SIn my last post I mentioned feeling a little disconnected from my house. I’m not unhappy — I love living in Seattle — but I was missing that intimate sense of “mine” that makes a house feel like home. Perhaps I’m especially tuned in to my surroundings, but I know many of you understand that urge to feel grounded and connected to your space. Even when a house has potential, it can lack that finishing touch that makes it truly yours.
Yesterday I took some time to think through how to regain that connection. Since we moved, I’d shared vision posts that helped clarify possibilities for this house, but I hadn’t really experimented much in the weeks we’ve been here. I sat down with my new book and revisited the process I used in our old house. Reading those pages reminded me of the steps that helped me find the homey feeling before, and it hit me: I needed to follow the same process here.
The approach that worked in our previous home would work again. The house is different, but the steps are remarkably similar.
I began by simply decluttering the living room. Several stools, baskets, and odds and ends had accumulated during the move and none of them contributed to the room. Removing excess items immediately opened up my view of the space and clarified what might come next. It’s surprising how what’s present can obscure the possibilities.
Clearing out helped, but I still wasn’t sure of the next move. Then, while working in the dining room, I tried something I’d toyed with before — and this time it clicked. Along with a few edits and some furniture shuffling, my daughter Courtney started marking the wall around the kitchen door with painter’s tape so we could visualize an idea we’d been considering since we moved in.
It felt risky because it wasn’t a typical choice. It didn’t follow “the rules,” but who makes those rules anyway?
I hadn’t shared the full idea earlier because we weren’t sure it would work. This house is unlike any I’ve lived in, and it needs a period of discovery. We hesitated at first — but of course it’s okay to experiment. It’s our home.
This house has been hinting at certain possibilities, and once we mapped the idea on the wall with tape and rearranged the furniture, everything fell into place. The change was immediate — we just knew. Courtney and I were thrilled.
When we identified what made us feel disconnected, we also found exactly the change that would help us feel connected.
With that single new vision and the courage to see the room differently, we realized we could:
– Give our dining room a distinctive, personal look
– Add more of our personality to the house
– Use what we already own in fresh ways
– Make the house feel cozier
– Better organize the limited space we have
– Feel more connected to the dining area
– Create a design statement that reflects our taste and refreshes the home
– Update the room on a manageable budget
– Rethink the flow between the dining room and kitchen without major renovation
– And, once we saw this, we began to envision how the rest of the main floor would come together
That’s a lot to gain from one afternoon, but we were excited. We already appreciated our house more — even with tape on the wall — than we had before. The tape gave us clarity; it changed how we perceive the space. For now we’ll leave it in place as a simple reminder and a guide while we plan the next steps.
Next week we’ll share a photo of the dining room with the tape so you can see what we see. Our idea might surprise some of you, but its unexpected nature is exactly what we love. Sometimes shaking things up is the best way to discover a design that feels right.
A house is just a structure until, layer by layer, you make it a home.
I’m also happy to introduce the new video trailer for my book, The Inspired Room. It feels fitting that the book reflects where I am now with this new house — the process of making any house feel like home is an ongoing adventure.
If your home isn’t ideal, you might still wonder how to achieve a look you love. I don’t have everything figured out, but I do have more clarity. Transforming a house is slow and enjoyable, and a few simple changes can make a big difference.
The book is full of photos for casual browsing, but I hope you’ll read it too. I share stories and practical ideas about creating a home on a budget, using what you already have, and gathering pieces over time to build an authentic space you love.
I want you to feel that same sense of connection to your home that I feel in mine.
Here’s the trailer!
I can’t wait to show you our taped-up dining room and the furniture arrangement, so you can see how we reimagined the space. Thanks for indulging my house ramblings — I love sharing this journey with you.