Messy Desks & Peacock Feathers {Indoor Photography}

| Allison

Hello, my friends!

Yesterday I tried an experiment: I walked around our house, attempting to turn random, normal things like an unmade bed and a cluttered table into pretty subjects. All the indoor photos you see online seem to have perfectly clean and tidy backgrounds, but I wanted to take pictures of the way our house looked without cleaning it up first. Was the experiment a success? I don’t know – you’ll have to tell me after you see the pictures!

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I think I’ll divide this up by rooms.  Let’s start with the…

mudroom

This is where we hang all of our coats and hats and shoes. I really like the texture of all the overlapping jackets on the right photo.

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I couldn’t bring myself to delete this photo even though it’s almost the same as the ones above. Something about it looks peaceful and quiet to me.

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I think the trick to getting pretty pictures of messy spots is to wait until the light comes through the window like so. 😀 And also to capture details rather than zooming out so you can see everything.

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laundry room

This brick wall with the wood ceiling looked fabulous in pictures, ah. Mom keeps this clothespin bag hanging above the washing machine even though we don’t have a clothesline to use it for anymore…

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Oh look, it’s the red blanket from the sisters photoshoot! When not being used, it reposes on top of the freezer.

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I had a ton of fun making “abstract art” with a mix of patterns and textures like this. There’s not exactly a main subject in this photo, but I like all the layers of ceiling and trim.

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foyer

The obvious choice for a subject in this room is the plant shelf! Dad built this amazing wood and iron stand for Mom a long time ago. It used to hold all our homeschool books and such, but now it holds plants. 🙂

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Taking these pictures reminded me of this apple photoshoot. Do you guys remember that one?

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Nothing unusual here, just a fluffy fern with its favorite pair of sunglasses. :’D

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Mom is drying some flowers on the coat hooks just inside the door.

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great room (living room)

One of Megan’s pen pals gave her a tiny fridge for her birthday. Isn’t it so cute and aesthetic? And it works, too! I’m sure she won’t always keep it in the living room, but it was on the bench for now so I snapped a picture.

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This beautiful secretary desk makes up for the basket of cords and rusty floor register beside it. The desk was purchased by the previous owners of our house and we bought it again at the farm auction.

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So photogenic: electronics and cords. 😀

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Ooh, I love this picture. Mom found these old books for free at a library!

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I’m not sure why this stool was sitting in the middle of the walkway, but it was conveniently right in the middle of beautiful sun-patterns covering the floor. I love the contrast and geometric patterns/angles in this photo.

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sunroom/schoolroom

My granddaddy restored this beautiful little table that fits perfectly in the narrow schoolroom. Featuring more electronics and cords, along with a lovely folding chair. But also pretty squares of light so it’s all good. 😀

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This box of chalk was sitting right in the sun and was practically glowing!

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Here’s one thing I did move: this vase of peacock feathers that usually adorns a back corner of the filing cabinet. We got these ages ago at a family reunion, actually, which was at a park with a big cage of peacocks in the woods.

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Even after all these years, they. Are. Stunning.

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bathroom

I love the wooden blinds in the downstairs bathroom. Blinds and curtains are fun things to photograph when the light is coming straight through them.

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Carmen got a HUGE pack of scrunchies for some reason or other, which double as a bathroom decoration. 😛

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hall

Ah, I think this picture turned out so pretty! I did clone out a light switch on the wall, so it’s not usually this nice-looking. 😛 But the vintage feel of this one…!

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Staircases are another fun thing to play around with. So many layers and angles to choose from!

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Ah, so pretty. (Cloned out another light switch here. XD) I believe Mom found these at Goodwill or some thrift store? So no, sadly we did not embroider them ourselves.

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I love this vintage binocular case, but I’m not a fan of the stand it’s on. It wants to tip over practically at the first touch. So… I didn’t move it. 😛

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girls’ bedroom

We’ll end with the photos from the bedroom Megan and I share. Tom the cat seems perturbed by the fact that I dare intrude into his napping grounds.

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Sorry, Tom, but this is my bed and HEY, THAT’S MY BLANKET YOU’RE SHEDDING ALL OVER.

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I reserve the right to take pictures of my own property or anything on- Oh, you’re asleep again. Nevermind.

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Our beds reflect some… differences in personality between Megan and I. Hehe. But actually, her beautiful yellow blankets looked almost prettier all messy like this.

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These pictures make me happy! The textures and color scheme… ❤

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Since Megan has a studio for her Etsy work now, she mainly uses her bedroom desk for writing letters and other such art projects. (Also I wouldn’t drink that coffee if I were you. It’s not coffee; it’s paint water.)

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I still love this cute watering can I bought at the Magnolia Silos when we visited Waco! Click here to read the funny story behind it.

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Megan loves to collect the most random decorations, like this beat-up flamingo lawn ornament she bought at a yard sale or auction or something and repainted. Right now he’s guarding an air mattress pump and… a ball of yarn…? Why is THAT there? Hm, I think I’m going to go clean after I finish this post. 😛

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Last but not least, we have a windowsill with some cute, tiny flower pots. They don’t currently contain any flowers, as you can see. I love the darling little blue watering can especially.

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Phew, that was a lot of pictures! I had a hard time narrowing it down to just that many. Clearly, the experiment was an enjoyable one. But I’ll leave the verdict up to you: do you think these random photography subjects made good pictures, or did they just look… random? Either way, I hope you enjoyed this post! Maybe it inspired you to find pretty little ordinary spaces today where you live too. 🙂

Thanks so much for reading, my friends, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my Nikon D3400 and a 50mm lens. Edited with Lightroom.

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54 thoughts on “Messy Desks & Peacock Feathers {Indoor Photography}”

    1. Aww, thank you! I’m glad you liked the pictures, Andrea. And thanks again! We love the house too and are so blessed that the previous owners took such good care of it!

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  7. Nice work Allison! Very interesting conceptualizations and arrangements. Your very first two shots made me laugh!!!
    I have a hat just like that one exactly, only mine is a little bit darker tone! Your sister’s mini fridge is a riot lol; really cute!

    Thanks for this offering!
    God bless!

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      1. Hi Allison…🌷🤗 and yea I got some laughs there for sure, but, also saw some nice work that you put into your creations! The hat I have is even creased the same, so pretty much identical other than the tone of the leather; but either one makes for a really cool hat in my eyes!

        And actually I think your sister’s mini fridge is the first I’ve seen like that! You should see some of the odd and ends I have packed away or taking up space; I’m a collector of things by just force of habit, hanging onto whatever over the years; but not quite a pack-rat though.😉

        Enjoy the Farm Weekend!
        God bless. 🙏🕊 ✝️🕊🙏

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        1. That’s so funny!
          I think it’s the first fridge like that I’ve seen too! So cute. Haha yeah, stuff will collect for sure if you let it. That happens to me too.
          Thanks again, and have a great day!

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  9. Oh Allison, I wish I had an eye for color and beauty as you do. I especially liked the photos of the cat and the fact that he was not impressed by your camera, indeed just went back to sleep. Keep on challenging us to see the beauty that God has given us in the everyday, what a gift you have!

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  11. These are so neat! I like taking pictures of messy indoor stuff, too…

    That third picture of the coat rack definitely looks peaceful and quiet…I think it’s my favorite of the three of the coat rack! Something about the barely diagonal line, and the hat placed just in the right place to punctuate it…plus all the white space! Lovely composition there. 🙂

    That tiny fridge is adorable!

    Haha, the cat. So cat-like. 🙂 But I love the last cat-picture, where he’s lying on the border between the blue and the white bedspreads, and you can just see his back end…very nice!

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    1. Thanks, Samantha! I’m glad to find a fellow indoor photographer. 😉
      Ah yay, I’m glad you liked that coat rack picture too. I tried to delete it so many times but I just couldn’t… XD

      IT IS!

      Haha I know, right? Cats are hilarious. Ooh yes, I had fun with the composition on that one.

      Thanks so much for the lovely long comment, dear! And for reading, as always. ❤

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  14. Aw, I love to see beautiful places that are actually LIVED IN … It gives them an actual personality. Show homes are lovely but REAL homes that are kept well are so much cozier! (I loved this experiment … you should totally do it again!)

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