Many people view “old world” housing in museums and wonder why people took so much time to colorfully decorate their houses. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because they had time to kill and needed something to do with their hands. The answer is simple–people spent a considerable amount of time at their home. Trips into town were rare and there were no vacations in some other city. A home with aesthetic appeal is a necessity in such a situation. It’s important to have some color present and more than a little comfort. Otherwise, you’ll quickly find yourself getting depressed and not very happy about your self-sufficient lifestyle.
We haven’t taken to stenciling our ceilings or using exotic colors in our home, just the occasional wall decals spotted around. However, there is a certain amount of decorative clutter that exists to provide comfort and color. You’ve seen some of my offerings in previous posts such as Knitting for the Gentleman Farmer. Colorful hats and blankets are nice, but I lack the dexterity required to do much more. That’s where Rebecca comes into play. She creates items of significant artistic appeal such as the doily shown here:
Rebecca actually made this particular doily for a dear friend of ours, but we have others that she’s made throughout the house. It amazes me that she’s able to work on such fine crochet and that it comes out so nice. The important thing to consider is that we’re both working to make our home livable and enjoyable. When you’re self-sufficient, you need to consider the amount of time you’ll be spending at your home and make it as comfortable as possible. What sorts of decorations do you find inviting. Let me know at [email protected].