House of Navy references my adoration of life in navy & white: in my wardrobe, in my home, traveling through the world, and near the water.
This blog is a collection of the things I love: writing, celebrating, exploring, planning, designing.
Authoring and curating a lifestyle blog has been a dream of mine for years, but I often let my insecurities, doubts, and fear of rejection or not being good enough keep me from writing/sharing/trying. I, and this blog, are far from perfect.
I wouldn’t consider myself fashion forward or a trendsetter necessarily. The irony is not lost on me that I want to blog about fashion, but often wear the same thing twice (or more) in a week. I love a well styled outfit, but settle on comfort over couture any day of the week. The posts you’ll see on my instagram and blog often won’t be able to be purchased: they’ll be old favorites, recycled from past seasons, and/or often a one-off found deep in the racks at TJ Maxx. My closet often looks like it needs caution tape at the entrance, piles of discarded tops and dresses and pants piled on the ground, trying on countless options before settling on something familiar and comfortable. I follow countless fashion influencers on instagram, adore their outfits, perfect hair, and professionally styled photographs. Then I take a deep breath, go downstairs, ask my fiance to take a few photos for me, and we’ll go outside and he’ll ask if I want the trash can in the background. We’re amateurs over here. I spend a lot of time wondering if I should do a capsule wardrobe, since I wind up in it every day: white pants, white or navy tops, white dresses, stripes in the summer, all black in the winter. Even so, maybe you’ll relate and find some inspiration, especially in the winter months living in the midwest.
I love my home, the people within it, and designing an inviting, functional space. Our Victorian built in 1900 has been a labor of love and can go from magazine shoot clean to questionable break-in in just a matter of hours. It’s impressive really. I’ve made plenty of design mistakes, from hanging curtains, to not measuring correctly for a couch, and cannot level a shelf to save my life. Yet I love our home, what it represents, and the memories we create here. I love sharing our home, redecorating a room, rearranging on a whim. I’m drawn to clean, white, fresh neutrals, whites and creams mixed with wicker and chrome. I’ll forever own a white couch, against the advice of almost all who know me.
I love to travel, explore, and want to see the world. Experiencing other cities, countries, cultures, and cuisine gives me the energy and gratitude unparalleled from that I experience at home. I’m not an expert traveler, and I have many friends that are much more seasoned travelers than I am. I’ve lost both my luggage and sanity in airports, and have yet to travel through ORD without hiccup. I’m currently planning the rest of our 2017 travel: DC over my birthday, Montreal over Canan’s birthday, and HWY1 over Christmas and New Year’s, along with 2018: a caribbean escape with friends, Banff in the summer, and Greece in September. The navy and white’s of nature center me, remind me to breathe, the sparkle of the sea reflected in my eyes. I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s definitely on my list.
I aim for House of Navy to be approachable, relatable, inspiring, and most of all, authentic. You won’t find perfect here, but maybe you’ll find something and resonate with the writing, celebrating, exploring, planning, designing.
Thank you for visiting, encouraging, and engaging with me!
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