A LAYERED BEDROOM REFRESH WITH REVIVAL VINTAGE RUGS | PART ONE

Recently I partnered with Revival Rugs and decided to give the one rug that I chose a try in our bedroom.

First, I guess I should start with the beginning: I have seen Revival and others touting the brand for a while and I loved what I saw. They offer wide range of vintage rugs in an array of sizes, colorways, and styles.

With all the selection I was able to square in on one that haunted me (quite literally) until I put it in my cart the next day.

Some of you may remember that we currently rent so flooring options for us are pretty slim. Rugs are a simple way in a temporary space to ground the space and to make it feel more cozy and like home.

Enter, the Aspasia.

Originally, I thought this rug would be a great addition to our family room but when I unrolled it, I realized it needed a place to show off in our bedroom against the moss green linen duvet that I recently replaced our white cotton IKEA duvet with.

First impressions really are everything and I was so impressed with the attention and detail given to packaging and the branding of everything before I even unboxed the rug. It came in an easy to carry and access package and was neatly folded inside with a cute, thoughtful note from the folks over at Revival.

I’m not sure about you all and how you see your bedroom, but I really want this space to feel like a bit of a retreat. Most days it’s stuffed full of things like laundry and books and magazines (only on my side—Larry keeps his side tip-top) scattered all over the place.

Initially I thought the rug was a bit more of taupe/beige from the site but then saw that it really presents as more of a lavender and thought that it would work well with the neutral tones of our upholstered bed which actually carries some purple and lavender/grey tones as well. I loved it.

I love how the colors transition from grey to tan to lavender and that it pulls colors I’d really not ever noticed out of what could be a very boring upholstered bed.

So, what do you think? Stay tuned for more of our bedroom refresh reveal next week! Can’t wait to talk more about how I’m using what I have but also mixed in a lot of fun new (old) things to build character in this special space.

#mywholehome | A Family's Dream Becomes Reality in the Most Unexpected Place

Meet Jessica Mariano or Jess, for short. She’s a good friend of mine and I’ll do my best here today to unfold her story of home but I think Jess does it best.

With that in mind, I am thrilled to be able to not only share her with you but also invite you in, for the first time here, into an intimate conversation between Jess and I via video. How fun is that? More than stil images, Jess and I spend a few moments uncovering and chatting about a bit of her what makes her home so special to her and how home has been an important part of her journey over the years.

How has your attitude toward your home changed over the years?

I have allowed for mess. The dishes can wait. And they do. I listen to my body and heart way more these days. When my babies were smaller I remember them following me around crying wanting me to hold them. I would say just one second, I just have to do this one thing. And that one thing turned into 5 things. I have learned to just drop to the floor and pick those babies up. I think decorating or cleaning was a way of putting my life in order. Now, I see that my life is what puts my home in order. The home is what serves me and my family. I don’t serve the home. 

How did it feel to move into your current home?

Honestly I felt [a bit of excitement] mixed with a coming to reality that a family had lived their own journey in what was now our new home. Some things I needed to throw out as soon as possible. Almost a resetting or cleansing of the space. Because of that, we gutted an entire bathroom and have been living with one fully functioning bathroom for 7 months now. So many things need to be replaced and repaired. We ripped out the carpets and painted the subfloor. The fireplace is exposed and we have a piece of wood laying across the hearth. I have a fake fireplace sitting inside of it to make it feel cozier. I guess I say all of this to speak to the patience of owning a home and making it your own and how I’m not waiting for hard woods or beautiful countertops to make it my home. Heck, I’m not even waiting for toilets in bathrooms before hanging up beautiful art. 

It’s about working with what you have in each season. Weather your curtains are hung up with thumb tacks or not, you can enjoy your space and express your heart. 

How does your home make YOU feel?

Safe. Growing up home was not safe. I never wanted to be home. It took me a long time to want to be home as an adult. I remember when I first started to desire to be in my own house. To begin to make my bed and think about what I was doing and allow thankfulness to fill me up. To light a candle or take a bath and not think about the mess. Or even take a few seconds while the bath fills to clean just the bathroom as a treat to myself and my mind before climbing in and relaxing. I also feel creative in it [home]. I have made spots to serve different needs of our family. As a gift to myself for my birthday this year I made my own art area. I put my favorite magazines and art books in a wooden box and filled a glass jar with all my paints. It’s my favorite spot right now. 

Some advice: how do you support your kids’ own creative minds without losing yours?

There is freedom in shutting the door. I like my white doors and black door handles. The contrast is gorgeous. I focus on that. I don’t need to think about what it looks like on the other side. I am creative. And I love that my kids are following in my footsteps. They want to be like me. But I have to let them imitate and express that creativity as they please. When I was 14 I decorated an entire wall with skittle candy wrappers. I grew out of that approach. But man I loved it at the time! 

If there was one thing you could tell your 20-year-old self, what would it be?

Be gentle with yourself. How you look at your home is deeper than current trends and Instagram posts. How you are internalizing information and then inspired into action is heavier then you may think. Be in tune with your heart. Ask yourself what is motivating your action? Is it to create and express yourself? Then be free and express. But if you are trying to clean your closet to somehow clean up your emotions that won’t fully work. It’s part of it. But again be gentle with yourself and take care of what you need. Sometimes it’s to clean and decorate and sometimes it’s to not. 

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Can you guys see why I absolutely adore this woman? In addition to her allowing me to invade her space and shoot her home, Jess sat down with me over coffee to talk a bit more about her life and home and how she continues to see God’s divine hand of intervention in both.

Join us by clicking the video below and please be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and comment! In this chat, we dig a little deeper into this conversation and unpack how this sometimes false sense of home presented by culture has impacted each of us and how Jess has determined to live life a little differently. Enjoy!

xo,

Kennesha

CLICK THE VIDEO BELOW TO WATCH MY CONVERSATION WITH JESS ON YOUTUBE!

Join us as we sit down with Jessica Mariano, a local Seattle creative, who is learning to lean into her own story of redemption and how God us using it to unfold a beautiful story of home in her life and that of her family--for generations to come.

RESTORATION HOUSE BOOK | PRE-ORDER + A DOSE OF REALITY

It’s official, friends. My book Restoration House is available for pre-sale now! Whoo, hoo!

I am both elated and terrified at the same time. This book coming available to the masses sends shivers down my spine and gives me all sorts of emotions about the weeks and months to come as each of you have the opportunity to dive into not only my personal story, but the story of how each of us have been given the power to turn our homes into spaces that not only create an atmosphere for others to gather comfortably, but that can also bring healing and restoration.

This story, my story of healing and restoration of how God has used each of our homes to do just that, isn’t just my story. It’s your story too. My hope is that somewhere on this pages you find yourself. I believe you will find yourself in the practicals of how to set a table and prepping a charcuterie board and in the spiritual of how a broken past can be used to bring beauty to the present and collide with the reckoning force of grace and mercy.

Soon, I’ll be writing about how it all came about and how I walked through the writing and publishing process. It’s not for the faint of heart, I can tell ya that.

Until then, I’d love it if you hopped on over to Amazon and pre-ordered the book. It’s a beautiful piece filled with images that make you feel something as well as inspire you to confidently and thoughtfully embrace your story and your own space.

xo,

Kennesha