Personal Style, Defined: My Notting Hill

I sincerely hope that you all have enjoyed the "Personal Style, Defined." series so far. We have had some incredible posts from several fabulous bloggers. I am so grateful that Michele of My Notting Hill is sharing her home with us today. Not only is this a great read featuring a beautiful room, but Michele has no idea how much this is helping me. With a crashed hard drive and still no word on whether I will ever see my files again, it is so wonderful to have a blogger of Michele's caliber step in and give you a great post today. I hope that you enjoy reading about her room. Keeping in step with her style and the overall theme of her blog, the room is beautiful and sophisticated, yet relaxed and inviting. There is nothing stuffy about this room or My Notting Hill. It is all stylish, yet personable. Thank you so much, Michele!

First off I'd like to say thank you to Paloma for asking me to participate in Personal Style, Defined. It's flattering (and fun!) to be asked and afterwards a bit humbling - or should I say informative. I find it's good to look at your home through the lens of a camera because it allows you to notice what's working and what's not.

If I had to describe my decorating approach I would say it's "eclectic traditional." I like symmetry and comfort but prefer it to include unexpected pieces or combinations. My hope is also that the accessories in a room will be interesting enough that a guest will inquiry about something or feel compelled to pick it up for a closer look. Of all the rooms in my house this is probably the most traditional.

My goal for the living room was to use my existing furniture and to create a light space that kept this small room feeling as open as possible. If I had to do this room all over again I would not buy a sofa as the room's ackward layout prevents any other placement. This sofa couldn't stand on it's own and needed some type of console table. I went through a number of options (including the metal table that you'll see in the third pic) before I tried my grandmother's Shaker drop-leaf kitchen table. When I added the yellow and white fabric along the back it seemed to make the sofa and table relate to each other more. The current fireplace surround is more indicative of my earlier style which was more sparse and streamlined. Looking at this photo I recognize that the painting appears quite lonely on this wall and that the mantel needs to be "beefed up."

Here's the view from the dining room. I'm very pleased with the two level coffee table. Partly because I found it on the side of the road but also because the slightly taller height adds a nice change of pace from the seating height. Right now I have a vintage book on Carribean islands opened up, along with some razor mussle shells we found while on vacation in Maine.

Our family room is a better respresentation of my current style. In this room there's a mix of metals, painted wood and upholstery. I'm only showing a bit here because the furniture is currently in the process of a re-do. The metal console table is from Pottery Barn a number of years back. I think it's a bit of a riff on the shaker style, even with the X bottom feature. The accent chair is from my British Colonial phase in the 80's but I was surprised when I placed it next to this table that it worked. I have alot of accessories on this table (yes more faux coral!) but I tend to find alot of stuff appealing as long as each piece still holds its own. The circle ringed lamp is one of my favorites and it plays off the circle sconces over the bar cart in the pic below. I don't mind mixing metals as long as they're of a similar tone.

This is the space between two french doors that lead out to the backyard. Not that I'm advocating alcohol as a focal point but this 60's Drexel Heritage bar cart fit perfectly here. I painted its pecan wood finish black. It's also very practical with a lined velvet drawer and storage underneath. So that was a bit of a peak into my home. Eventhough it continues to evolve and improve, it feels comfortable to me, and I hope to those who visit as well!