When You Love the Parts that Make the Whole

I’ve been having the best fun this week. I have been discovering home…again. What do I mean by that? Well, if you’ve been around any length of time, you know my philosophy is that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. But, that feeling often comes by way of a few well-loved pieces. You know the ones I’m talking about; the ones you purchased years ago that still bring a smile to your face when you bring them out for use, and the ones you found while perusing that little second-hand shop around the corner, or the ones you purchased with a gift card given to you by a loved one… Yeah, those pieces! Well, friend, those are what I call the parts that make the whole! And they are the foundation pieces that help you discover home again and again and again.

High – ticket items…

I don’t have a lot of high-ticket items. Maybe it’s because I’m frugal and thrifty, but mostly, it’s because I can’t bear the thought of losing something of value that costs too much to replace. I’m funny like that. When I receive a gift card for a luxury store, it’s no surprise to find it in my wallet a year, two years, or even three years later. My mind cannot let go of the idea that if I spend it, I may miss out on something more wonderful next time!

Recently, John and I went to Nashville for Cinco de Mayo lunch- you know, like you do… – and while we were there, we stopped at my favorite haunts; Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and West Elm. I had gift cards in my wallet so old that the sales clerks had to manually enter the information because they were outdated from the new upgraded POS systems. I had carried those cards in my wallet for more than three years. Sigh!

I left Pottery Barn after purchasing a couple of hammered candle holders. We left Crate and Barrel with some new glassware, and we left West Elm with some beautiful new stemware. Let the heavens sing!!! The gift cards were finally gone!

Sentimental value…

But as I’ve been playing with our home decor this week, I’ve also found a lot of other items that I consider parts that make the whole. They are items I’ve owned for years; some striped linen napkins, a set of hand carved marble dice we picked up on a vacation, a bone box gifted to me, a concrete bowl my son gave me for my birthday, some birch bark wrapped candles I’ve had for nearly a decade, and a champagne colored metal tray I purchased at Pottery Barn about five or six years back. But there are also newer items I consider parts that make the whole; a set of black iron napkin rings I recently purchased at Target, a black sculptural piece I purchased from Amazon, and a set of wooden links I found for less than five dollars at a nearby retail store on clearance, and my favorite inspiration book, Nomad at Home.

These items, while they sound like a mismatched set of random trinkets, for our home, they comprise the parts that make the whole. They create the feeling, the aesthetic, the vibe we’re trying to achieve. While some pieces are new, others have history. Some are shiny and light like the metal tray and hammered glass, and others are rough like the candles, the iron napkin rings, and the wooden links. It’s the balance they all bring that makes our home feel cohesive and interesting.

It’s the feeling of it all…

Trends and styles will change. That much is true. But whether you are building out your first apartment, downsizing to your forever home, or simply trying to create a home you love to live in, focus on the parts that make the whole! Color palettes matter, of course. But if you focus your attention of the feeling you want to create in your home, you will find that over time, the individual pieces will become parts of the whole. And when you find something that no longer fits your dream, be thankful for the time you had it, and share it with someone else. Guilt free!

You may go and purchase all the things you may need to fill out a room, and everything may match perfectly and fit your style aesthetic. But it may lack personality and character! Be sure you keep the items that have memory, that have meaning, that have purpose. When you do this, you will find your space feels well-rounded, curated, and collected. And, you will be able to point out, with ease, the parts that make the whole! And when you love the parts that make the whole, you will fall in love again and again with the gift of discovering home time and time again.