I remember everything about the day we found out we got the Brainerd Street House! It was a foreclosure, and we ended up in an agonizing bidding war. I had never been so excited and nervous at the same time, but I knew that I couldn't wait to get my hands dirty to make the house beautiful again. I knew I wanted to honor the history of the house and I considered decorating to the time period {early 1900s}. I started shopping for all kinds of antique furniture, including some victorian-era sofas that were definitely NOT me or my personal style. Thank goodness my husband, who is always the voice of reason, persuaded me to take a step back and not purchase anything before the house was complete.

It's easy to get caught up in the 'old' home style, especially when you see other historic homes in your neighborhood that are beautifully decorated to the home's time period. I felt guilty not honoring the house and keeping with the victorian era, but ultimately decided that it's our family that is going to be living here so I needed to keep with our style. I realized that resorting the historic features of the house like the fireplaces, trim, and clawfoot tubs were enough to give the home plenty of character, and give me the freedom to decorate how we wanted to.

It's hard to put a label on what my style is, because I like a bit of everything. I call it traditional with coastal and rustic influences. Here are a couple of my favorite pieces in our home that I think describe my style pretty well.

A couple years ago, I stumbled across an antique warehouse called Plunderosa Antiques. It is not far from Pensacola, located in Loxley, AL. If you are a bargain hunter like me, you'll definitely need a whole day there - in my opinion, it seriously might be one of Alabama's best kept secrets. There are piles of unique European antique furniture and rustic pieces like pictured above. I'm sure you're wondering what it is - it is an old feeding trough. I just had to have it even though I had no idea what I would do with it. The once farm animal food bowl has now become home to some of my many pillows and blankets. {The 'geeky' dog pillow is my absolute favorite new purchase, thanks Hobby Lobby}

I also found this amazing dough bowl at Pluderosa Antiques as well, and I'm not ashamed to say got it for under $25. Yep, that's right, you really need to visit this place! My latest filler is dried hydrangeas that I found on Etsy from a store called Hydrangea Rangers - they are seriously breathtaking! It makes the most perfect dining room table centerpiece for the spring and summer months.

I have had these old house columns for quite a few years and I just love them. I find they are perfect for that empty corner you have no idea what to do with. Throw a couple accent pieces on top, and there you have it, instant drama in a once boring corner. I found them at an antique store in Pensacola, about 10 years ago, which unfortunately is not there anymore. The columns came from a local East Hill home - even better!

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of my homestyle. I must say that I am so happy I stayed true to my own personal style by incorporating unique {not victorian} antique pieces into my home. Be sure to always decorate for your style, and no one elses. I'm a firm believer that there is no right or wrong way to decorate, just have fun with it!