Hi Friends!!
If you have read my blog for any amount of time or read through any of my books, then you are probably already familiar with my go-to phrase: Love the space you live in. After all I came up with it as a tagline for my blog, but the meaning behind it didn’t come from decorating a perfectly styled room or finally finding the right vintage piece for a shelf. It came through helping my mom refresh her home, one room at a time.
Shortly after I started blogging, I found myself thinking a lot about what I wanted this space to stand for. I’ve always loved decorating. Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved the thrill of the hunt for just the right piece, the challenge of making a room feel beautiful on a budget, and the satisfaction that comes when everything in a space finally feels finished. But over time, I realized loving your home goes so much deeper than decorating. As my mom and I began sorting through years of knick-knacks and decor she had accumulated over time, we found ourselves making piles … what to keep, what to donate, what to tuck away for another day. And in the middle of it all, something became clear.
There wasn’t much in the pile she truly loved. There were plenty of things she had owned for years. Things that had simply always been there. But very few that brought her joy or felt like her. So we made a decision. When we began putting things back into her home, we would only bring back the pieces she truly loved. Not because they were trendy. Not because they were expensive. Not because someone else said they belonged there. Only because she loved them.
And in that process, the phrase “Love the space you live in” was born.
What started as decorating advice became something much bigger. It became a mindset. A way of approaching our homes with intention, gratitude, and contentment. Because if I’m being honest… there have been plenty of times when I haven’t loved my own space. Spaces I once felt excited about eventually started to feel unfinished. Or stale. Or like they no longer reflected the season I was in. And with that often comes discontentment. That feeling of looking around and only seeing what isn’t working. The unfinished project. The wall you wish you could change. The furniture layout that suddenly feels off. The room that feels uninspiring no matter how many times you fluff the pillows.
Friend, I know those feelings well. I’ve felt them in our apartment. I’ve felt them in our first home. And yes… I’ve even felt them in the home we live in now.
Over the past nearly two decades of creating homes, moving furniture, renovating spaces, decorating shelves, repainting walls, and living life within these four walls, I’ve learned something important:
Moving doesn’t always solve it.
A bigger budget doesn’t solve it.
Buying more things usually doesn’t solve it either.
Because often, the issue isn’t actually the house itself.It’s what’s happening in our hearts.
Loving Your Home Starts with Gratitude
I’ve shared about this before on the blog HERE, but I think one of the easiest ways to begin loving your home again is by shifting what we focus on. When discontentment creeps in, our eyes naturally go to what feels unfinished or imperfect. But gratitude has a way of changing that perspective. Instead of seeing the outdated kitchen cabinet… maybe we begin noticing the morning light that pours in through the window.
Instead of seeing all the projects still left undone… we begin seeing how far we’ve already come. Gratitude doesn’t ignore the things we want to change. It simply reminds us not to miss the beauty already sitting right in front of us.
Let Go of What No Longer Feels Like You
One of the most freeing parts of helping my mom refresh her home was realizing she didn’t have to keep things just because she’d always had them. I think we do this in our homes more often than we realize. We keep decor because it’s always sat on that shelf. We hang onto furniture because we spent money on it years ago. We fill spaces with things out of habit, not because they still serve us or feel meaningful. Sometimes loving the space you live in starts with letting go. Clearing off a surface. Removing something that feels heavy. Editing a room until only the pieces you truly love remain.
Giving yourself permission to evolve right alongside your home.
Create a Home That Reflects Your Story
Your home doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s. It doesn’t need to keep up with trends. It doesn’t need to be bigger or newer or perfectly finished. It simply needs to feel like you.
The homes I’m drawn to most aren’t the most expensive or the most perfectly styled. They’re the ones that feel lived in. Collected over time. Layered with meaning.
Filled with pieces that tell a story. A vintage pitcher found at an antique store. A handmade quilt passed down through family. Books stacked on a shelf. Fresh flowers clipped from the garden. These are the details that bring life into a home. And those details are what make a house feel personal.
Work With What You Have Before Buying More
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that sometimes our homes don’t need more. Sometimes they just need fresh eyes.
Before buying something new, I often try:
- moving furniture to a new spot
- borrowing décor from another room
- styling shelves differently
- removing pieces instead of adding more
- bringing in flowers or greenery from outside
Sometimes simply rearranging what you already own can make a room feel completely different. And often, it reminds you that your home already has what it needs.
Creating a Home You Love Takes Time
This may be the reminder I come back to most often. Creating a home you love doesn’t happen overnight. It’s layered slowly. Piece by piece. Season by season. Over years of living, changing, collecting, editing, growing, and beginning again.
Some of my favorite spaces in our home came together over time, not all at once. And honestly, I’m thankful for that. Because the slow process is where so much of the meaning lives. The waiting. The hunting. The rearranging. The figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
The home evolves because you evolve. And that’s what makes it beautiful.
A wonderful post Bre ❤️
Thank you Pat 🙂