If you have the same reaction as I do (it’s a relatively strange feeling) when seeing a home that has identical decoration to yours, or at least feels a lot like your own. I used to wish that my house reflected me a lot more and had more personality… something a little more unique (like the way that I dress – a cross between traditional and boho, making it a bit funky).  I realized that this look can often come from stocking our homes with decoration from the local furnishing store, perhaps a large warehouse filled with goodies that look awesome as we wander the showroom floor.  But, once we put into our own living spaces I know that I feel that some of my personality has been diluted through this process, and I wish that I had taken the time to stock my homes with something a little more authentic to ME!. And yet, it can be hard to know just how to make your home a little more ‘you’ without relying on artfice or betraying good design taste.

Now, if you enjoy purchasing items from home furnishing stores, I in no way mean to make you feel bad about it. You can definitely find beautiful features there (I have found a LOT of my furniture staples in places like Ikea and my local furniture store). However, it can also be that finding the means to apply your own tasteful consideration to your home, representing your best personality and the group personality of your family, can help your space feel unique. Let us consider this possibility via the following advice:

Beautiful Wall Art

Many people think that decorations are interchangeable, and when it comes to providing a beautiful backdrop to each room, one thing is as good as another, provided it fits within the color scheme. But that’s not always the truth, nor is it a worthwhile assumption to make. It can be that curating your own decorations, those that actually have some kind of worthwhile representation of the combined personality of your family can be the true marker of good taste and personal wisdom. 

Wall art can be a great place to start with this. From blown-up high-quality photography of a family photo shoot, vacation pictures carefully crafted, or perhaps even beautiful art that your family appreciates as a whole, you can add that cultural or personal ethos to your room that so many interior designers strive to gain.

Additionally, it’s very easy to clutter a wall with too much art, and this in itself can feel busy and overworked. It’s much easier, simpler and often more effective to have one or two mid-to-large size pieces per wall. This can help each piece have an impact. Additionally, wall liners that express your interests, such as metal movie poster backlit with carefully hidden colorful LED’s can turn your upstairs hallway into a beautiful, and well-curated space. This is just one example, but it 

The Entrance To Your Home

The entrance to your home is also a wonderful place to get right. When you think about it, it will continually be the first impression you have of your home when pulling onto your driveway, perhaps after a long day of work or after taking care of the school run. Coming home and feel tired or ashamed of how your home looks aren’t going to inspire confidence in your living situation, nor will it make you feel truly ‘at home’. Does this mean you need to invest thousands in order to make this space work for you? Of course not. But it can be worthwhile taking small steps in the right direction.

For instance, investing in your garden path can be a great first step to take. Ensuring that the slabs, or chips, or inlaid bricks are in good condition or carefully cleaned (such as through power washing) can be important. Ensuring that the front door and garage door, as well as the trims of the windows, are painted in a cohesive and tasteful manner can be the next step. For some, constructing a porch or implementing a nicer, heavier wooden door with a large knocker can change the visual aesthetic in the right way. Even something simple, such as garden lights that illuminate the pathway or a floodlight system that helps you feel more secure at night can also be a great choice.

Your Master Bedroom

It’s important to get your master bedroom right. It is the place you’ll be resting your head every night, the place you’ll spend time with your spouse, and where you’ll rise each day ready to greet the world. Purchasing beautiful wall art or a headboard in keeping with your design philosophy can be a great idea.

Then, speak to your partner and discuss just what may make the perfect bedspread for the both of you. An orthopedic, water or memory foam mattress could be more than perfect for both of you to enjoy, and this investment can then be made. Purchasing the perfect tog duvet and thickness of pillows depending on your taste and the outside weather can also be important. It’s these micro-decisions that can have a real impact on how comforted we feel inside our homes.

Simple yet fun additions, such as candles, or colored lighting, or where you may have your television situated in the room for those late-night Netflix binges can be a great idea. Approximating a setup like this is not only enjoyable but can help you feel more at home in your space. Bedtime will become something you look forward to more and more, not only due to the exhausting nature of the day behind you because you’ll occupy a space perfect for you and your partner.

Your Living Situation

Considering the specifics of your personal living situation can also be a worthwhile use of your time. For instance, have most of your children grown up now, and are in and out of the home all the time as they attend to their daily schedules? It might be that raised stools at a breakfast-bar style kitchen setup can help people take their meals more communally and comfortably with one another, and your dining room table can be a little smaller this time around, allowing you to use that prior dining space for something new entirely. Do not be afraid to manage the form factor of your household to a room setup that will mostly work for you.

With this advice, we hope you can make your home more ‘you’ in the best possible sense.