Beauty

What makes a space beautiful? Is it the decor, the square footage, the layout, or how you feel when you walk into it? I have been in beautifully decorated homes that were either cozy or stiff, and I have been in messy homes that either feel stifling or warm and well loved. So what is it that makes our personal spaces beautiful? It took me years to find out what made me giddy when I looked at pictures in magazines. It was never the size of a house, and I always gravitated towards light, cozy spaces. Then I went to Kauai in 2004 and my life, and my decorating, changed forever. I'll pause here while you laugh or chuckle. Don't judge me until you've been to the most wonderful Hawaiian island! I knew when I came home that I could make do with my light blue denim couch set and start incorporating the colors I've loved all along: beach colors! Now I just want to smack myself sometimes for not seeing it sooner. I LOVE blues, aquas, greens, khakis and browns. I see something "tropical" and my heart skips a beat. I see "beach house" and I know that's what I want to create in my own space. I love how the beach makes me feel. I love being amazed at God's creation. I love seeing how He so extravagantly threw out so many beautiful colors into land and sea! He's worthy of our praise!

We are embarking on a new adventure in the next month when we will be moving out of our first home. It has taken me almost 12 years to start to create the feel of our home that makes me feel a little like I'm near the beach. The move to the new home will be exciting and a little scary. The house we're buying needs, ahem, a lot of love and attention. It does have some great features, but it's crying out for attention. My mind has been reeling with the questions of where to put this and that. What paint colors would help create my little beach cottage, even though it's no where near the beach? I know what I love, but time and resources don't always cooperate. My husband and I are raising four kiddos. Enough said.

I love homes that tell you a story. I love white. See above about having four kids. Regardless, I love white. I love white couches. Yes, smack me now. But still... I love white kitchen cabinets with dark counter tops. I love sink-into-me chairs. I love crisp white sheets and fluffy pillows. I love family photos blown up big and hanging on a wall in a collection. I love vases and flowers from my garden. I love appliances closed up and out of sight. I love my family, and I want everyone to have a chair to curl up in to read. I love big bookcases filled with books. These are some of the things we have now, and some of what I want to create on a larger scale at the new house. See, it's just a house now. But, I'll be working for a while to make it our home. We do not store up for ourselves treasures here on earth. This I know. But I'm excited to transform an unloved home into something we can call a haven.


These are just a few rooms I would naturally gravitate toward. I have pages and pages of tear sheets from magazines, and I'm constantly on the hunt for new ideas. The new house adventure begins soon. Stay tuned!