Article by Wendy McCance

The weather is getting colder and I have been changing a few things around the house to get ready for the winter.  Out of the closet I have pulled several cozy throws to put in my family room.  I have gotten some decorative candles placed around the house and those really nice cinnamon smelling pine cones to make the house feel a bit more homey as well.

Today I decided it was time to go shopping for a front hall rug.  The one from last year was pretty beaten up and had been tossed away.  I wanted to get something a bit more special than the typical 3 x 5 rugs used to wipe off your shoes as you come in the door.

I have a nice sized entranceway and decided to get a 5 x 8 rug in a darker color that wouldn’t show dirt, but looked more decorative than rugs I have gotten in the past.

I took a trip to one of those one-stop shops where you can find anything you need and a loaf of bread.  I lucked out and found the perfect rug.  It had a beautiful floral pattern that wasn’t too girly and didn’t look like it belonged in a grandmother’s home.  The colors in the rug were a nice mix of autumn colors and the background was in a rich chocolate-brown.  It was perfect.  I bought it on the spot and couldn’t wait to unroll it at home.

Once back at the house, I dragged the rug out of the back of my car, lifted it over my shoulder and carried it in my front door.  I carefully laid out the rug and adjusted it until it laid perfectly in the front entranceway.  I backed out of the house and then walked back in as though my eyes laid site on the rug for the first time.  I loved it.

I decided to check out the rug from down the hall, from the kitchen and from my living room.  Yep, it looked good from all angles.  I felt a sense of great success in what I had decided to purchase.

I came back around and stood in the front hallway again and realized there was something that wasn’t quite right.  Actually, now that I looked at it, there were several things that weren’t quite right.  Could it be that the rug was a perfect fit but everything else in the hall was not?

A few years back, I lived in a home that was an open, spacious and very modern looking house.  Those items that we bought to furnish that home had traveled over to our new house which was a complete contrast from the old home being that it was a traditional colonial style house.

In my front hall there is a table and mirror, both made of glass and framed in a silver metal.  We also have a statue that stands about 5 ft that is also made out of glass and the same silvery metal.  These items fill the front corners of our front hall nicely, but I quickly realized how inappropriate they looked with this beautiful rug  that I had just bought.

Now the front hall begged for a nice deep mahogany table, a reading light and a comfortable deep brown leather club chair.  The room would look even better with a good solid wood coat tree and a few family pictures hung on the walls.

What had happened?  That seemingly innocent trip to the store for a rug to wipe our feet as we entered our home had become a complete home makeover in the works.  I had honestly not seen it coming.

At this point, I had two choices.  I could either take back the rug that I had become severally attached to in less than an hours time, or I could give in and start making some changes to the front hallway.  Keeping the rug and the items I currently had in the front hall were not an option, at least not in my mind.

I decided that it really was time to plunge right in and update that front hallway.  The other rooms were cozy and warm with colors like russet, evergreen, wheat and a sprinkling of gold.  The rest of the house had, without my even noticing it, turned into what looked like a magazine picture in a Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel catalog.  How could I have not noticed the transition that had been taking place and how badly some of our old furnishings had begun to stand out?

I am now bracing myself for what is inevitably going to be next on my list, a trip to the hardware store to pick out paint colors for the front entrance way.  I have decided to embrace the change and just go with the flow that has naturally begun to occur.

What about you?  Have you ever picked out an item for your home and ended up with a whole room makeover that wasn’t planned and took you by surprise?  Leave a comment and share your story.  I’d love to know what you have experienced.

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 6 local papers online, including the Oakland Press.The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]

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