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!
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Parker,
Your decorating style not to fill your home with stuff is a style where less is more. I love gold-colored door trim with the decoration door handles, what a great idea! And your repurposing the unused or unnecessary formal dining room hits home for us as well since we have never used our formal dining room either since our family consists of only my wonderful bride of 37-years this coming May and myself. We need to give away lots of aquired furniture that is just taking up space and we will begin doing so come Spring. We plan to donate very lightly used furniture and other things to people who have lost or had destroyed their personal things be it by fire, storm or domestic abuse, divorce or others who are just beginning to get their lives together and are lacking in funds in today’s economy. There will always be those who are in need and we sincerely believe that being blessed as we have been with a great marriage and prayed for many more more together years ahead it is our responsibility to help the less fortunate people around us. I hope that the little things we are able to do for those less fortunate today gives them a giant head start on building or rebuilding their own lives.
Thank you for sharing your life and decorating ideas with my wife and myself. Have you ever given any thought to staging homes or spaces in antique malls around your city? We think you would be very successful doing so as your designing sense for your home in pictures proves it.
Your home looks and feels very warm and inviting just like your family business and nicely designed clothing catalog advertising does. My wife and I both feel that we can see your design touches not only in your shared home photos but also in the merchandise your company offers to the public.
Your grandfather must be very proud of you and your success.
Have a wonderful and blessed 2016 and here’s hoping you are settled in your forever home.