Decorate with Purpose

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Redecorating, or decorating your home for the first time, can get very expensive very quickly. As a newlywed, I made the mistake of going crazy in Marshall's or IKEA and spending way too much on things we didn't even really need or appreciate. I just wanted our new home and life to come together quickly and perfectly. That approach really just leads to a lot of frustration and lack of funds for other things like vacations, date night, or gifts - things that actually contribute to your marriage in a more meaningful and long-term way.

So over the years I have found that when I'm feeling the itch to redecorate my husband and I very much enjoy just locking ourselves in the house for a weekend and rearranging furniture or displaying things that hold a lot of meaning to one or both of us that maybe hadn't previously been visible to enjoy every day. Above, you'll see our wedding cake topper, our favorite wedding photo, and my grandparents' phone that hung in their living room my entire childhood. Now it hangs in our living room and it's a great conversation starter and reminder of happy memories for me on the daily. Voila!






This is also a favorite - all I drink every day is tea. Hot, cold, sweet, unsweet, it doesn't matter. This is one of my favorite tea tins that holds a bouquet I carried in a friend's wedding one Fall and it now lives on my night stand as a sweet little reminder.





These hats are practical for protecting my very Norwegian skin from the sun whenever I'm out, but I finally decided to just display them on a large empty wall space instead of cramming them in a beach bag in a closet. I enjoy them so much more now, whether I'm indoors or outdoors - William Morris would be proud. My mom always wears hats like this, too. My whole childhood is filled with memories of my mom in simple dresses and hats laughing in the sunshine. More sweet memories.


Another way I love to decorate is with DIY pieces that also serve as an instigator for quality time spent with loved ones, creating new memories to look back on when you see them in your home every day. My husband and my dad helped me make this chicken wire frame for my birthday one year and I think it turned out wonderfully! The ones I found in stores were much smaller and very expensive for something I knew I could easily make myself. This one means so much more to me and it's great to switch out the pictures depending on the season. My favorite Christmas tradition has always been collecting the photo cards that family and friends send and I love displaying them year after year for everyone to see.







My husband and I also made this picture ledge to hang above our bed. It took a couple of hours and very little wood or expertise. We even put hooks and little twinkle lights underneath which feel very romantic and provide soft lighting when you're cuddled up watching a movie or show.





I enjoy making my own wreaths for holidays, but this one I loved so much and it was so neutral, I decided to just hang it in our guest bathroom year-round rather than purchasing a piece of bathroom artwork - I didn't even know what to begin to look for there.


Our guest bedroom, too, is filled with coordinating memorabilia and family who come to stay always get a kick out of many of the reminders they can also appreciate.






Old books and family photos are the best! I love decorating with them because everyone has tons of them but you never know what to do with them and there never seems to be enough shelf space or wall space for them. The IKEA book shelf above was purchased years ago for just this purpose. I found all of the black and white matted frames as a set on Amazon a couple years ago at a very reasonable price and just started building a sort of display for both my husband's family members and mine. I'm quite pleased with the end result.


Hopefully that inspires someone out there who feels stuck with a lot of old stuff and no idea what to do with it or if it's even worth keeping. Save yourself some money and heavy lifting by displaying things you truly love and waiting to purchase more home goods until you really need them - KonMari style. Happy homemaking!



Best,
Emily



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