When Tom and I were first married, our collection of furniture was very limited. We had a plaid sofa…earth tones: green, gold, orange and brown. Not something I ever would have chosen, but we had it. And Tom had a light blue rocker, recliner. He restored matching coffee and end tables that he found at a garage sale, and he soon built a set of book cases and entertainment center.
Our color scheme was mismatched, clearly not a decorator’s dream. But I acted AS IF it was exactly what I wanted. We were living within our means and chose to be content with what we had at the time. We hung up curtains and decorated the walls with wall hangings and decor that we liked. It didn’t matter that everything didn’t match.
This was a good practice that I would have opportunity to renew upon moving to other homes in the future. Although we had a supply of more updated furniture, there was one particular home that had unsightly walls. A paint job was not yet in either our budget or our time schedule, so it would have to wait. Our wall décor was unpacked and hung on the walls anyway. It gave us a sense of familiarity and home to see those things on our walls.
Painting would come later. In the meantime, we would have a house full of guests as we celebrated life events with family and friends.
You see making a home isn’t just the design of the home, the architect, the painted walls or polished counters. Those things are just elements of a house. And a home is not it’s furnishings and the things it contains. A house should only be the backdrop for the home.
A home should be a place of comfort for the family members. A home should be a place where people are loved and nurtured. It should be a place where they can rest, grow, learn, build and thrive. The house can be cared for and furnished in a way that encourages and enhances these activities. But if the building and furnishing of the house takes precedence over the well-fare of those who live there, the value of the home is diminished.
When you get the order of operation right, you have the right formula for creating a happy home…and creating a stylish home can follow.
