If you’ve been around a while, you know our goal the next few years is to move to a new location every twelve to eighteen months. But what you may not know is that each new location will be a new atmosphere as well. Currently, we live in a small town in Southern Kentucky, about an hour north of Nashville, Tennessee. We are contemplating two option for our next move: A seaside location, or a mountain location. To be honest, it’s they’re both tight contenders. But one thing I’ve been really focusing on is how to make each place feel like home, even when the location is new. And my answer keeps coming back to, a little of this…a little of that. Let’s chat…
Pieces of home…
There are pieces we all have in our spaces that just feel like a little piece of home. Maybe it’s artwork, or a throw blanket, a set of dishes, or maybe beloved books. Without these special pieces, a space just wouldn’t feel the same; it wouldn’t feel like home.
Sometimes, what actually makes a room feel like home is simply just a little of this…and a little of that. The key is recognizing those pieces, and then making them part of every space you occupy. Meaning, make them flexible…make them reusable…make them dynamic within your home.
For instance… This is technically a bar cabinet. It has doors that slide in a track, there are two shelves inside, and it’s a really pretty piece. When we purchased it, I intended to put our turntable on the top and store our vinyl albums beneath. But…then I started playing with lighting, and decor…and added a mirror. So long idea of media stand! Hello beautiful!
BUT, this piece would also work in a kitchen to store extra linens; placemats, napkins, candlesticks, napkin rings. OR, it couldn’t work in a bathroom to store shampoos, bath towels, extra soaps, and personal products like extra toilet tissue. And then, there’s the option of putting in a bedroom. Wouldn’t a set of these be stunning as nightstands (you would have to remove the legs for height purposes) but still! GORGEOUS! What about as storage in a home gym? It holds up to 50 pounds per shelf. It’s an amazing, versatile piece.
Keep it simple…
One of the easiest ways to insure a space feels like home, is to keep it simple. That doesn’t mean you can’t have all the things you love. But what it does mean, is that you don’t overthink the process. There are no rules in decorating. Well, okay, there are some rules, but rules are made to be broken. And if you love something and it makes you feel at home, then by all means….do that!
Just don’t overthink it. Trends come and go, the ‘color of the year’ changes, literally every year… but just stick with what you love and what makes you feel the most comfortable. Your home doesn’t have to be a reflection of someone else’s home. It should be a reflection of you and your family. “Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!”
Make it pretty…
The next little bit of this and that I like to incorporate is the idea of making it pretty. I often will strip a room bare – remove all the decor, every pillow, every throw blanket, every shred of greenery. And then, I slowly start to add it back in a little at a time, swapping out color stories in pillow covers and throw blankets. Or adding in more seasonal greenery, or removing things that feel too heavy – or too light – for the specific season. But rarely, rarely, do I buy a ton of new decor. I simply move things around, something here, something there… and before I know it, it all feels new and fresh again.
Aim for cohesion…
One of the biggest tips in making a space feel like home, is to aim for cohesion. I love a steady color palette; for us that’s mostly neutrals, adding in blues and greens and caramels depending on the time of year. But your color palette can be whatever you love. The trick is to add in those touches of this and that, that can work in multiple ways, in multiple spaces within your home, and will add character and ambiance wherever you choose to use them.
Seaside or Mountain home…
We still haven’t decided which location we’ll choose next. But I’m already thinking of the pieces I know will fit in either place: A stack of beloved books, candles, furniture pieces, bedding… These are the foundation pieces that will bring that feeling of home with us no matter where we go.
For now, these are the options I’m taking if we go seaside.
A little of this…a little of that…
When decorating your home, whether you are in a static location or one that changes, the feeling of home is something that should be with you no matter where you are. When you use a little of this, and a little of that, your home feels collected and curated, but inviting and welcoming too.
xo, Billie
discover more:
- For a curation of all our home favorites: https://a.co/d/0eroMGke
- Our Story: https://forwardourmail.com/what-a-story/
- When Home Becomes a Love Story: https://forwardourmail.com/when-home-becomes-a-love-story/
