The Home Decorating Rules I Broke

Ever since I was old enough to make my own bed, I've been a nester. As a kid, I spent whole Saturdays rearranging my bedroom. This habit has only grown with time -- now I have an entire house at my disposal, and I've swapped whole rooms around more than once.

But I have some home decorating rules. First, function is just as important as form -- so the prettiest arrangement doesn't always win, if it's not at least as functional as the alternative. Second, any newly acquired furnishings must be second-hand (our couch was the lone exception). And third, I'll incorporate nothing so trendy that we'll likely tire of it six months from now. Which, more than anything, means no Chevron.

I've proclaimed my "no Chevron" rule loudly and proudly, to all who will listen. Chevron is everywhere -- on home-design blogs, in fabric stores, on lamp shades and throw pillows and coffee mugs. It's become more ubiquitous than the good ol' Keep Calm and Carry On poster. When everyone is doing one thing, that's always been my cue to do something different. And so, without really considering whether I happen to like Chevron, I've declared our home a Chevron-Free Zone.

Heh.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to a big box store that shall not be named, with the intention of buying laundry detergent and cat litter. And there I spied it, on the end-of-aisle clearance shelf. A bright, happy, vintage-inspired quilt. The colors were perfect, the price was a song. And the pattern? You guessed it. Chevron:

So today I humbly hang up my Chevron-free hat. I'm not sure what this means, other than maybe I should be a little less judgmental -- perhaps "trendy" doesn't always mean "run for the hills".

What about you? What are your home decorating rules? What rules have you broken? I can't be the only one...

Update: Last week I made my first, long-awaited trip to Zip-Dang and fell in love with ORANGYPORANGY, the delicious, hand-crafted clothing line made by store-owner Natalie Bass. (Madison friends, if you haven't checked out this uber-awesome, locally owned shop, you should stop what you're doing and go there right now.) I bought a skirt. I wore it. I love it. Today, after writing this post, I wore it again. And only then did I realize... the darn thing's got Chevrons all over it: