This time of year, relationships are in the forefront of everyone’s mind. Whether you are single, or in a complicated or committed relationship, we all deserve a deep love affair — with our homes. It is so mentally important to come home to a space you love that makes you feel cozy, content and recharged. Everyone should curate a no holds barred, unconditional, and peaceful relationship with their home.
Transformative COURSES & WORKSHOPS that make integrating peaceful living, health and wellness easy, fun and affordable.
Much like personal relationships, the ideal home space is difficult to pinpoint as it looks different for each person and personality. Whether you prefer a bright, crisp clean, modern space free of clutter to help your mind breathe or need a warm, ambient lit space with a large cozy chair and an endless stack of books, I have some tips to help you achieve your own personal love affair with your home.
So let’s dive into how to curate your own personal oasis (although if you are in one of those loving relationships I mentioned, you might consider involving your partner in this process).
1. Identify your personal style.
I say this all the time but it really is worth repeating. Do some Pinteresting (or magazine looking if digital isn’t your love language) and pin or bookmark with reckless abandon. Pin anything and everything that catches your eye. The next step is the most important. Force yourself to stop after the first 30-40 or so pins or you’ll fall into the Pinterest rabbit hole. Now take a step back and look at the board you just created. What trends are you noticing? What colors and styles are you drawn to? Keep in mind that most people are not all one style or the other- you might be both French traditional and Boho.
2. Now that you have a sense for what you like, consider which room in your home is your favorite.
What room do you find yourself spending the most time or are you the most proud to show off? Spend some time in it and take note of how it makes you feel and why. Is it recently updated in your preferred style? Is it bright or dark? What colors are you noticing. Is it organized to your liking? Take some actual (love) notes here.
3. You guessed it. Now you have to identify the room in your home you love the least and go sit in it.
Take notes on how it makes you feel and try to look for why. Is it cluttered? Too dark or light? What do you think about the colors, lighting and furniture? What do you use this room for? What do you wish to use it for?
4. As with all relationships, it is important to ease into it your love affair with your home.
Decide what your deal breakers are, what is important to you and what you do and do not like. You cannot change everything at once. With this in mind, go around your home and prioritize which spaces are the most important to tackle first all the way down to the lowest priority (probably your favorite room). Remember, it may not be your least favorite room that you tackle first. You’ll want to consider how much you use each room and how public the spaces are when ranking. For example, you may want to tackle a living room that makes you feel blah if you’re big into entertaining before you tackle the garage. Alternatively, if you’re a hobbyist and spend a great deal of time in your garage, you may want to start here. All this to say you just need to listen to your own intuition.
5. Now that you have chosen the room to start with, make a list for what pieces you already have that you can make work and where the gaps lie.
Make another list for any improvements you may need to do and then make yourself a shopping list for furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories. Add everything down to how many candles and picture frames your space could use.
6. Here is the fun part: time to shop! Shop with visual reminders.
This is my big trick. I bring along client approved mood boards with me into the store and only shop for one room at a time. You don’t have to create a professional mood board however, just take a print out of a few inspirational images you love into the store with you along with your lists. Actually print them out. This will help you remain grounded and allow you to decide if what you are wanting to purchase aligns with your end goals. Do just one room at a time and put your blinders on to avoid any distractions. Don’t stray and be intentional. Your budget and cohesive room will thank you.
Trend alert: Here is what I am loving for 2022.
The new neutral. Believe it or not, grey is on it’s way out and brown is making a comeback. I’m not saying to run and paint your walls brown, but consider a nice caramel leather sofa or accent piece.
Color is King. Very quickly the days of all white everything are leaving us. I don’t advise getting rid of all white, however, because white and creams give your eye a space to rest in a room. For example, if you paint your walls white, don’t be afraid to splash in a bold colored couch or chair. Round it out with that nice caramel leather we talked about earlier. It’s all about balance.
Bring the outdoors in. Add lots of natural elements to your space. Think cool rocks, gems, wooden sculptural pieces and of course, plants.
Bring the indoors out. I’ve been seeing an uptick in gorgeous outdoor sofas and lounge pieces. Just be sure you store your cushions in a water proof container like a deck box when not in use to improve the longevity of your pieces.
I sincerely hope you are not starting to feel overwhelmed. A part of achieving a more peaceful life is investing your energy into what you enjoy. If styling your home isn’t your love language, hire it out. Let me be your matchmaker, help to take this off your shoulders, and provide you with the love-filled, peaceful home you have always envisioned.
JENNIFER ROSE
Bachelor of Science, Industrial Design, Virginia Tech
HSR Certified Home Stager & Stylist
I help clients curate beautiful, functional, and aspirational spaces in their homes. I love giving them the confidence and peace of mind to relax or entertain at the drop of a hat. I can’t get enough. I eat, sleep and breathe home design. At night, you’ll often find me with a glass of bubbly in hand perusing and studying homes on Zillow and Realtor or binging design shows on Netflix. I’m fascinated by the real estate market and the psychology behind what makes someone fall in love with home.
I grew up not only designing and rearranging my own room but also my friends’ rooms. I remember late-night sleepovers pushing furniture around their rooms and raiding their attics for fun art. Looking back, I can only imagine what their parents thought. My creative aspirations led me to Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture & Design where I was awarded my Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Design with a minor in Art History. After school, I worked in graphic design and, being the child of 2 strong entrepreneurs, opened my own firm where I was on track to becoming one of the top graphic designers for the wedding industry in Hampton Roads, VA. It was then that I met my husband who took me into the exciting world of military moves. I put my professional design career on hold to raise my 3 beautiful daughters while flexing my creative muscles completely remodeling and redesigning our own 5 homes. I am so happy being back in my element and absolutely love helping my clients love their spaces.
When not designing, you’ll find me swimming, crafting or dreaming up my next home.
