When someone walks into your space, each room should tell a story of who you are. Let your style showcase to your guests who you are as a person by displaying your favorite colors and patterns within your home. When your rooms reflect who you are as a person, it allows you to feel more at ease and truly appreciate the beauty that surrounds you. There is something truly calming about having a space that you’re proud to be in.
To start on the path of finding your own style, truly think about what pieces of decor, serveware and furniture makes you happiest. For us it’s fresh bright white and beige colors as well as creamy muted tones, natural wood tones, fine china, slip cover furniture, brass hardware, large table books, floor and table lamps with muted beige lamp shades, crystal and baskets for every need in our home – to name a few! These all serve a wonderful purpose and having meaningful pieces in your home is so important. We try to aim for a functionality meets aesthetic approach.
FRESH BRIGHT WHITE, BEIGE AND CREAMY MUTED COLOR TONES:
Think paint for your walls and cabinetry, colors for your serveware, soaps and candles, fabric for your couches, chairs, seat cushions, bedding and blankets.
NATURAL WOOD TONES:
Think cabinetry, coffee tables, side tables, dining tables, cutting boards, wood risers, picture frames and planters!
FINE CHINA:
Perfect for curating a plate wall statement piece, serveware purposes like breakfast, tea time, lunch, snacks, dinner and dessert, showcasing on your shelf or in your china cabinet and using as an underplate for candles!
SLIP COVER FURNITURE:
Truly one of my favorites due to its ability to wash so easily – its truly pet and kid friendly, just take off and throw in the wash! Use slipcover furniture for your couches, loveseats, benches and dining chairs!
BRASS HARDWARE:
Perfect for knobs and pulls on your cabinets, dressers, consoles, tables and more!
LARGE TABLES BOOKS:
I absolutely adore these and aim for fresh bright white, beige and creamy muted tones to place on my console table, coffee table, countertop, shelves and more! They’re wonderful for decor and use purposes! I use books as an opportunity to display my interests! I choose books about French Country furniture, designs, organic gardening, healthy eating cookbooks, the history of my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA – they look amazing and are so fun for you and your guests to flip through!
FLOOR AND TABLE LAMPS WITH BIEGE LAMP SHADES:
These go without saying, I mean come on, who doesn’t love a lamp to avoid using the big light? I love to source lamps that are brass, gold tone, wooden and wrought iron!
CRYSTAL:
Nothing says class quite like crystal pieces, whether its stemware like wine glasses and water goblets, rocks glasses, double old fashioned glasses, lowball and highball tumblers, decanters, candle holders, coasters, trays for decor and perfume, picture frames, pitchers, lamps, tall vases, large serving bowls, trinket dishes for jewelry, lidded bowls for candy and holding q-tips / cotton balls and epsom salts – placing items in a crystal vessel feels so elegant!
BASKETS FOR EVERY NEED IN MY HOME:
One thing about me, I am going to buy a basket. I sometimes make the joke that I am a basket case because I simply can’t leave a shop without a basket. Actually, when I was younger my grandma taught me this tip that if I forget to grab a cart, just grab a basket to carry and place your items in – I proudly practice this trick often! I love woven wicker baskets and have many of them for use as laundry baskets, lidded baskets to place trinkets in, an oval basket with a white yarn blanket placed inside for use as a cat bed, baskets for storing fruits and vegetables on my countertop, baskets for planters, for serving chips, for storing plastic bags under the sink, for neatly placing towels, sheets and pillow cases in the linen closet, for harvesting fruit and vegetables in your garden, for use as a waste basket in the bathroom, bedroom and office – I can truly go on and on and on!
So how does all of this translate into "our story?" - allow me to explain. I didn’t always know my style – it truly took years to figure it out! I have tried many styles to see if they were to my liking, and I mean MANY – I dabbled in some mid-century modern (also known as MCM), bohemian (also known as boho), minimalism, art deco, coastal, glam and many, many more – before finally finding that the French Country style is what truly allowed me to feel at ease, it felt like ME. Once I realized French Country home decor was my vibe, I made it my mission to transform my home into a French Country haven, room by room, and honestly, it’s still in the making because let’s be honest, home takes time! When sourcing items for my own home, I would have strangers come up to me to compliment how amazing the items looked in my cart. Although when the items were scattered across the shelves of the shop, it was difficult to appreciate their beauty - when the items were curated in my cart all together, it unveiled their potential. This happened often, and so often that I realized, “Wait, I may truly have an eye for this, I would love to help others create their own dream space,” so that’s exactly what I did! In 2022 I decided that I wanted to create a shop to help others design their very own French Country haven, and that’s when THE ANTIQUE YARD was born. Since then we’ve helped thousands of people create their very own French Country home, piece by piece, with our wide array of home decor and serveware – and we couldn’t be happier to have the privilege to do so!
In conclusion, it takes time to find your style, and it’s okay if your style changes! It’s worth the time to find who you are and what makes you happy, that’s the beauty and importance of finding your own style.
