I started nesting somewhere around the eighth month of my first pregnancy and haven’t stopped since. Nearly four years later, I still find that I’m my best self when I’m in the comfort of my home (and let’s be honest, in the comfort of my sweatpants).
I thoroughly enjoy a clean and ordered space, I have a very eclectic style that isn’t always conducive to modern lines and minimalism. While I don’t like clutter, I do like cozy, and cozy in this season involves creating spaces that not only allows my kids to play freely, but encourages them too.
William Morris said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”, and that is the basic guide for my decorating style.
A house is a structure, but a home is a refuge, so let each room be dictated by the stories you want it to tell. Paint and pillows are the cheapest and quickest ways to overhaul the look of your space, but here are a few other tips that have helped me make our house a home:
1. Use mirrors. Particularly in small or dark spaces, mirrors are incredibly effective in giving the illusion of both more space and more light. If you find a huge statement mirror, it can stand alone, but I like to layer mirrors so that it blends into the feel of the room. In this picture of my living room, I have two mirrors layered on a makeshift console table behind the couch. They are on the wall opposite of our windows, so when its daylight outside, it allows the view to be seen from both sides. I’ve broken up the hard edges of the mirrors with light and a flower arrangement that provides movement and color.
2. Display collections as a single group. Have you ever been so inspired by a display in Anthropologie and then get home and find that the bowl you just had to have doesn’t seem to be doing it for you now that you lugged it home? The magic in retail is that they have multiples that make a more pronounced statement when grouped together. Individual items do fine on their own if they are large or have intricate detail work. Otherwise, I like grouping things in a way that shows I’ve taken the time to make sure my favorite things have friends. Here is an example of a few old cameras I’ve collected along the way. They sit on top of my piano in an otherwise dead space. I’ve tried placing one or two here and there around the house, but they seem misplaced and lonely unless they’re together.
A wall gallery is a great way to display a collection of old pictures. This one hangs in my living room and includes wedding pictures of our grandparents as well as a picture of our wedding rings: a good reminder of the legacy of love that we plan to pass down to our children. I’m kind of obsessed with photography, so I have pictures everywhere in my home, but I find that old pictures, especially, make more of a statement when grouped together.
3. Use books. Will Schwalbe, author of “The End of Your Life Book Club” summed up my affection for real books beautifully.
“One of the many things I love about bound books is their sheer physicality. Electronic books live out of sight and out of mind. But printed books have body, presence. Sure, sometimes they’ll elude you by hiding in improbable places… But at other times they’ll confront you, and you’ll literally stumble over some tomes you hadn’t thought about in weeks or years. I often seek electronic books, but they never come after me. They may make me feel, but I can’t feel them. They are all soul with no flesh, no texture, and no weight. They can get in your head but can’t whack you upside it.”
Books are great as a backdrop, or to add a bit of height to an otherwise flat space. I have a stack of rare vintage children’s books displayed on a corner/end table in my living room here. But I also have a few old Reader’s Digest that have beautiful teal binding that add a pop of color in my recently-turned-grey bedroom. I found this recent article that highlights ways to incorporate books into your home.
4. Display fruit. I like having fruit out on visible display for a couple of reasons. Number one, the natural shape and color of individual fruits is unmatched. That’s why you can buy the artificial stuff all day long at Target or Hobby Lobby. You can even get it all glitzed out with glitter and beads. Throw it in a bowl and just like that…a centerpiece. But secondly, when I have real fruit on display, I feel like it brings an element of health and wellness into a space. I know it sounds crazy but it’s almost as if a bowl of crisp red apples says, “Hey, everyone in this house likes to exercise and play outside.” I guess it’s kind of the modern day cookie jar.
Not to mention, fruit sitting on the buffet table in our dining room is much more likely to get eaten than the vegetables hidden away in the fridge.
5. Have a designated space for kid stuff. Back to my original point, I want my kids to feel comfortable in our home. Keeping their toys under lock and key is some kind of first world torture, I’m sure. That said, having matchbox cars and Legos spread out at my feet at all times is my own personal purgatory.
I have a space in each room that is all for the kiddos; a basket in my living room, a full corner shelf in my den, and they have free rein on a Tupperware cabinet in my kitchen. Not only does this give them constant access to self-entertainment options, but we are also beginning to teach important lessons about picking up after yourself and putting things where they go. Don’t get me wrong, drop by my house on any given afternoon and you’ll find blocks strewn about and toddler-sized trucks flipped upside down on the coffee table, but it gives me piece of mind to know at the end of the day, we can clear it out quick enough that I’ll feel comfortable enough to plop down on the couch for a while.
6. Buy yourself flowers. There’s something very feng shui about live (or even silk) flowers, but even if you don’t buy into all that, a simple vase of flowers adds a lot of life to an indoor space. I buy myself a little bundle nearly every time I go to Trader Joe’s because it’s easy for me to feel like I deserve a $4 treat after I’ve planned a menu, made a list, shopped for groceries, and manhandled two small humans in the process. I recently began making terrariums with succulents and some of the rocks out of my travel collection (yes, I’m the grown up that still comes home from vacation with pockets full of rocks). Terrariums are pretty fool proof, and add little maintenance to an already full list of mommy duties.
7. Let it go! Of all of my homemaking tips, this is probably the most important. I recently perused a beautiful, big, hearty coffee table book, A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life. In it, the author reminds us not to scrub the soul out of our home. The first decade of motherhood is not the time to showcase your finest crystal. Nor is the second decade of motherhood the time to finally get that white linen sofa you’ve been ogling. These years are best spent playing board games on a beat up dining room table, and spilling coffee in the couch cushion cracks because your 3 year old is climbing on top of you begging for a piggyback ride. Dusting the mini-blinds can wait.
How have you made your house a home? What decorating tips do you live by?
