Does redecorating mean starting over?

These days, I tend to buy new clothes in bursts, not one piece at a time.  (This usually happens when all my usual tops have holes in them.  Sad but true.)  When I come home with a bag full of goodies, I immediately play around with the existing items in my closet to create new looks.  Why?  Well, partly because wearing new new new from head to toe makes me feel false, somehow.  Inauthentic.

A similar principal applies in decorating.  While I imagine some decorators love a blank slate, I find it difficult to start completely from scratch.  The things you have picked up along the way are YOU, and your home should tell the story of your life.

Flipping through the new Elle Decor, I saw this ad.  To be honest, I have no idea if it is meant to be tongue in cheek, or what, but it struck me because I couldn't disagree more.  Redecorating does not mean getting rid of everything.

Redecorating means re-considering your favorite things, re-mixing them, and pairing them with some new purchases to create a whole new look.

I've been doing this in my house, rediscovering things I love that have been, inexplicably, sitting in the basement.  While it is fun to try on new trends, I know that the things I bought a decade ago that still look great to my eye are the things I truly love.

Mine include mid-century chinoiserie, rattan, embroidered textiles, block prints, metallics, text art, moroccan anything (but especially lanters), deco influences, and bamboo plant stands, among others.

What about you: what does your "old stuff" say about your taste?

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