What Really Matters in Designing Your Home

“Home is the nicest word there is.” -Laura Ingalls Wilder

As a little girl, creating a beautiful space became a lifeline to intentional living, for me. With so much turbulence surrounding me back then, I learned an important lesson – I can never underestimate the power and peace of mind that comes from truly stepping back and decorating or crafting a space of solitude and rest. Taking the time to “intentionally” design our home – learning and discovering what truly makes it a haven to my family – has taught me so much! I’m excited to share with you what I’ve to learned about how to and how not to start decorating a home.

What I Found to Be True

Here are some of the things I have come to learn, as being insignificant in decorating a home: staying current with trends or popularity – and I have to confess, I learned this the hard way – so much wasted money, time, and never truly feeling like I reached what I was aiming for.

Things of great significance I’ve learned in decorating a home: to craft a space that my family can come home to and be replenished and refueled by…

Now beware my friend, these can be tricky waters! There are so many opinions on how to craft a home – books upon books line the shelves of bookstores – podcast after podcast speak to and about this, and so on and so forth! So, what can a person do?

4 Steps to Decorating a Home

I’ll share some of what I’ve learned along the way, and hopefully my mistakes can help save you a few steps – and a few dollars – in the process…

1. First Steps – Don’t rush out and buy an aisle of things at Hobby Lobby. Do walk the aisle and notice what feels good to you? Close your eyes, take a deep breath, center your mind, and open them again – NOW, what pieces make you feel something (good or bad)? Ask yourself (after you’ve left), “is there something I keep thinking about that I saw?” – and why?
2. Second Steps – Don’t add to a space, trying to reach your goal. Do edit, edit, edit…clear a space out, let it breathe, and sit with it like that for a time. Ask yourself, “what do I really want from this space?”
3. Third Steps – Don’t be afraid, my friend. This is a low stakes game, and it’s ultimately up to you to decide what works and what doesn’t in your home. Do take a step and have fun! No matter what direction you head in, this should be a process that can GIVE life to you, not take from it.
4. Fourth Steps – Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Do try something new that you love.

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How I applied these Steps

I knew I wanted to update this space. I was in transition from farmhouse to more of a cottage vibe. Still in the same family of decor, but with a different twist! Here’s how I applied my steps:

1. I took inventory of what I already had in our home – pieces that I loved. I made a small pile of pieces that I would love to incorporate in our space. I looked in my old Pinterest boards to see what had consistently inspired me.
2. I emptied the entire space. I moved my beloved, but large, hutch into the basement to see how the space would feel without it.
3. and 4. I decided to try something I had always wanted to do…SKYDIVING!! haha, just kidding……..I decided to paint my walls white and to paint my bench white…I had always been drawn to cozy white cottages and now was my time to try it…at first, I was full of regret. So much work to cover that moody grey only to hate the white… thankfully I was too tired to do anything about it, so I went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, I was in love. It just took some time for it to settle in. Later we added the open shelf and hooks – and I finally had the entryway I was longing for. Our biggest expense was paint and picture frames for all of our captured moments.

So, friends, I truly hope this helps you get started and find some direction for crafting a space that you feel good in. Check out my Pinterest & IG pages for more ideas, tips, and tricks.

Until All Spaces Feel Right,