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If all goes as planned*, we are moving this weekend and last week B and I made the executive decision to get new furniture. Since we got married at the ripe age of 23, we pretty much have nothing of worth in the furniture department. We took hand-me-downs from family or spent our life savings at Ikea and Target our first year of marriage and have used those things ever since. Now while there is nothing wrong with Ikea or Target or hand-me-downs for that matter, after about six years and three moves, our furniture has had it. Case in point, we tried to move a dresser the other day and it literally just fell apart in front of our eyes. I’ve never seen wood crumble like that. We knew in that moment a fourth move was not going to happen. 
So this weekend we braved furniture shopping, meaning I’ve dragged Bryan to West Elm three times in the last week.  The good news is we get to have brand new furniture in our new house, the bad news is I’m a thinker, a worrier, a list maker, a dweller and I need about a year to make a solid decision on an investment. I have spreadsheets, people; this is serious business. But on the other hand, I want things finished and done like yesterday so the inside of my head is pretty much a heavy storm of confusion at all times. I am laid back and up-tight all at once.
*things that could and will most likely happened to screw up our plan: heavy rain, busy day at the store so we can’t leave, the high chance of not being fully packed, injuries, lost car keys and the always off chance of an act of God. 


______________________
Top: c/o Daisy Rae Boutique
Jeans: Similar
Scarf: J.Crew Factory
Shoes: c/o Ivanka Trump
Tote: Madewell

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133 Responses

  1. Totally head over heels for this outfit! I wish you the best of luck during your move!

  2. I think you can pretty much toss plans out the window as a small business owner. Any time Chad and I make an itinerary of any sort, the flood gates open at the shop and we're stuck like chuck, or an employee calls in sick, or the delivery van breaks down. Le sigh 😉

    Good luck with your move! And furniture shopping. Excited for you and your fresh start!

  3. Good luck with the move! It can be torturous but having seen the sweetie-coloured houses where you are moving it looks to be worth the upheaval!
    You really look so happy in your recent posts, obviously it really helped you to share your woes & take a load off 🙂

  4. Good luck on moving! For your sanity's sake, I really do hope everything goes as planned… there's nothing worse than not feeling like you have all the power in the world because the universe decides to make a joke out of a well-planned to-do list!
    http://perpetuallycaroline.blogspot.com

  5. kendi, your hair. It is perfect! I know this is a fashion blog but can you please show us how to style it, what products you use, etc? I would love to know!

  6. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys. Just remember that you'll be there soon, and road bumps will just make for fun stories later on!

  7. Whoa that's quite a trek for you to make three times in one week. Unless of course there is a West Elm that is closer to you than Mockingbird Station. I love West Elm. It's dangerous to just 'browse', though. Good luck with the move.

  8. Good luck!!! I wish I lived in Dallas so I could take a shift for you at the store. I'm sure plenty of people feel the same way! Moving stresses me out terribly as well, but on the plus side, you get to make a whole new start and that's very refreshing.

  9. You look calm, cool and collected even if your head is racing with a million things to do! Love the outfit!

    Megan
    budgetfashion101.blogspot.ca

  10. "I am laid back and up-tight all at once." Perfect sentence. I am the same way, I just had never been able to put it into words.
    Love the outfit, but mostly, I'm so excited for your new furniture!

    Hoping the act of God is perfect weather and a truck load of friends ready to help you both move.

  11. Good luck on your move. They say that it is almost as stressful as divorce or losing a loved one. Hopefully it won't be that bad. ; 0

    bisous
    Suzanne

  12. Good luck with the moving and it's so great that you're getting the new furniture too, you'll be happy once you start decorating everything that you will forget to think about an investment that you had to put up so quickly.

    Great outfit as well! Like your pants and scarf very much!

    http://lartoffashion.blogspot.com

  13. That sounds like me and my husband buying furniture for our new home! You want to think through your purchases and make wise choices, but you also want furniture like, yesterday, lest your "house warming" party be in like a year from now.

    Best wishes during your move!

  14. Love the color combo on this outfit, very fresh! And LOVE West Elm! It's an exciting process, acts of God and all. Have fun with it 🙂

  15. You can drag him there or drug him – either way will get him to West Elm 🙂

  16. OR it could all go profoundly perfect! I am also getting ready to move after ten years and our youngest going off to college. Can you say "empty nester and shouting it from the rooftop?". While I have to admit that routine is my friend (I really could eat the same thing every day, I know, I know), I also love a fresh new start. I'm happy to share that "fresh new chapters" can still happen in your "fabulous fifties" and they are always worth celebrating. Good luck on your fresh new chapter—love your look. SO pretty!

  17. I love the all white! The sheer polka dot scarf is super cute! Enjoy the home decorating process.. and remember.. it pretty much takes years to fill a home. And once you're done, it's time to buy a new house. 🙂

    xo, Yi-chia
    Always Maylee

  18. Love your outfit and WANT that iced coffee! Shopping for furniture is stressful! I highly recommend Restoration Hardware. Expensive, but very high quality and will still be "in" after 15 years. I know, because our RH dining room set is that old and we still get tons of compliments on it. 🙂

  19. Such a cute outfit! I love the color combination! Good luck with your move. I'm sure it will all be fine 😉

  20. I completely relate to your state of mind when it comes to deciding on investments! We are currently in the "Ikea/Target/hand-me-down" phase of marriage, but I'm so eager to get the "West Elm" years!

  21. Honestly by the end of this, I'm going to have to drug him! baha — that might be the way to go, that way I can really get what I want right?

  22. Haha, I totally feel you…fellow list-maker, worrier, etc over here! 🙂
    Great scarf!
    sweetenedstyle.com

  23. we got married at 21, got the second hand/Target furniture too… it's all survived only 1 move & 3 years so far… hoping it won't be making the next move. fingers crossed. I have a Google Doc going of links to all my favorite furniture things.

    and as always, amazing outfit!

  24. Just looked up where Bloom is located in regards to Denton. My husband will be happy to know that I have two items on the 'pro' side of my 'maybe move to Texas' list- the house market & that I could come check out your cute shop! Good luck with your move and furniture buying 🙂

  25. Is that a genuine smile on your face?! I hope so. Because if you made it through that Starbucks without getting a coffee stain on your beautiful white outfit, you definitely have a reason to smile.

    ~Sarah of Sarah's Real Life

  26. You're description of furniture shopping and making a decision could have been written by me! It's spot on! I just wanted to say GOOD LUCK and you're not alone!

  27. this post reminds me of a book I'm reading right now that encourages us to look at everything as imperfect progress. As women especially (and self-motivators) we have a tendency to be disappointed if things aren't exactly right the first time we do them. The book encourages us to look at everything as imperfect progress, that as long as we move forward a little every day, things will continue to improve and we will be better off than we were before. With your move, I hope you can see the progress of each little action that matters instead of looking at the whole thing as a task to accomplish. You're getting furniture, which is a huge step! If something goes wrong with your move and things are behind schedule, it is OKAY. You can keep moving forward the next day, and even if it takes a week instead of a weekend, just remember that any progress is movement forward toward your total goal. Good luck!

  28. Moving is so stressful – but how exciting to have all new West Elm goodies to look forward to! I'd like to redo my whole house in that store! Or, better yet, just move into West Elm and save ourselves the trouble of rearranging!

    xo
    See Mo Go.

  29. Can I just say you look especially bright and beautiful in these photos 🙂 Furniture shopping with spreadsheets is always fun haha…good luck with the move!

  30. I just scored a sheer vintage scarf at an estate sale and was wondering about how to wear it. shanksh.

  31. I told myself during our last move that decorating was a marathon & not a sprint. I took my time and only bought/moved in things I truly loved. 11 years later I still love most everything!

  32. Love the white jeans! I recently got some and am so afraid they will end up dirty looking by the end of the day. 🙂

  33. Kendi – Love your blog and you! Question…your hair always looks SO good…any tips? My hair is straight and flat!

  34. I find it terrifying and comforting at the same time to learn that someone else's brain works the way that mine does. Oy vey. Good luck!!!

  35. Kendi, you look like a movie star today!

    Your hair looks perfect. The length is amazing on you!

  36. With as much moving as I've done (I'm a military brat and we would move every 2-3 years while I was growing up), you'd think I'd be a pro, but I hate the process. The thought of a new place is exciting but the actually process of getting to that new place, always exhausting. So I totally understand being a bit stressed, but HOORAY for new furniture I'm trying to convince the bf that we need update a few pieces in our apartment as well. 😉

    Good luck with the move!

    Ashlei
    http://www.kinksarethenewpink.com

  37. Oh my, there is such a lightness and beauty to these pictures.
    And the furniture story… priceless. Yep, you are pretty lucky indeed if your IKEA furniture makes it past two moves. You were already in uncharted territory having successfully executed a third move – a fourth would have been completed only through some act of divine intervention. 😉

  38. Moving sucks! I hate it and seriously has done it 6 times in last 9 years… We waited to get new furniture until we bought our new house. The best decision ever although living with hand-me-downs for 5 years wasn't all that great…
    Take it easy! You can do it!
    btw, loving the white and brown trend – going to copy that

    happymedley.blogspot.com

  39. I just want to say, I am loving the pop of Kendi we get in posts these days. Thanks for being brave enough to put YOU in this blog. It's noticed and appreciated.

  40. I know exactly how you feel! I've been married for two years and we have only gotten hand me down or Goodwill furniture and I'm ready to have real furniture that matches!

  41. Good luck with your move and furnitue shopping! This is a time for a fresh new "start" and if you look that good furniture shopping I'm sure your house will be put together perfectly!

    Classy Chic & Chardonnay
    http://ceislin.com

  42. Happy furniture shopping Kendi! We're still smack dab in the middle of Ikea and hand-me-downs so I'd love to see what you guys pick up. I love this cute weekend look, that tote is PERFECT for errand running!

    xoxo,
    Chelsea & The City

  43. Ahhh, you sound like me! I am exactly the same way with big changes! In other news, those shoes are freaking awesome and I love the blue/white combo.

  44. I am sure that your house is as stylish as you are, though as an interior decorator I feel I am much better at interiors than dressing myself. If you need guidance I am happy to help. Sometime you just need someone to tell you that you're on the right path. http://www.capellakincheloe.com

  45. Good luck with your move! I'm sure your home will look lovely; West Elm is a great choice for home goods and furniture. Remember to enjoy the new goodness!

  46. I completely relate to the furniture shopping!!! My hubby & I got married 1 1/2 ago & have been inching along to furnish out home…now we are relocated to Mississippi for a few months & had to furnish an apartment….we went the target/marshalls route for that since there was NO ikea anywhere near Jackson, MS….which seems so wrong to me!!!!!

    I always find myself on the hunt for household items…my list is never ending. I keep it on my phone so I have it with me at all times to add things 🙂

    http://stylishadventures-al.com

  47. Gosh, I just can't get enough of how you write. For reals, can you write a book? Also, I'm sending good vibes your way so none of the things that could go wrong..don't. I hope it works 😉

    http://www.lovecourtxoxo.com

  48. Good luck on the move! I just moved yesterday and can feel your furniture shopping pain. I'm so indecisive so it's hard for me to decide on investment pieces! My last move two years ago also involved a crumbling dresser that we actually glued back together. Let's just say it didn't make this move!

  49. ahh… furniture shopping so much fun and stressful all at the same time.. give yourself the freedom to have fun and make mistakes.. it's ok.. in 50 years your grandkids will be like "oh Nana, that couch is so lame.." and you'll be like " don't you realize it came from West Elm??" In the long run it doesn't matter…just don't ever put plastic over the couch because that's never cool.
    Hope
    hchdesigns.blogspot.com

  50. I love the combo of polka dots and stripes, looks great 🙂 Good luck with the move!

  51. Very light and fresh outfit!! (: love it!

    -theresa
    collaredblouse.blogspot.com

  52. Oh I'm a bit jealous! I studied interior design, so if there's anything I could to to help you, feel free to ask 🙂

    You could have a look at my pinboard, maybe there is something that inspires you:

    http://pinterest.com/goldstuecke/home-interior/

    On the other hand, who needs a bunch of distractions when there's already too much to be done 😉

  53. I live in Dallas and my good friend is a terrific interior designer. She is very reasonable and can help you make good solid, long-term furniture decisions. Send me an email and I can give you her name and number. There is no reason why you should have to do it all yourself.

  54. I totally get this!
    My husband and I made spreadsheets for furniture when we bought our home last April, we are both obsessive planners but I also want things done and perfect right away!

  55. Dude. Whatever you did to your hair this day, it looks _incredible_. Nice shoes, too. And congrats on the move/new furniture! My husband and I are still in the ikea/hand-me-down stage, but I actually really love our bedroom which is all done up in ikea. Can't wait to get a legit couch, though.

  56. I really need to get myself a bag like that! love the color and how simple it is.

    also, your hair looks phenomenal in these pics. i don't know if you did it or if you are just blessed with naturally messy and awesome hair but i'm jealous 😉

    sunshinestateofstyle.com

  57. Haha, I am 23, just moved in with my partner, and we bought all of our furniture from Ikea & Target – thanks for the insight into our future 😉

  58. I can relate to your last paragraph 🙂 I am planning the decor I want for my studio next year and I can't decided what style I want to go with. I have a pinterestboard, a word document, a folder on my PC, snaps on my iPod, … of everything I liked and / or want furniture and decor-wise. I'm terrible! x

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