Creating a Meaningful Home: Pretty Handy Girl

Todays guest post for the Creating a Meaningful Home Blog Series is Brittany of Pretty Handy Girl. Welcome Brittany

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Creating a meaningful home isnt an overnight process. I think many people are discouraged with their home if it isnt the dwelling of their dreams. I look at creating a meaningful home in three stages. Each stage is important to loving the home that you have now, even with its faults.

1. Grateful for What You Have.
Living in a home with a roof over your head that keeps natures elements out is a luxury. Read it again. Living in a home with a roof over your head that keeps natures elements out is a luxury. If you live in a dwelling that has walls and a roof, you are doing great! We were recently made blatantly aware of this fact when a tree fell through the roof of our home.

We are so thankful that our home provided shelter and that no one was injured. In many countries whole families are living in makeshift homes made from cardboard and reclaimed materials from the landfill. Starting today, embrace the home you have and the comfort and warmth it gives you. Be thankful for that roof over your head and the running water. Recognize that despite its faults, it is your protector and a sturdy structure to call home.

2. Make Small Changes.
Creating a meaningful home and a place that you love completely can take years and sometimes decades. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Make little changes to give a room new personality. Do you hate doing laundry? Why not make your laundry room cheerful so you dont mind spending time in there?

(Can you keep a secret? That valance in my laundry room isnt sewn. I literally just threw a piece of fabric over the curtain rod to see how it looked and I never took it down!)

Are you struggling with which room to start with? Sit down and make a list of the rooms in your home. Rank them in terms of which ones you spend the most time in (sleeping doesnt count.) Make that room your top priorit y.

Dont feel like you have to completely renovate that room. If the room you use most is your kitchen, make simple changes today to give a new look. Sometimes new artwork or new hand towels can be enough to bring you joy. Or try removing a few cabinet doors and add fabric wrapped foam core boards to the back of the cabinets. You can literally transform your kitchen for less than $20!

Paint can really change a room for those on a budget. Start by painting a swatch on a wall and live with it for a few days. If you still like it later, paint just one wall or the whole room! It is amazing how a simple change can really help you love that room again. Once its your new BFF, move on to your second most used room. Remember, you dont have to take on an e ntire remodel, especially if you dont have the time or budget. Another way to add meaning to a room is to add a decorative element like a scrap wood wall to add rustic warmth.

For an inspirational room, hang word art like this LED rope light.

(The room I just showed you is our bonus room which was rarely used. I added the scrap wood wall, added a big table and installed a bank of Flow Wall cabinets to house art and craft supplies. Now the room is one of those spaces that my kids and I hang out in most because it truly inspires us to create.)

3. Plan for the Big Renovations.
So, you are ready to remodel or renovate a room in your home. Whether this is by choice, or by means of an unfortunate disaster (like our water leak.) Take time to plan the changes to the room. Dont feel pressured to make decisions immediately. Do your research. The internet is filled with ideas. Houzz is a great resource for peeking into homes (without being arrested. LOL.) If you are remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, consider working with an interior designer. They should be able to help offer layouts that consider the functionality of a room. Using Pinterest is a great resource for choosing looks that you love. (I created an entire pin board of over 300 kitchen design ideas when planning our kitchen remodel.) Once you create your own pin board, be sure to share it with your designer so they are on the same page with your style sense.

Finally, when changing a room, choose a word or emotion for your room. Every design decision should relate to that word. Each room in my home has an emotion or feeling that I want it to convey the minute I step inside. For example, our screen porch is relaxing for shaded naps on a summer afternoon. (You can learn more about how I furnished the porch with curbside finds and transformed thrifty purchases.)

My kitchen is cheery because I need someone to welcome me to a new day when Im still waking up.

And our living room, is cozy. It is the room that I walk into and want to feel embraced and comforted when its time to sit down and unwind.

Even a childs room can have a word. My sons bedroom is woodland and it reminds him of his love of camping.

Make changes to your home that speak to you. Dont chose something just because it is in style or because you know your friends will love it. Choose things that make you happy and make it your home because YOU are the person that lives in it. Your home should feel like that outfit that you slip on and you feel totally comfortable in.

Unless that outfit is paint clothesthat might not be the best choice ;-D.

Thank you so much SAS Interior readers. I enjoyed meeting you. If you are interested, Im currently in the middle of my biggest DIY project to date. Im building back my kitchen after a leak led to mold; which led to asbestos remediation and most recently a tree falling on our home. Im one woman on a mission to build the most meaningful kitchen for me and my family. You are welcome to follow along with my progress from flooring to cabinets and more. I hope youll join me for the rest of the adventure.

Thank you Brittany for sharing the amazing home youve created. I loved your thought, This is a marathon, not a sprint. Make little changes to give a room new personality. So true and something to always think about.

As you can see (by he r work and her name), Brittany is quite handy and creative. I love her blogs motto, Empowering You to Complete Your Own DIY Project. Even though weve never met in person, Im so lucky to call Brittany one of my friends! Shes been going through alot over the past few months with house hurdles, but her positive mindset has been amazing.

She not only shows us how-to use tools (the proper way), but also creates really neat things Like this Craigslist Bed Frame Turned Garden Bench. And dont you just LOVE the color?!

Head on over to Pretty Handy Girl, and give Brittany a BIG HELLO!

Check out the other Bloggers that hav e contributed to this series on
Creating a Meaningful Home.

Via: Creating a Meaningful Home: Pretty Handy Girl