Beautiful Homes in the most prominent slot on my iPad screen. When I get a “new” alert, I’m down the décor rabbit hole again.
With each digital flip of the page, my tastes solidify, my design specific vocabulary increases, and my lust surges. I used to only feel this way about fashion and dogs, but what they say is true: there is no limit to the love you can give in your heart.
Save the eyeroll would y’all? I’m sure the expression was meant for human-to-human love, but my heart wants what it wants. Right now, it’s main squeeze is décor.
Smokey eyes with a sultry black suit dress have been traded for finding the right size of smoked mirrors. Green stiletto shoes worn out on the town have been swapped for green kitchen cupboards. Ice usually reserved for my fingers, wrists, neck, and earlobes are now pinning for ice-like kitchen counters. I’m deep.
The timing is not too shabby either, while we wait and see how the variants affect our communities and neighbours – join me and buy a front-line worker a coffee or some flowers would you? – we can stay out of the way renovating the home. Then come spring, hopefully we can gather more freely (safely, really) inside the home entertaining our fully vaccinated loved ones. Really put on a welcome back soiree.
And you best believe that I will be merging all my loves under one roof: I’ll be dressed to the nines, hosting a party in our freshened up home, while petting my besties doggy friends.
So maybe I don’t have to choose? I can have my fashion, décor, and pupperoonies too, all under one roof: my own.
