Love the House You’re In: Finding Inspiration and Contentment for Your Living Spaces

I have a home decorating book from 1992. I picked it up at an Iowa consignment store for an actual dime. I consider it one of my best purchases. Many of the homes are historic beauties or grandiose for the 90s. (A house featured in the book was two blocks from a rental house where I lived for a short time in Atlanta!) The grandiose tiled counters of the 90s would be subpar to the quartz or marble counters featured in today’s online magazines. Still, I love this book and find decorating inspiration among its pages. Maybe it's because it is a time capsule of my teen years or my affinity for pastels. But I don’t think those are the reasons. Some of the spaces in this book are simply good design and could be transported into a home today, and very few would notice. Flipping through its pages, I find delightful spaces that motivate me to rehome the items I have to create a more cohesive space. All that for a dime is pretty good. 

Homes are interesting in themselves despite their decor. They encapsulate our daily living, give space to our worldly belongings, and offer protection from the elements or prying eyes. They become a time capsule of small and big events. The round dent on the hardwood floor reminds me of my young daughter’s first attempt at making cookies and how the refrigerated crockery bowl fell from her hands and shattered after hitting the floor. It seemed like such a big thing to her and to the floor that day, but really,  it was a growing pain etched into our beloved home from our precious daughter, who now visits the nests during college breaks. Years ago, the damaged floor bothered me. Today, it’s a beautiful patina, along with all the other imperfections acquired over the years. 

Through my dime book, living in my home, observing the recklessness of today’s home decor industry, and adulting in general, I have learned some things about being content with my home: 

First, if you decorate in a way that is relatively timeless, your home won’t require expensive updates and decor. Even better, if you love something–adore it, cherish it, can’t stop looking at it; this is likely to be a keeper for years to come despite trends.

Second, when you have children, pets, or another human that lives with you, embrace the imperfections that come with daily living. Imperfect people can’t live in perfect homes–the math doesn’t work. 

Next, the home decor industry wants you to change your home as often as they can convince you to make those modifications. Trends make them money despite wasting natural and monetary resources, along with your TIME! Creativity and gratitude can often supply all the tools needed to give you a space you desire without renovating or moving.

Finally, becoming content with your home may not require drastic changes. Those beautifully curated pictures of interior spaces have one thing in common. Despite the aesthetic, they all are clean and relatively organized spaces. Sometimes, a good declutter and deep clean can be enough to love your space again.

Here are some actionable steps to support contentment and love for your current living space.

1. Choose Timeless or Cherished Decor (and Be Patient)

   
   

   If an item in your home requires renovation or is worn out, look for quality, timeless pieces or materials that fit your home's design. I drool over handmade terracotta tiles, but I live in the Midwest, and my home’s bones do not hint of Spanish revival, so I invested in wood floors that will last for a century and blend with the modern cottage the 70s architect tried to create. I did not achieve new floors for years while living in this house. We had to cover the exposed subfloor with rugs. We removed an illegal stairway to our basement built by the previous owner, so the subfloor was our flooring for four years. Durable, attractive materials can cost more, so we waited, saved, and lived our lives despite the mismatched floors.  

   
   

   I have slowly curated the loved tchotchkes and artwork in my home. Pieces found during trips, at antique shops, consignment stores, garage sales, outdoor markets, and other random outings each made my heart sing on their discovery. (Occasionally, I found a fun piece at a big box store, but I soon discovered those items usually fall apart or are donated quickly. They do not belong in my cherished collection. I avoid buying from these places after learning this sometimes expensive lesson.) If it's not love at first sight or doesn’t look like it will stand the test of time, maybe let it go.

   
   

2. Let Imperfections Be Your Homes Patina

   
   

   Love your humans more than your stuff or house, and learn this lesson early. As a young mom, I aimed for perfection too often when I should have spent the days perfecting my hopscotch game with my kindergartner. Imperfections can be seen as damaged or “patina-ed.” There is beauty in imperfections–embrace it. (If you struggle with this, it might be time to shut down HGTV and avoid Pinterest for a bit. The perfect homes you see aren’t lived in. This manicured existence is not possible. Use these media spaces as tools for inspiration but not as an impossible goal line.)

   
   

3. Trends Are a Hamster Wheel You Don’t Want to Ride

   
   

   Someday, people will walk through homes and be appalled at all the shiplap installed over the last ten years. Shiplap found in a historic home is a wondrous find. Shiplap installed over Sheetrock is a trend. Do you see the difference? I’m not down on shiplap (I like it), but I recognized it would have a shelf life, so I chose not to follow that trend. 

   
   

   To avoid costly trends, you can do a couple of things. First, remember (even write down) all the things you love about your home–location, sunlight in the kitchen, the curve of a doorway, the color of a wall. Second, read tip number four in this post before attempting big or even little renovation projects. Finally, if you love a trend enough to consider taking the plunge, estimate the total cost and add 20% for a buffer. (I’m from a contracting family, so trust me, add 20%.) Is it worth the cost? How many hours of work do you have to perform for that change? Will it increase your home's value? Will it have to be changed again if you move? 

   
   

   If you still want to proceed, can you get creative and achieve a similar look? If you hate your countertop, could you paint your walls or cabinets to improve the countertop's appearance? Could a new cream backsplash embellish said countertop? (*There is a lot of brown granite out there that isn’t loved anymore but could be with some vision.) These changes are substantially less expensive than new countertops. Paint, wallpaper, and elbow grease can transform just about any space. If you struggle with a space, ask a friend or email me. Drastic changes aren't always necessary. 

   
   

4. A Refresh Might Be Less Expensive Than You Think (Maybe Free)

   
   

   Mounds of stuff and layers of dust do not make a comfortable space. I would suggest before you buy another home decor item or ponder renovation, declutter and deep clean. Marketers imply that we have problems and sell us products that we don’t need to fix these sometimes made-up problems, like a less-than-beautiful home. A gorgeous home is desirable, but the real problem with your discontent could be that your home doesn’t function among the clutter, and the sun can’t shine thoroughly through the space because your windows are dirty. (This decluttering/cleaning is for me as much as anyone else who needs this message today. Window washing is on my to-do list as soon as the weather warms!) 

   
   

   Decluttering and cleaning require work and time, as does shopping and renovating. Shopping and renovation can actually make the problem of clutter and messiness worse. Your clutter and dust haven’t accumulated in a day–so recognize it might take time to dig out. Take a picture before you start, and keep taking a picture--so you can see each day how far you have come. This step is the most affordable way to refresh your home and may be all you need to love the space you’re in! 

Loving your home isn’t only about aesthetics. It’s about mindset, creativity, and connection. By focusing on gratitude, curating your belongings, celebrating what is good, and decluttering a space, you may find you already have what you need. The perfect home isn’t perfect. The important thing is it's your home, where you rest your bed and your body, you obtain memories, and your people live–and really, isn’t that enough?