EVERY HOME HAS A STORY

I once wrote a post on how each piece in your home can tell a story. At the time, I was sharing a lovely apartment with a girlfriend, and our home was reflective of our friendship and memories with our group of girls. Six months ago, after our lease ended, I moved into my own apartment for the first time. Living alone can be a little scary, but overall, it feels refreshing and empowering to become responsible for my own place. I've enjoyed creating a space that's reflective of my individual story and goals for the next chapter of life. Besides, in a way, I'm sort of never really alone in my apartment. Many of my pieces have been passed down from my great-grandmothers, exchanged between my grandmother and her sister, and shared by my mother and her sisters. Together with photos of friends and mementos from my past, my first place of my own creates a warm story of love: a story of my evolving life.


Normally, I really don't like talking about myself or my stuff (all this writing in the first person makes me nervous-- do I sound self-indulgent?). But I have come to notice that some of my favorite things to read online have to do with people's personal stories or experiences, and I especially love peeking into real people's homes. I hope you enjoy this post in that way.


One of the favorite spots in my home is the entry way, which is the first things guests are welcomed by when they enter.


Left Side

1. "Graceful Dancer" by Lesley Fotherby

This was a greeting card from my mom a few years ago, an ode to my dancer past.

2. 1964 edition of my favorite book, Gone With the Wind 

My grandmother got this edition of Gone With the Wind while working in the public library when my mom and aunts were in school. The inside page has a penciled-in name, "Mary Lou Huston, 1969". I always wonder whose hands the book has passed through, and whose hearts the story has touched.

3. Golden pineapple lamp

When I was in junior high, my mom let me help re-decorate the front entry of our home. We saw this funny little lamp at the now-defunct Bombay Company, and I absolutely loved it. I'm glad I get to have it in my entry way now.

4. Fashion illustration

This is an atelier sketch from a fashion house I interned for while still in school. The dress in the sketch was worn by the Best Actress winner at the Golden Globes that year, a project I was very proud to have helped make happen. I treasured my internship experience, and it helped set me on the path toward my career in fashion PR. 

5. Letter from Marilyn Monroe

This typed letter is addressed to the German Consulate General on Wilshire Boulevard. It reads, "Thank you for your champagne. It arrived, I drank it, and I was gayer. Thanks again." Not only did I think this quaint note was very funny, but I also live on Wilshire, so I had to have it displayed.

6. Nostalgia in Vogue

This is my treasured copy of Nostalgia in Vogue. I have written how deeply I adore this column and book, so it had to have a prominent position.

7. Venetian mirrored console

This piece used to be in my parents' entry way. At Christmas, we would put dozens of candles on the top, the glittery silver trees and twinkling tea lights all reflecting their warmth a thousand times over in the mirrored surface.

Right Side

1. Gold scrolled mirror

This was in one of my parents' first homes together. When I was little, I thought it was a princess mirror.

2. Vogue Covers

This is the British edition of Vogue Covers, given to me last Christmas by one of my most lovely friends from work.

3. Masquerade photo

This vintage frame belonged to my great-grandmother Viola. The photo was taken at my birthday party year before last, during which we all donned masks and drank champagne.

4. US Army frame with party picture

This vintage frame, with a dignified eagle perched atop, was a frame issued by the US Army to hold an official portrait of my great-grandfather during World War II. The picture in the frame now was torn out of a magazine, and reads, "The Party: At home or on the other side of the globe, no matter where you party, make sure to do it in style... and always in the company of good friends!"

5. Brass candle sticks

These have belonged to my mother for as long as I can remember. They look slightly vintage, and when I was little, I always thought they were very elegant.

What are your favorite pieces? What stories does your home tell?