The Art of Trying: Why Your Home Is Worth the Effort
Most of us learn to furnish our homes by simply... putting furniture in them.
You move into an apartment, buy a sofa. You get a bigger place, buy a bigger sofa. Eventually, you buy a house and start replacing things piece by piece.
And honestly? I get it.
Design takes time. It takes money. It takes energy. And when life is already busy, figuring out what rug belongs in your living room isn't always at the top of the priority list.
But I think your home is worth trying for.
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Your Home Is More Than a Backdrop
We spend an enormous amount of time in our homes, yet we often treat them like they're simply a backdrop for everything else we're doing.
But our environments can influence how we feel.
Research examining people's perceptions of their homes has found a relationship between how restorative or stressful people described their homes and measures of mood and cortisol patterns. In one study, homes described as more stressful, particularly in terms of clutter and feeling unfinished, were associated with less favorable daily mood and cortisol patterns, while homes described as more restorative showed the opposite pattern.
That's not to say that buying a new sofa is going to solve all of life's problems. It won't.
But it does reinforce something I believe deeply as a designer:
Your environment matters.
The colors you wake up to. The light you experience in the evening. The artwork you see every morning. The chair you sit in after a long day. The way your home functions when you're hosting your friends or having a quiet night alone.
These things become part of your everyday experience.
And when you intentionally design those experiences, something shifts.
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You Don't Have to Own a Home to Create a Home
Please don't make the mistake of thinking you have to wait.
Wait until you buy a house.
Wait until you make more money.
Wait until you get married.
Wait until you have kids.
Wait until you have the "forever home."
No.
If you're renting an apartment right now, make it feel like home.
If you're living in a small space, make it feel like home.
If you're in a transitional season of life, make your space feel like home.
Your current home still deserves your attention.
You deserve to enjoy where you are while you're on your way to where you're going.
And no, I'm not suggesting you spend thousands of dollars renovating a rental you plan to leave next year.
I'm saying hang the art.
Buy the rug.
Change the lighting.
Find the chair you love.
Bring home the flowers.
Make the bed.
Create the little moments that make you happy to walk through your front door.
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How to Stay Consistent While Designing Your Home
If you're overwhelmed by where to start, don't try to redesign your entire house this weekend.
Start here:
1. Write It Down
Make a list of everything you'd like to change.
Maybe it's the lighting. Maybe it's your bedroom furniture. Maybe your living room needs a rug. Maybe the whole house needs a fresh coat of paint.
Get it out of your head and onto paper.
Then prioritize.
2. Pick One Room
Please do not start twelve projects at once.
Pick one room and finish it before moving on to the next.
You'll feel more progress, and you'll be less likely to spend money on random things simply because you're frustrated with the unfinished house.
3. Create a Moodboard
This is where the fun starts.
Save rooms, colors, furniture, artwork, materials, lighting, and anything else that catches your eye.
Then look for patterns.
What keeps showing up?
Are you drawn to warm woods? Moody colors? Curved furniture? Vintage pieces? Bold artwork?
Your taste starts revealing itself when you give yourself permission to look.
4. Shop Slowly
Now start hunting.
Check your favorite retailers, but don't stop there.
Browse thrift stores.
Visit antique shops.
Search Facebook Marketplace.
Explore Etsy.
Look at local artists.
Check estate sales.
You never know where the perfect piece will come from.
And remember: you don't need to find everything at once.
5. Let Your Home Build Over Time
This is the hardest part.
Be patient.
Your dream home is not supposed to appear in a single shopping cart.
Some of the best pieces will find you slowly.
A vintage chair.
A piece of art from a trip.
A table you found secondhand.
A lamp you saved for.
A strange little object that nobody else understands but you absolutely had to have.
Those are the things that give a home personality.
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Your Home Is a Form of Self-Discovery
The more you design, the more you learn about yourself.
You discover what colors make you feel alive.
What textures make you feel comfortable.
What objects hold meaning.
What environments help you relax.
What spaces make you want to entertain.
What spaces make you want to be alone.
And eventually, you realize that designing your home was never really about the furniture.
It was about figuring out how you want to live.
So don't wait for the perfect house.
Don't wait for the perfect budget.
Don't wait for the next chapter.
Start where you are.
Try.
Experiment.
Make mistakes.
Change your mind.
Find pieces you love.
And slowly, intentionally, build a home that feels like you.
Because your home doesn't have to be perfect.
It just has to feel worth coming home to.
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Ready to stop guessing and start designing with intention?
At Life by Design, I help clients turn their homes into spaces that feel personal, functional, and beautifully considered. Whether you're starting with one room or ready to transform your entire home, you don't have to figure it all out alone.
Book a consultation and let's start creating a home you can't wait to come home to.