Inspire Your Rooms, Inspire Your Life

Simple Decorating: 50 Ways to Inspire Your HomeEditor’s note: This excerpt was adapted from “Simple Decorating: 50 Ways to Inspire Your Home” by Melissa Michaels. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon. Used by permission.

A home should be more than just something pretty to look at. Our homes should inspire us every day to live the life we dream of and aspire to.

So often people go about home design all backwards. They design a home yet forget to incorporate who lives there, what the personality or history of the home is, and what will turn a house that looks very much like everyone else’s house into a home that is undeniably their own. Home design isn’t just about copying what your friend does or has or what you saw in a magazine. It is about getting to the heart of what inspires you.

Reflecting your heart and life in the design of your home isn’t always easy to pull off. It is a fine line between having “themes” in your home that end up looking tacky and having a home that is truly “inspired.”

Inspired rooms don’t have to be complicated or expensive to pull together. Keep it simple!

Simple Decorating: 50 Ways to Inspire Your HomeIf you want to live authentically, give yourself permission to eliminate the stress of furnishing your home according to style trends or your own expectations. Enjoy simplicity and see how your home will inspire you.

Wander through these three easy room refreshes. Do something simple this week to renew one of your rooms.

BEDROOM

Use unexpected furniture.

Maybe mix up nightstands by using a dresser for one and a small bookshelf as the other. This will help create a collected feel when combined with a traditional piece.

Layer a fluffy duvet and a mix of pillows.

Atop of a cozy duvet, a variety of throw pillows will add dimension and a touch of pure luxury.

Sprinkle the personal throughout.

It’s your bedroom, so make it personal! Bring in accessories, books and framed art and photos that speak to your heart and life’s journey.

Simple Decorating: 50 Ways to Inspire Your HomeLIVING ROOM

Revive saggy cushions.

Add foam pieces or other stuffing to zippered cushions. If they are sewn, then release part of the seam, fill and restitch. They will look and feel much better.

Brighten your throw pillows.

Buy or make new pillow coverings that add a color or pattern to your living or family room. For little or no money, you have a big payoff in personality.

Add flair to your floor.

A new rug or one swapped out from another room will instantly connect the room elements in a new way. Shift toward a different depth of color tone or from a flat rug to one highly textured for even more of a change.

KITCHEN

Keep the sink clear.

This one habit will make your space feel lighter and smell better, and it will welcome you back with cheer for the next mealtime.

Display your cookbook collection.

Add colorful bookends or kitchenware items as your bookends. This visual gathering will inspire a shelf or nook — and you!

Note to self: Create a garden.

Bring warmth to your functional spaces. A memo board with uplifting notes and a kitchen garden of herbs are signs of a nurtured life.

If your home’s personality is inspired by things you are passionate about or that have great meaning to you, your home will in turn inspire you to live more fully and graciously every day.