#loveyourhome with Porch.com
#loveyourhome
porch.com maria provenzano
I think that no matter where you live you have the ability to make it feel like a home. One of my favorite ways to do that is to decorate. I always loved decorating for holidays and it hasn't been until I started having a family that I really got into actual home decor. Now it seems more important than ever for me to create a space that feels like home not just for myself, but for my family. I have worked with the extremely nice team over at Porch.com before so when they asked me to be part of their #loveyourhome series I was so excited! They asked me to talk about what my "happy place" is in my home. My first reaction is always the kitchen. Being an Italian girl, I grew up around food and a family that was always cooking and baking. It's where so many memories are made! Then, when I started to sit and write about it I realized I was already sitting somewhere that was a new "happy place" for me. I recently received a desk from my parents as a gift and took the time to make it really pretty and filled with things that I love and things that make me happy. I was sitting in the place where all of the work that I do for my blog comes together and is sent out into the universe. It made me realize how much I LOVE and appreciate the work that I do. My blog is like another baby to me. I work very hard on it! I spend a lot of time perfecting the little things and it always seems to be a work in progress, but I am constantly challenged and inspired. So sitting in a place where I can look at beautiful things that make me happy and do the work that I am so grateful to call my job... I can say that I have a new "happy place!"
charm and gumption maria provenzano
This is my new favorite mug from Charm and Gumption! This little coaster is a project I did with Darby Smart, a website with really fun DIY projects.
The goal for my desk area was to fill it with inspiration, things that are beautiful, and make it an area full of positive energy that I would look forward to sitting at.
desk
The desktop on my computer is provided by Sugar Paper. It's not only one of my favorite stores ever (also the place I did my wedding invitations), but they offer really beautiful and free desktops on their website.
desk
It doesn't matter to me if items are expensive or not. I like to find ways to make inexpensive things pretty. This desk organizer I got at Target for about 8 dollars. I simply painted it with metallic gold paint and now it looks more fancy. These two pieces of art work are also from Charm and Gumption. I had way too much fun shopping on their website. This elegant Juliska vase was a wedding gift from family friends.
desk
Family is the most important thing to me and what inspires me the most! The Waterford lamp and frame were gifts from my parents when I first moved out to Los Angeles. I felt so grown up when they gave them to me and I still love them every time I look at them. Candles are also something I enjoy having around! This Michael Aram Black Orchid candle smells so elegant AND matches the frame I have next to it with my husband and baby.
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To go along with the Waterford frame and lamp my mom also gave this ring holder to me when my husband and I got engaged. I use it every single day. I also put my gold "G" necklace on there that one of my best friends gave me (for my son Grant) because I wear that every day as well.
I'm a sucker for to do lists and stationary. I love writing with fountain pens. It makes me feel old-fashioned and sophisticated! This one is a Cross fountain pen.
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This chair is probably my favorite part of the desk area. It was my Grandpa Provenzano's chair that she would sit in at her vanity while doing her hair and make-up. My parents got it reupholstered and repainted for me to have. I didn't want to use it in my vanity area because I was scared to get it full of make-up and hair spray so I get to appreciate this beautiful piece every day when I sit down to work.
chair
The accumulation of all of these things... gifts, crafts, memories... makes this the place where it all comes together for me. This is my "happy place!"
desk 1