putting a room together: day 3 {be a gatherer}

27 April 2011

Soooo, some may call this hoarding, but I prefer the term gathering.
Anyone with money to burn can walk into a showroom and say, “I want this entire room. Have it delivered at 9 a.m. on Thursday. And send in the painters and interior designers as well. I’ll be at the dog spa with Fifi if you need me…”
The rest of us have to be a little more creative and patient as we
gather.
gleaners milletthe Gleaners by Millet


If you give yourself one weekend to finish a space and haven’t done any planning, you’re going to have to go out and pay full price or hope that you hit some great thrift stores.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never walked into a thrift store or a yard sale and had everything I’ve needed for a room in that one spot. If you’re on a tight budget, it takes weeks and months of collecting treasures that will eventually make up your space.

You’ve got an inspiration picture(s) in mind, whether it’s from your own head or shamelessly copied from others, so now you can keep your eye out for things that might work in that space. You’ll look at Craigslist and thrift stores differently. The Target clearance endcaps will suddenly have new meaning. The oops paint at H. Depot and Lowes will have a heavenly aura over it.

You may tweak your original plan when you see something and begin to think, “hey, I could use this for…., or I could totally paint this and it could be used in Logan’s room, or these lamps would look sooo good with some spray paint and new shades. And there are 2 of them!!”

And, you don’t have to be thinking of one space at a time, unless that’s how you operate best. Right now, I have half a dozen spaces that I think through when I come to something I love and am not really sure how I would use it. Chances are, if I am really drawn to it and it “speaks” to me, I can use it somewhere in my home and I buy it if it fits in the budget. (or, I think of the absolute cheapest meals we can eat for the next week so I can MAKE it fit into the budget…)

That’s nice and all, Melissa, so what do you do with it until you find the time to actually tackle the space??

I hoard store it.

I try to put it in the space that I’m envisioning it will go in, because that’s supposed to give me motivation to get it done! Anyone who has stayed with us this past year knows Lauren’s room had a big old stash in the corner of a chandelier, fabric, frames, ugly chairs, etc. etc. and I threw a sheet over it when company came because I hadn’t gotten to it yet. It felt so good to clear out that corner and give most of it a purpose. (We’ll talk about things that didn’t have a purpose later)

Here are some of the things I’ve gathered and stuffed in the closets of the spaces I plan on tackling. It’s not pretty now and it takes a little faith that it can all come together eventually.
frames under the dresser in the entryway waiting to be painted and arranged…

april 2011 015 
Logan & Spencer’s room…april 2011 020
april 2011 024  april 2011 021

the stash for Hailey’s room…april 2011 026 1
and Landon’s closet. april 2011 028 1

It looks pretty crazy now, but there is kind of a mad, unorganized plan for each of these spaces….

Are you a gatherer?

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17 comments

  1. melissa*320 sycamore1/8/14, 5:42 PM

    oh, good..so I can keep getting MORE stuff? You are an enabler! :)

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  2. Oh man. I must say, I really luv the term "gatherer" my basement is the "gathering" place. teehee. Again, luvn this series it is definitely hitting home. And I read what some of the comments, and my hubbs has been a champ about my gathering. I must go give him a smooch. Can't wait to see what's cookin for tomorrow.

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  3. melissa*320 sycamore1/16/14, 10:39 PM

    Yay for gatherers!!
    I know, it's much more fun to gather than to put them to good use :)

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  4. Susan Smallwood1/16/14, 10:41 PM

    I'm definitely a gatherer. I love the looks of the showrooms but only as a starting point. I DO however, have a friend that walks into Pottery Barn and buys the WHOLE look for a room....down to the sheets, curtains and some accessories. I prefer the whole process of finding just the right items and "shopping" my own home/shed to move things around.

    And YOU my dear are definitely NOT a Hoarder....you don't have near enough stuff...LOL!

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  5. seriouslyahomemaker1/16/14, 10:41 PM

    oh i gather for a good 9 months before I decide that i can't take it any more and the job MUST be tackled! I sorta finished my kids' room that includes the license plates that i bought off of you! come see yesterdays reveal post and some of the deets today! featuring the gallery wall on friday. thanks again for selling the most perfect license plates ever to me. http://www.seriouslyahomemaker.com/2011/04/unisex-kids-room-makeover.html and http://www.seriouslyahomemaker.com/2011/04/unisex-kids-room-details-part-1.html

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  6. If that is hoarding, then I am totally a hoarder! No one is allowed to walk into my laundry room right now. ;) I also prefer the term gatherer. ;) I soooo wish that I had a nice basement storage room with floor to ceiling shelves to organize and categorize my finds/supplies, etc. But I don't. I think you have to get creative. ;) This is such a cool series. :)

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  7. red.neck chic1/16/14, 10:41 PM

    I like gatherer. I think a "hoarder" would be those of us.. no, I mean... those (not us) that "gather" things for no reason other than they are "cool" and "I could use this for that sometime..."

    and the "sometime" is just that. "sometime".

    and so... there is a whole room full of gathered goods for sometime.

    I like that you have a purpose. LOLOL

    ;-D robelyn

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  8. Yes, gatherer is a much nicer term! I have been a gatherer in the past, but presently I am working on weeding out or making use of the things that I have gathered. The basement is screaming to be saved!!

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  9. I definitely gather. I have watched the hoarders show and laughed till I cried...then asked my husband if that is me! :)
    I have little (?) stashes all over the house right now. We have been doing a bathroom remodel for months - so the storage/supplies (tools, mirrors, lighting and the box which hole our sink) have been stored in the corner of our room. I have a dresser (free off of Craigslist :) that we just got a few weeks ago that will go into our room once the bathroom storage stash from the bathroom is gone. It actually looks neat in the living room, but I am going to freshen the paint and use it in our room. Frames are waiting under our bed to be painted. It kinda' drives me crazy every once in a whole, but I can usually envision everything where it will end up. Then on to the next project...:)
    The great thing about working this way is you save so much money and you get to love with the idea for awhile before you make it permanent.
    Thanks for the post - let's me see I'm not the only one!

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  10. I like to be able to put together/afford the main components of a room, then gather for the tweaking. Otherwise, by the time I've gathered everything, I'm ready to redecorate again and the process never seems to end. My husband has admitted that he doesn't enjoy living in a state of "construction." He likes to feel settled and apparently having stuff propped around and not hung on walls, etc. makes him feel as though we're on the verge of moving. :)

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  11. ~I am LOVING this series that you are doing Melissa. I am counting down the days until Friday, when I will share pictures of my favorite room that my husband and I have been "working on" for months {still "in the works" by the way}
    ~I have read your blog for almost a year now {just figured out how to subscribe} 320 Sycamore was a HUGE inspiration behind my blog. I would LOVE if you could stop by sometime. It also is still a work in progress {as is almost every project in my life}
    ~You are a beautiful soul inside and out. Thank you for sharing your inspiring words and honest approach to decorating with the blog world! Take care and keep on keepin' on! :)
    ~Amanda
    www.livelaughlovetodecorate.blogspot.com

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  12. melissa*320 sycamore1/16/14, 10:41 PM

    A wise woman you are.

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  13. melissa*320 sycamore1/16/14, 10:41 PM

    Oh, I think absolutely you have to get creative! I've used risers for beds,
    thrown stuff up in the attic with all the spiders, closets, behind the sofa,
    behind doors.....because it looks cluttered if it's out and husbands usually
    aren't too keen about it either:"what's all this junk for??"

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  14. melissa*320 sycamore1/16/14, 10:41 PM

    oh goodness, do I know about this. Remember my storage room?? It's so easy
    to get too much stuff really quickly...especially in thrifting!

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  15. Jen - Beautyandbedlam1/16/14, 10:41 PM

    Oh and now I love you SO MUCH....that is exactly what my house looks like. Yes, I am a gatherer....and then some more. I must get to those things. :)

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  16. Yes, I too am a gatherer! I love that name! Now I don't feel so bad about my rooms that look messy hahaha!

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  17. Thank you for this post. I have been "gathering" things from this one special spot that has booths and consignments. I have also just started shopping thrift. I have always looked at the clearance aisles but now I look at them differently. Suddenly placemats and napkins are pillow covers and curtains. I have found that I love certain items and I have in mind what I want- but my treasure hunt may not be complete for all items needed. I hope my girls will accept this new found term as they seem to be wondering why is mom buying all this stuff.

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