{Thriving this Winter} Day 17: Safe

What does your house say about you? Is it even talking to you? Today I gotta tell you something. Regardless of whether your house is talking to you, it is talking to everyone else who comes into it.

Which is neither good, or bad, it just is. 

You see, the first thing that ANY house should be, is simply your personal retreat. Two words. Personal and retreat. So its got to first work for you. I mean, you have to have all your stuff in it, so that will become personal. So look around, do you see you? Do you have all of the things that make you, you, hidden away? Why?

I recently discovered that I don't like knick knacks, but I do love wall art. So I am focusing on creating art that actually has something to do with my life, rather than just something to fill a space. I like to use a lot of photo's around my house. My house should reflect who I am , but also who my husband is, so I make sure to include him in the decorating I do, plus I also give him his own special spots to do what he wants.

The next part is also easy. Make it a retreat. This isn't like an Oprah "retreat" which means everything has to be decorated in the same colours, and be surrounded by a million candles. Make it functional. It is your stronghold, it your place of comfort. It is the one area of complete safety. It is where you don't have to be judged, or changed, or fit in. It is a sanctuary for you to be you and rest for a moment.

Does your house do that? If it doesn't then why not? Is it really the house or the people in it or maybe just your person? Are you letting yourself relax and just be?

My house doesn't fit into any "style" that I have heard about used by decorators. It is probably eclectic, but that doesn't really help me figure out what to do with it. So I made up my own style, and then found out other people had too. I call it "cozy minimalist". This is because while I don't want my house to be full of useless stuff, I also don't love stark white rooms with only 3 objects in them. I want my home to be uncluttered, but leave the clutter that actually means something to me. I want my home to be cozy, which is all about texture and lighting. Instead of focusing on "neutral" I focus on the subdued beauty of nature (which in my world contains metal). I prefer clean lines, and a lack of pattern. So now when I am seeking out inspiration on pinterest, in stores or magazines I know what I am looking for. This makes shopping much easier, especially if you don't have the gift of interior design (like me!). 

But most of all, I want people to see that its not perfect. Just like us. There are dishes in the sink, and our bedroom is most likely not clean. The bed is almost guaranteed to be unmade. Dinner might get weird, because it might be my first time making it. Oh, and we will probably make a few comments critiquing dinner, its ok, we do this every night.

This is who we are, this is how we live, and this is where we do it. Welcome.