My built-ins are such a stranger on the blog, which should not be the case since I love them so much.
I think I am hesitant to photograph this part of my home because photos never seem to give this space justice. With the glare from the front windows and the huge black TV, I just feel like photos don’t always “flatter” these cuties or make them look as good as they do in real life. But enough is enough, the photos don’t have to be glare-free or perfect to make the blog, right?

Plus, I recently rearranged these shelves to simplify the space and thought these changes were the perfect excuse to share them on the blog. Prior to rearranging the decor, I was feeling very overwhelmed from the clutter on the shelves and found myself frequently looking up and having a sudden urge to start from scratch <– not good! Spring Cleaning inspired me to downsize & only display what I truly LOVED. But let’s be real, that’s easier said than done.
Almost everything on the shelves was bought at HomeGoods and the few items that weren’t from HomeGoods were scored at Goodwill or a Garage Sale. HomeGoods is not only amazing for shelf decor but it’s priced right AND located literally less than 3 BLOCKS away from my house. <– awesome for me, not so awesome for Matt. You can imagine where some of our evening walks lead to “unexpectedly”. #sorryimnotsorry Did anyone else ever rearrange their furniture in their bedroom growing-up for fun? If so, you get me and you get why I do this constantly with these shelves. Please tell me I’m not the only person who still hasn’t grown out of this childhood phase?
After the rearranging and downsizing, I’m happy with the fresh look and content keeping the shelves like this for awhile.I’m sure throughout the summer I will continue to arrange and rearrange these shelves and will start all over come fall… ya know, when the Chicago fall weather kicks-in and the nautical touches don’t seem as “fitting”.Although I’m content at the moment, I’m always open to a stroll through the aisles of HomeGoods on our summer evening walks! How could you not stop and browse when it’s only 3 blocks away?

Bridget