house into home

I’ve always thought there is a difference between a “house” and a “home.”  I feel that a house is the structure in which you live, and a home is the feeling you create inside that structure.

I remember moving into my first house a year after our wedding.  I was so excited to decorate and personalize the space.  In fact, I was maybe a little overeager!  I hosted a surprise celebration for my husband who had just passed the bar exam a month after we moved into the house.  Our friends and family kept commenting on how it had looked like we had lived there for several years already!

I know some people like to live in a house for a while before doing anything to it, and others (like myself) prefer to put their own style into the house once the SOLD sign goes up!

Either way, it is fun to make your house into a home!  Here are a few ideas that I’ve used to create a home for my family.

THROW PILLOWS

I love decorating with throw pillows!  Nothing invites you into a room more than a comfy chair or sofa accented with some soft, plush, colorful pillows.  They come in handy when curled up watching a movie, too.  You can easily change them out from season to season for a new look in any room.

        

GUEST TOWELS 

I have a friend who once told me that my guest hand towels were too pretty to use!  I think it really pulls a bathroom together when you put that finishing touch on the towels.  I like to have them monogrammed, or I have also trimmed them with coordinating fabric for a fun touch.  And after all, they can be washed!

          

BASKETS

I have tons of baskets throughout my house.  They keep our things organized while looking pretty.  I have some open shelving in our kitchen, and I keep baskets filled with small items (K-cups, medicines, utensils, etc) that would otherwise be scattered around in drawers.  Baskets are also great to keep bedside reading material contained and organized.  Other ideas for uses of baskets…toiletry items in the bathroom, DVDs and video games in the living spaces, art supplies in a kids’ craft area, small toys in the playroom.

                                        

WALL HANGINGS

I don’t have a lot of wall space in my home.  There are so many windows and doorways in this house that was built in the early 1900’s, so it has to be something special to me if I am going to use valuable space to hang it on my wall.  I’ve shared with you my wall of framed menus, but I have other mementos that grace our walls.  When traveling, we have brought home maps and prints as souvenirs.  Once framed, they look great on our walls.  The memories of the vacation stay fresh if we walk by the souvenir on the wall everyday.

                              

Framing your child’s artwork is a great way to preserve it.  I have a wall of framed artwork going up the stairs to my older daughters’ bedrooms.  Another idea that is very popular in decorating right now is to have your pictures transferred to canvas.    I did this in our basement TV room with snapshots of our vacation pictures over the years.

           

PERSONAL TOUCHES

A home should tell about the people who live there.  Decorate with things that give it a personal touch…display items that are special to you.  It could be a reflection of your hobbies, your career, or a collection of something you love.  We always collect shells when we are near a beach, so I keep the interesting ones in a glass vase on our coffee table.

              

I have a collection of cake pedestals that I keep on my sideboard in my dining room.  They look pretty, and it is easy to use one as a serving piece if they are not hidden away.

I enjoy creating a home for my family where they can retreat from all the stresses of school, work, and life in general.  It is a reflection of who we are, sprinkled with memories of good times we’ve shared.