This summer, my husband and I will celebrate two years in our first real-live-grownup-house. It’s hard to believe the amount of time that’s passed between our sweet discovery and the first night of sleeping in a home – furnished with only our bed, a table, and two couches in the living room. See, we weren’t planning on buying a home for at least a year…so our furniture was pretty limited from multiple moves and quite a few years in 800-900 square feet! But on one of our traditional, post-church tours around town, we spotted an “Open House” sign at the front of a beautiful neighborhood. When we pulled up to the house, we looked at each other and didn’t need to say a word. For both of us, it was home.

Over the last 18 months, we’ve added and shifted here and there…making our house into a home a home. Initially, it seemed a bit overwhelming to “fill” a house. However, as time has progressed, I’ve focused less on “filling” and more on “living.” For example, our home has a room designated as a formal dining room in the blue print. Given that we didn’t have a large dining room table, we left it fairly empty for a few months and realized how rarely we’d even need a formal eating area. So we improvised! What was originally a dining room is not a small reading room that serves as home to two of my grandfather’s furniture pieces I absolutely adore. When I sit in that room, I’m flooded with memories…and I feel absolutely at home.

Today, I’m sharing my quick tips on adding a touch of home without breaking the bank. Instead of filling your home with more furniture, consider what you have and imagine the possibilities!

Open the space. When we first put our couches in the living room, I oriented them to what I thought made sense (read: around the t.v.) Now, the couches face one another, and open up the space significantly. See another example below!

Repurpose the old. If your kitchen or dresser is seeming worn out, add a dash of paint or swap out traditional knobs for brightly colored options.

Consider color. Sometimes, the biggest difference can come from the smallest shift. Consider swapping a muted set of pillows for a dash of color, and balance it throw in a similar palette (and keep the original pillow cases to add variation in seasons!)

Make it personal. At the end of the day, the best home decor is your home decor. Don’t follow styles and traditions. If it resonates with your personality, go with it!