“Blue is a great color to use in decorating because in general it plays like a neutral and I love decorating that will stand the test of time.”
All photos courtesy of Kate Rossing
By Noelle Mering
Kate Rossing is a wife, mother, and interior decorator living in small town Wisconsin. You can find her on her website (katerossingdesign.com) and on Instagram (@kate_rossing_design) She also has a new faith blog: aninteriorlife.com
In 2015 my husband and I found out that we were expecting our second child. At the time my husband was commuting 45 minutes to and from work each day and the idea of two little ones at home had me wanting to cut down his travel time so I could be relieved of solo parent duty soon as possible at the end of the day. Looking back, I know God's hand was on our move every step of the way. Long story short, to get closer to my husband's office we moved to a town with an incredible Catholic parish. We are grateful that our children can attend the parish school and the reverence with which the Novus Ordo is said brought my once-Lutheran husband home to the Catholic Church!
Originally we were looking for an old home with lots of character (at the time we were living in a beautiful 1920's Tudor revival) but we weren't able to find what we were looking for and instead ended up building. I can remember feeling discouraged at the time — I knew we didn't have the budget to match the type of quality craftsmanship and finishes you find in an older home — but our builder worked with us (and our budget) to make it our own, and we still have plenty more projects to look forward to.
The centrality of our faith is evident the moment you walk through the front door. In our foyer guests are greeted by the Sacred heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and a small collection of vintage Catholic art I have collected. Until my husbands conversion, we mainly just had crucifixes on the walls, (something he wasn't used to seeing as a Protestant, but also something he appreciated) and statues for our children of each of their patrons. So, once it was clear that he was going to make it "official" and come into the Church, I got motivated to bring more Catholic devotion into our home. From a faith perspective it just made sense, and from a design perspective you simply cannot go wrong with holy images...they fit in any home, any style (which I am sure is by divine design).
The foyer brings you to our living room. Blue and white forever! I absolutely love this color combination, and any designer will tell you it is one of the most timeless. I think our Blessed Mother proves my point, as we frequently see her represented in her signature blue and white. Blue is a great color to use in decorating because in general it plays like a neutral and I love decorating that will stand the test of time. In this room I often reflect on Mother Mary and what this color represents for us. Blue is a color symbolizing heavenly grace and representing hope, good health, and servitude. These are things worthy of reflection when one is in the throes of family life, trying to raise little saints and make the most of the opportunities they provide me to reach sainthood myself!
Whether it's Ikea, like my seating here is, or something higher end, I have to say I love anything with a slipcover for homes with little ones. My husband was skeptical when I chose white for our sofa, but spills have been no problem, I just pop the cover in the wash and it's like nothing ever happened! The dresser behind the couch came from St. Vincent de Paul and is a great place to stash toys and games. It also serves as a place for people to set down a drink, because as you can see, there is no coffee table. We have tried a few different times to put a coffee table in this room, but it's our main hangout with the kids, and there was just way too much bumping and jumping, so it had to go. We settled on these seagrass poufs, and while there is still plenty of jumping, I'm not as worried about the bumping! Someday, when my kids can handle it, we will have a lovely coffee table, but today is not that day!
I love mixing new with old. Vintage paintings, sculptures or vases are an easy way to start if you want to integrate a little bit of history into the home. I often wonder about the stories behind my thrifted and antique pieces. I wonder about whom they belonged to and how they found their way into the story we are writing in our own home. As I ponder how these things remain and now grace our home, it is a wonderful reminder how temporary this life is. These things serve us just for a time and when we go to our eternal home, we won’t bring them with us. The effort we put into preparing a place for ourselves, our family and our friends, is all for one thing: to be received into our heavenly home and into the place the Lord has promised He is preparing for each one of us.
