Well hello everyone. Coming up on 3 weeks before our blue dry summer’s longest day, it’s my favorite time of year in Northern California. Kind of the Thursday night of seasons – full bacchanalia in sight, but just far enough away that you can pull your enjoyment forward now and feel it twice. You may feel similarly, and need to get outside, so here’s the point of today’s post.
Going forward I will be writing with intention, during the week, about plants, furniture, and interior spaces as well as clothes and the meaning of life.
There. No need to keep reading.
But I can keep talking, needless to say. And some of you may be sitting in a quiet house relishing the empty, or sitting by a pool while everyone else splashes, surreptitiously thumbing through phone reads. Here’s the longer story.
I only write well about what compels me. And now that I’m retired again, getting dressed is a lot simpler. It occurred to me that the number of posts I can write about Bermuda shorts and t-shirts is limited. That outfit shots of flannel pyjamas are probably outside my comfort zone and your interests. Unless there’s a lot about you I don’t know. On the other hand, having retired, looking around my poor neglected house every day is tough. I need colleagues in the rehab project and I sorely need education in the overarching principles and methodologies. Same for my garden, which, although not neglected, is not complete.
With gardening I’m only a little behind where I was with fashion when I started Privilege. My aesthetic is strong (which is not to say good or bad but entrenched), I’ve got hands-on experience from trials and errors and happy surprises. And I know something, but not enough, about the domain itself, i.e. designers and trends in fashion vs. plants and growth habits in gardens.
In terms of house design, I’m rather further behind. This is largely because of the High WASP approach to home, which I wrote about here, ages back. And because interiors are way more complicated than human bodies, to my way of thinking, and therefore more overwhelming. However, my 3 siblings all put together beautiful, doable-with-faded-family-fortune spaces, so I can’t blame my situation wholly on my culture. Drat.
I’ll keep writing about what to wear. A woman who began reading Vogue in her teen years doesn’t give up so easily. And I plan to write about house and garden style in the same way as I do about clothes – to be useful and to entertain, with deconstruction, images and links for all, accompanied by any humor I can muster.
You might wonder “Why announce?” It’s not as though freedom, health, and love just overcame all. Well, I feel I have a contract with you guys. Yes, it is my blog, no, it is not a job. But, I value you and feel I need to respect the expectations I’ve set. I also feel a little sad when people stop reading – despite all the reasonable adult conversations I have with myself, so I thought if I gave you a heads up, I could absorb any absences all at once. Learning to scaffold our vulnerabilities is one of the great comforts of age.
This initiative may take a while to hit full speed. First things being first, I’ve added house boards to my Pinterest account, here, and here. I’m scouting out lots of gardening blogs, and reference sites. If you guys don’t mind, I’ll include you in both the research and the results. I know that many of you are highly skilled and I look forward, as always, to your thoughtful comments.
For background, and a preview of what we can expect, here are some links to Privilege house and garden posts of yore. Rereading, I see my task as more than just knowledge-gathering. Personal baggage plays a role, surprise. It’s time to get out from under the shadow of the family fortune. I can’t afford to live the way I was raised, but that isn’t something to be ashamed of. A good white paint is a democratic blessing.
Houses, Of My Family And My Imagination
- Ten Signs You May Have A High WASP Guest Room
- Sunday At Dad’s House, In The Water Feature
- 9 Tips And Tricks For A Generous Aristocratic Table, On A 2010 Budget
- High WASP Entertaining, The Family Gathering
- Family Portraits, In The Year 2010
- New England High WASP Meets Swedish Empire, Meets Santa Barbara Semi-Tropics
- What Everybody Ought To Know About Swedish House Style
- Grandmama’s Mirror: Sphinxes, Lions And Fiendish Cherubs
- The Summer Snaps, Or, Saturday Morning at 7:44am
Gardening, In Yards And Pots
- Cutting Bamboo In The Afternoon
- To Be This And That
- How, And Why, To Plant A Cottage Garden Anywhere On Earth
- How To Plant A Cottage Garden That Feels Bigger Than It Is
- Happy Fourth Of July, A Work In Progress
- 15 High WASP Practices For Growing And Using Tomatoes
- Labor Day Planting In The USA
- How Suburban Prisoners Do Fashion Week
- In Which Unexpected Helpers Volunteer
- Flowers In The House, When Summer Is A-Going Out
Posts I think I might want to write? Rugs Of My Dreams, How To Start A Mixed Border, and Just What IS It About Toile? Suggestions from the esteemed crew here welcome.
Have a wonderful weekend.
90 Responses
I can’t promise anything, Lisa, but I will certainly walk this journey with you for awhile and see where it leads. As always, I appreciate your candidness, humor and integrity.
@Mamavalveeta03, <3
It seems to me that a few cooking/food thoughts could slip into this theme. An integrated life isn’t just about clothing so I think this is probably a healthy direction for you to take.
That’s possible. At the moment I’m thinking about sticking to aesthetics, and food’s in a different category. But you might be exactly right.
I enjoy learning from others points of view so lead on.
Thank you.
I shall read with great interest:)))
A fellow traveler, indeed!
Always, Bumby
@Bumby, Thanks!
From my cottage garden to yours, greetings! I’m looking forward to the new direction(s).
@Gardengoddess42, I’ll need your advice, I’m sure:).
This make me so very happy. I have had to get past the postings on $1000 purses and $2000 dresses which are neither my lifestyle nor my aspiration. Given the same resources they would be spent on charity, home, garden, travel
etc. so I will enjoy the change. Of course the occasional discourse on fashion and trends will be welcome, too. Although a few of your readers may drift away, or not check your blog so often, others will be attracted. Lovely!
@Kathy, Mind you, you’re probably going to have the same problems with my taste in rugs.
@Kathy, @lisa, no indeed, rugs, lamps, art, and furniture will be just fine : )… As they are all enduring in a way that IMHO fashion is not.
Lisa, I’m so excited to hear of your new plans re: home and garden posts! Particularly at this time of year, I find myself feverishly digging into gardening projects and feathering my nest and wondering how on earth I”m going to get it all done. Can potting soil under the fingernails (French manicure in reverse?) and splotches of Benjamin Moore on top be considered my new “statement manicure”?
I look forward to reading your old posts in the days to come. Today, we are invited to a wedding, and I am now off to look for my nail brush.
@Artsy in Boulder (Debbie), Potting Soil is a beautiful name for a nail polish;). Have a great time at the wedding.
I do buy clothes and don’t buy house things and I don’t garden (I’m in a small furnished flat with maintained gardens) but I enjoy looking at house and garden things. And I’m likely to enjoy reading anything you write, so I wouldn’t worry.
There are a thousand fashion blogs, but only one Lisa!
@Eleanorjane, Aw. Thanks. You have no idea the courage it took to work up to this post.
I think this will be a great addition!! While I enjoy clothes and fashion ( mostly on other people ) as I get older I find that I put a stamp in my head anyway on my home. I now prefer to splurge on art or furniture. But then again I just like the writing when it comes to a majority of my preferred blogs so I doubt your readers will really feel a change hopefully?
@coulda shoulda woulda, That would be great, if all the change were either not felt or good. Also, I avidly consume your posts on the remodel.
I’ll read whatever you write, gratefully!
@Margy Houtz, :). Next time on Rte 154!
Sounds grand! I’m up for it, if you are! My only expectation being that you will show as much thought and humor about homes, gardens, home design and food as you do about fashion. In my book, a privileged life, should encompass all of these areas!
However, I’m on the fence about the white paint! :)
@Christi, I believe white paint is my house decor equivalent to navy blue, i.e. never wrong. I got to purple with clothing, we’ll see what happens on the walls:). And I will try my best for thought and humor and ask for your patience but not too much.
I’ll remain on board and enjoy your posts as always.
In fact, I am following a similar journey. I will always love fashion, but tending to the neglected garden and house equally rewarding. Blog on!
@Stella A, I look forward to your feedback and the shared experience.
I’m glad to see you will be sharing more of your interests! Think of it as embracing the the whole Lisa experience. I find as I get older, I like to find blogs that are more lifestyle based vs. one subject based.Especially if I connect with that person’s personality. Bring it on Lisa!
BJ
@Brenda Johnson, Thank you!
Like Margy Houtz, I, too, will enjoy reading whatever you write. I look forward to your humor and wit whatever the topic. Cheers to your journey of which we are privileged to ride along!
@Candace, I’ve enjoyed our expansion of and play with the term “privilege:).”
This is exactly the place I am in mh life. As a midwestern smalltown high wasp, my family subscribed to much the same theory of decor, which I have found best described in Victorian novels: “just enough new to be fashionable, enough old to be respectable”. I have always loved the idea that my home told the story of my family, and that the furniture and art came as much from the store as from the larger generational ancestry. That worked quite well for me as I spent my middle years in a largish stone house that looked like the English/Welsh countryside of my DNA. Downsizing for retirement finds me in a ranch house with vaguely Craftsman exterior, and vaguely Scandinavian interiors, where not everything feels at home without much shifting around and purchase of new to make it all work. I’m moving very slowly as I feel this out, and I am looking forward to your ideas.
I am relatively new to this blog, and I will say that I dislike it when it feels like a catalog, and I love it when the commentary is sharp and wise. I’m hopeful about the new turn.
@Ellen, I am moving slowly too. My apologies for the catalogues – there are also people here who prefer the quick, the light, the easy, and images are that. I like both long and short, and I try to balance the content between my likes, my energy, my laziness (because, yes, I confess, sometimes) and the wishes and interests of you guys, the readers.
Hello Lisa, as so many have said, I’m here for the writing, so whatever topics you want to cover are ok by me. However, since we are moving soon and our new house doesn’t really mesh with our 20-year old cache of furniture and effects, I’m sure I’ll find lots to interest me in your new content.
@Patricia, Thanks Patricia. I hope you teach me a lot in your move:). I am really trying also to sort out how to approach the enormous volume of images and literature about house and garden – particularly houses.
I am looking forward to this. I just wrote a post about the virtues of toile and/or chintz last week on my blog and was surprised at the number of toile lovers.
@Kerry Steele, Team Toile:).
Happy to be along for this next ride.
@M, :)
The first paragraph of this post is so evocative! Lovely writing…
@K-Line, Thank you very much.
Lisa,
I also left the workforce (at least the office) in 2013, but have always enjoyed your writing, even though I don’t always heed your fashion advice. I would love to continue to read your thoughts of home and garden!
@Susie, Thank you. Hope you are enjoying the new time at home.
I have the same difficulty with interior design, so I’m very interested in reading about your makeover (if we can call it that). I’m in the middle of a massive downsizing and both excited and terrified at creating a new space. Also have that faded family fortune… I try not to think about it.
@SE, Oh hooray for all the compatriots in this endeavor! And the FFF, I tried not to think about it for ages, which is why I talk about it now – overly one might suggest;).
A blog you might enjoy dipping into (I have no connection to it, I simply admire it!) is Design Sponge.
Write away! I see posts on “gardening clothes/shoes” in your future!
@C.W., The shoes are currently parrot green Crocs:). And Design Sponge is wonderful, I gave up reading it a while and and hope to plunge back in.
Oh, fun! I look forward to reading your thoughts. You always put a unique spin on things.
I’m in the Pacific NW & am not up on any California gardening blogs. (Different climate and all that.) But I’m sure there are some good ones out there.
You might like Ted Kennedy Watson’s blog–he has a shop in Seattle and a deft touch with interiors. (www.tedkennedywatson.com)
And what IS the deal with toile, anyway? I just bought some curtains for a basement remodel. Yup. Toile.
@Jean S, Thanks! I subscribed to Ted’s blog. Toile in the basement, I bow to you.
Dearest LPC, I’ve been off the air for a bit – dealing with an adult child with not one but two major personality disorders who also has a chronic skin condition (I can say that out loud now, but couldn’t bring myself to say it let alone write it only a few months ago, the journey has been fraught with pain and a shake up of life as we know it, and it continues..) – however, as an aesthete who is as passionate about home making as I am about fashion, makeup and jewellery, I had to throw my 2 cents worth in to the mix. No-one should neglect their home, no matter what their heritage may be. Everyone can make their home a place that feels warm, inviting and relaxing, no matter what their budget or whether they have some inherited pieces to remind them of their antecedents. I take great joy and pleasure (and a lot of pride) in creating my home space, just as I do in having my hair done regularly.
My first and only tip, not just to you, but to everyone, is ‘declutter’! Get rid of old magazines, old stuff that has accumulated and is just hanging around. I call it ‘good feng shui’ to clean out and allow new fresh air and energy to be able to circulate, just like the blood flow, it should be able to reach all the nooks and crannies of the home and be a place that one can renew, retreat and repair. It is ok to have some beloved items, such as books and papers, but have a basket or a designated place for the mess. I love your couch and rug, you are off to a cracking start. White paint? Yes. Everywhere.
There, you can take my soap box away now. Haven’t written anything for months. No creative energy left for anything except helping my child enter recovery. And doing Life. Which at the moment is pretty much the same thing.
Much love
Tracey (aka Aunty Ada)
@Tracey lovelifestyleandstuff.com, I am sorry to hear of your child’s troubles. And it would be the top priority to get him/her into recovery. As for decluttering, since I moved back into this house after two years in an apartment, when the divorce was final, a huge life sweep has happened in the not too far distant past. I do like a lived-in look, however, so stuff has crept into the corners:).
Frankly, you have absolutely hit on most of my interests. The only way you could have pleased me more was by deciding to throw some book reviews into the mix. I look forward to many more thought-provoking and inspiring posts.
@Sherrie, I am so happy!
Can’t wait to see posts on Home and Garden. If you aren’t familiar with Tara Dillard’s gardening blog, I highly recommend it. Here’s a link.
http://taradillard.blogspot.com
Jennifer
@Jennifer, I like it, very much, and have subscribed. Thank you.
Let me chime in that your timing is perfect for me. I like clothes as much as the next gal, but found myself visiting these blogs fewer and fewer times. So carry in, Lisa
@Cornelia, Will do, and glad to have your company.
Lisa, to be honest, I’ve never cared much about what I wear–I just want to be presentable But, I have always enjoyed your fashion posts.
Now, home design, furnishing and decor–that is what I love. So–I will remain your loyal reader.
@Susan, <3. I will be so glad to have your counsel.
This is going to be fun. I went back to some of your early posts and had such a good time. So bring it on. Home, garden, style, looking forward to your views.
@Sandra, You do realize this means I have to revisit some High WASP baggage. Will you hold my hand if it gets rough?
As for many of your readers, it is not necessarily the story you are telling that draws me here, rather the unique voice that tells the tale.
You already know my thoughts on flannel pyjamas – bring it on!
If you did not care for your readership, I imagine you would therefore care less about your posts, so it seems natural to feel a little fearful of change. Of course you found the courage though, because that is who you are, but for any that may have missed it, there is a wonderful quote on fear from an earlier post that I have added to a page on my wall:
“Fear often feels huge and all-powerful, when it’s really not. It’s just a feeling like any other” – LPC
:)
@WA_side, Ah. To learn a lesson isn’t always to live a lesson, but damn if I’m not trying. Thank you.
I’m posting here for the first time but have been a long-time fan of this blog. I’m happy to read that you’re branching out into other topics, Lisa. I’ve enjoyed your “most of the time” focus on fashion and am looking forward to growing with you on this journey of home and garden fashion as well!
@SusanM, Welcome Susan. It’s very nice to hear from you. Your appreciation means so much. Thank you.
I follow you on Pinterest and noticed the uptick in pins. Should be fun to see where the new direction takes you.
@Kathleen, Hehe. Yeah, the pinning was a dead giveaway, wasn’t it? BTW, comment on one of my pins if I don’t follow you and you’d like me to. I keep my feed very small, so as to avoid overwhelm, but readers are different.
Bring it on – I’m in a mode of re-direction too. Must be in the California air. Looking forward!
@Dalit Fresco, Yes, maybe so. Thanks for the company:).
Lisa, I’m sure that whatever you decide to write about will entertain me. Here is my obligatory comment on your democratic white paint. Just in from the latest issue of Consumer Reports: the best white paint on the market is not that pricey import from the UK, it’s Behr from The Home Depot at one third the cost.
If you’re a collector (or even you’re not), I would ignore the advice to declutter. Clutter-free homes feel sterile to most people. My favorite book on that topic is “A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life: How to live creatively with collections, clutter, work, kids, pets, art, etc… and stop worrying about everything being perfectly in its place.”
Since budget is an issue (or so you say–your concept of living in reduced circumstances is not the same as most), there is a decorating philosophy that suggests how to create a welcoming, comfortable home with what you already own. It’s a matter of imagination and taste. My impression is you have both.
@Wendy Bird, I am so happy to hear that Home Depot makes the best paint:). And I’m not a collector, but not a minimalist either. I enjoy a little mess, tidied up at the end of most days but not all. And, you are right, my concept of reduced circumstances is still very fortunate. I am not looking to spend huge sums of money, but I don’t expect to be able to put my house in order without any expenses either. There is so much I have to learn.
I look forward to this journey as for me, my home and surroundings have always been top priority for me. I was an architectural and interior designer for over 20 years, and although I am glad that career is behind me, I gravitate towards it.
@kathy, I know you are an artist, did not know you had that career. I hope you will feel free to advise me as much or as little as you choose.
Lisa, I signed up because I like your style, but the posts I’ve bookmarked are about family and friends and your philosophy. I am grateful for your perspective, whatever it’s about!
s
@susan w, Thank you S., very much.
I’m in the middle of a re-do as well, though it is minor compared to some. I am always doing little things as I have time and energy but this will include some bigger things. You speak of your reduced family fortune and circumstances but still seems so much more than the resources I work with – probably shoestring budget to you! I will enjoy peeking over your shoulder at what you do, and gardening is one of my favorite topics!
@Paula, Much of what I need to learn has to do with resources – perhaps not shoestring, but constrained. All kinds of advice is valued. And gardening is one of my favorite things:), to do and to appreciate.
I am an avid follower and one who is also retired and living on less!
It will be a pleasure to see what you do in your home and garden…please take before and after photos so we can really see how things evolve.
My husband is encouraging me to post our before and after shots of the Humble Bungalow over the past 30 years of restoration.
As others have mentioned, your “voice” is the main reason that we keep stopping by and reading your blog.
Take care,
Leslie
@hostessofthehumblebungalow, Leslie, I am afraid that photos will be partial, to keep inside the privacy boundaries I’m comfortable. I’m thinking through how to show what needs to be shown for clarity without a full reveal:). Your bungalow, on the other hand, is a work of art, and perhaps the world deserves to see it:).
I would read if you wrote about car maintenance.
(As it happens, it was through your house posts that I came to know and love your blog, so I am actually thinking ‘Yippee!’, but the above is true.)
Hear, hear, Lisa! You’ve hit a chord with your readers, and in the blogosphere as well as in non-virtual life, friends discuss all sorts of things, so expanding the dialogue beyond a sole dimension is rather natural, no? I tend to skim clothing discussions and have given up several blogs whose focus is too narrow. I love houses, gardening, antiquing, plotting and planning, so I suspect your new direction will be more interesting (to me) than the hunt for a new handbag. I agree with another fellow commenter-throw in some book reviews and food suggestions (although as a northern California resident, your access to unique and fresh items is far better than we have in the Mid-Atlantic), and I’ll be swooning even more. Looking forward to seeing where you take us!
There can never be too many posts in the world in praise of flannel pyjamas!
SSG xxx
Always loved your blog and will always be a committed reader!
Cheers!
Yippee ! Lisa, I read at least once a week, admire your fashion sense, but it is your unique point of view and smart writing that keeps me here. I’ve often wondered about home/garden/life’s comforts and what that looks like through your eye. Can’t wait! A sturdy Gal’s house and garden when she’s embraced her inner Grande Dame and artsy side too and created a loving happy home. Carry on, please.
Hi Lisa, I ‘m with you wherever you’d like your blog to trail… love your personality and writing.
-Linda, NY
Just found your blog and I am pleased to follow it. I’m a 65 year old blogger whos looking forward not back. Life is good.
Suzanne
http://www.chapter-two.net
Welcome!
I’ll happily read whatever you write.
And I’ve always had more of an interest in home and garden than fashion, due to personality as well as circumstances, which have me raising kids, cattle, and chickens. So I’m delighted to hear of new guests to the party!
Thank you. And I doubt I’ve got the chops for livestock:), but I’ll do what I can with plants…
I’m late to comment, but I must say I’m delighted with both your topics for future blogging. Interiors are one of my big interests, and I’m a Landscape Architect by profession although my job is more about project manangement and the construction process than design.
Late to the post, but hey, great!
I always enjoy your musings, more than the outfit posts. But that’s just my thing.
I always, always heed your advice given in one of the earlier home-oriented posts to get the cheaper items in multiples and highlight the expensive ones as single objects when setting a big table. Really sterling and instantly ingrained in my memory!
Lisa, as many others here have said, you write elegantly and thoughtfully about everything. I have no doubt you will bring the same wit, intelligence, and thoughtfulness to decor and garden that you do to style and the raptures of living (lovely phrase). And hey! We’ll get to see you in garden togs!
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