There’s a particular kind of home I’m always drawn to.
It isn’t necessarily the biggest, the newest, or the most perfectly designed. Usually, it’s the opposite. It has a little wear. Things don’t match perfectly. There are books stacked on tables, flowers clipped from the yard, something old sitting beside something new, and objects that clearly have a story behind them.
It feels collected rather than decorated.
And I think that distinction matters.
With a background in interior design, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what makes a room work. But the older I get, the less interested I am in creating rooms that simply look finished. I want our home to feel like us—to reflect where we’ve been, what we love, how we spend our days, and the life we’re building here.
The good news is that creating that kind of home usually doesn’t require buying everything new.
In fact, some of the most meaningful changes cost very little.
Start by Looking at What You Already Have
Before buying something new, I like to ask a different question:
What could I do with what I already own?
Sometimes a room doesn’t need another piece of furniture. It needs the furniture moved.
Try pulling a chair out of the bedroom and placing it in an empty corner of the living room. Move a lamp from one room to another. Take everything off a shelf and restyle it using only things you already have.
Even something as simple as rotating a rug or moving a table away from the wall can completely change how a room feels.
When I worked in interior design, space planning was always one of the first steps—and for good reason. The placement of your furniture affects how you move through a room, where your eye lands and how comfortable the space feels.
Before adding more, experiment with what’s already there.
Let Your Home Be Collected Over Time
One of the easiest ways to end up with a home that feels generic is trying to finish it all at once.
There’s nothing wrong with an empty wall.
There’s nothing wrong with waiting for the right table.
And there’s definitely nothing wrong with living with a space for a while before deciding what it needs.
Some of my favorite pieces are things I never could have planned for—something found while thrifting, passed down through family, discovered at a flea market or picked up because I simply loved it.
That slow accumulation gives a home depth.
Instead of asking, What should I buy to fill this space? try asking:
What would be worth bringing into our home?
That tiny shift can change the way you decorate.
Thrift for Character, Not Just a Bargain
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I love thrifting, but not simply because it can be less expensive. Older pieces often bring something into a room that new furniture and decor have a hard time replicating: patina, texture and history. Look for materials that age well—wood, brass, stone, linen, pottery, woven baskets and old glass. I especially love hunting for:
You don’t have to know exactly where something will go when you find it. But you should genuinely love it. A home filled with things you love will almost always feel more personal than one filled with things purchased because they happened to match. |
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Repurpose Before You Replace
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Some of the best pieces in a home are the ones that weren’t originally intended for their current purpose. An old dresser can become an entryway console. A vintage stool can become a plant stand. A small crock can hold wooden spoons. A beautiful bowl can become the place where keys land at the end of the day. A basket can hold toys in the living room without making the room feel like a playroom. This is one of my favorite parts of decorating because it encourages you to look at objects differently. Instead of asking what something is, ask what it could become. |
Display the Things That Tell Your Story
Not everything we display needs to qualify as “decor.”
Actually, I think rooms become much more interesting when they don’t.
Frame a handwritten recipe from your grandmother. Put your child’s artwork in a beautiful old frame. Leave the gardening books you actually read stacked on the coffee table. Display shells from a family trip, a bowl brought home from somewhere special or a photograph you keep coming back to.
These objects may not coordinate perfectly.
That’s okay.
A meaningful home should reveal something about the people living inside it.
When everything has been selected purely because it matches the color palette, a room can look beautiful but still feel strangely anonymous.
The objects with stories are what give it a pulse.
Bring Something Living Into the Room
Whenever a room feels flat, one of my first instincts is to add something natural.
It doesn’t need to be an elaborate arrangement from a florist.
A few branches clipped from the yard can be beautiful in a large vase. Herbs from the garden can sit in a little glass beside the kitchen sink. Wild-looking grocery store flowers can be divided into smaller arrangements and scattered around the house.
Even a bowl of lemons on the counter can add color and life.
Flowers and greenery soften rooms in a way very few decorative objects can.
And because they change with the seasons, they help your home feel connected to what’s happening outside.
Pay Attention to the Small Everyday Moments
Intentional design isn’t only about how your home looks.
It’s also about how it supports your life.
Where do you naturally drop your keys?
Where does your child sit to look at books?
Where do shoes pile up?
Where do you drink your coffee in the morning?
Instead of constantly fighting those habits, design around them.
Put a basket where the shoes actually land. Create a little book area where your child naturally gravitates. Place a tray where the mail tends to collect.
Good design should make everyday life easier—not force everyday life to hide.
Some of the most thoughtful homes I know aren't perfectly styled. They're simply paying attention.
Leave Room for Your Home to Change
Your home does not need to be finished.
I’m not sure I even believe a home can be finished.
Our lives change. Children grow. Hobbies appear. Furniture gets scratched. We inherit things. We get rid of things. We discover new colors and materials and ways of living.
Your home should be allowed to change alongside you.
Maybe that means a beautiful vintage chair eventually gets covered in fingerprints. Maybe the coffee table becomes a puzzle table for a few years. Maybe the perfectly styled shelf slowly fills with tiny treasures your child brings home.
That isn’t ruining the design.
That is the design.
A Home Should Feel Like a Life Is Happening There
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There will always be another beautiful thing to buy. Another trend. Another room telling you yours should look different. But creating a home you love doesn’t have to mean constantly consuming. Sometimes it means rearranging the furniture. Bringing home the slightly crooked vintage painting you can't stop thinking about. Picking flowers from the yard. Making something yourself. Displaying the things your family actually uses and loves. Waiting for the right piece instead of buying the fast one. The homes I find most beautiful aren't the ones where everything is new. They're the ones where you can feel the people who live there. Collected slowly. Made thoughtfully. A little imperfect. And full of life. |