We’ve been in our home for about a year now, and people often ask me how it feels to be all settled in. I wouldn’t know – ha! I shared a little about our misfortunes of working with a builder who turned out to be terrible here. I’ll share more one day in a post regarding tips for building a custom home, but it still irritates me to think about it, so I’ll have to mentally prepare myself to write this.

I’m not sure when I’ll ever feel 100% settled, but we’re getting there.  But, I do have a few tips about curating a home, which I think is different from building a house.  I’m also giving you a peek into one of my favorite little spots in our house, so let’s just dive right in.

5 tips for creating a curated home

1. Make a list of what your priority rooms are and determine what’s needed vs. a “nice- to-have” in those rooms. For us, the kitchen was probably the most important because it truly is the heart of our home and where we seem to hang out the most as a family. Did I get everything I absolutely wanted in my kitchen? No. You have to understand your budget and give and take. Perhaps your significant other just lets you run with making all the home design decisions. Ben is very hands-on and has a good eye for things. I will usually find something I like and show it to him. He’ll try to persuade me against things or talk me through the pros and cons, or how to simplify something I want (typical engineer) and we go from there. We’re definitely on the same page with our kitchen being an area we wanted “done” first. That included having a few things early on that we knew we’d use right away including barstools, a breakfast table and some chairs, which we purchased before we even moved into our home. Also, this is one area where I made sure to purchase the lights I really wanted. From there, I tried to accessorize the kitchen to make it feel cozy and approachable.

One of my favorite areas of our home is this cozy little nook in the stairwell landing near the playroom/game room. I’ve always been a fan of window seats, and I knew I wanted to put one here to have some storage and use up what probably would have been some dead space. There is a ton of storage underneath the bench cushion that houses wrapping paper, seasonal items and crafting supplies. This nook is the perfect spot to read magazines or work on my laptop when I need a change of scenery from my office. This chandelier in this area might  be my favorite in the house! This nook was more of a “nice-to-have” but it was also turned out to be practical  storage solution, and I’m really happy we have this spot in our home.

2. Create a budget and general timeline. Figure out what you’re realistically willing to spend on things, especially after pricing some things out. I have often found something I like and find a high and low version, and figure out what makes sense to splurge vs. save on. Again, lighting for me is really important, so we did splurge on some of this. I actually have two more spots in our house that need lights, including the baby’s room. We left a spot for a chandelier and just covered it up with one of those little caps so no one could tell until we were ready to buy one. So, I am currently on the hunt.  Hardware (cabinet pulls) is actually something you can really save on if you look around. So, make your list and pick your battles based on your budget. Your timeline is also something to think about when you’re trying to “finish” your home. Sometimes your timeline is determined for you based on other aspects of life. Right now, my focus is the baby’s room. Since I’m less than two months out from having baby #2 (eek!), I really need to get on it. I know I’ m probably driving Ben insane with my mood boards and color palettes I’m showing him. I am basically getting him to execute my vision – ha!  Accent wallpaper and window treatments are ordered. Picking out a paint color is next on the agenda. Oh, and moving Braden into a different room since he is currently in the room that’ll be for the baby. Details. 😉

As for timing and budget, we’re mindful of this especially when it comes to figuring out  window treatments. Because all of our windows are custom sizes and we have pretty tall ceilings, we have to do custom window treatments around our house. I was so surprised when I got a quote for doing a mix of roman shades and curtains in 2/3 of our home. I could buy a car for what I was quoted.  This was eye-opening for me, and I found that that the pricing doesn’t change that much either from place to place when you have to customize things. So, I am just tackling a few rooms here and there and will probably continue to do so for the next year or so unless we come across a money tree or win the lottery.

3. Seek inspiration. I follow several designers on social media that have given me inspiration for our home. Instagram and Pinterest are great tools for this. A few I regularly look at and flag for inspiration include:  Studio McGee, Marie Flanigan Interiors, Caitlin Wilson, Bria Hammel Interiors, and Kathy Kuo Home. I also pull pantone colors and scour design magazines when I have a chance. I have a lot of home items on Pinterest so give me a follow if you’re looking for home design inspo for various rooms: https://www.pinterest.com/laureenloves/

4. Avoid comparison. I think social media has created a whole other version of the idea of “keeping up with the Joneses.” Everyone has a different path and a different style. Perhaps someone saved for five years to be able to buy an amazing piece of furniture, or perhaps someone you follow fell into some money from their parents. Or, maybe she scored an amazing HomeGoods find (I’m raising my hand here). Just go with what makes you feel happy in your home environment. I’ve had family members come to my house and tell me they don’t like something. I guess our family isn’t shy.  This doesn’t offend me; I just choose to ignore them because my style is different, and it’s my home. I have a sticky-fingered toddler running around, and I like a really lived in, approachable home,  so I keep this in mind when I am choosing items. So, I would think about the kind of home you want to create and adjust your mindset when you’re looking online for inspiration. I seek things for inspiration rather than for comparison, and I encourage you to do the same!

5. Add pieces that are sentimental to you. I have a few things around my house that I just love because they are special to me. I have this little elephant accent table that I placed in Braden’s room next to his rocker and it’ll be in the new baby’s room, too. My mom used to make a lot of ceramics in the 70s as a hobby when she lived in the Philippines, so this was in my house growing up, and I asked her to bring it to me when I was pregnant with Braden. I feel like this type of accent piece is trendy now, and I have seen them at Serena and Lily and Pottery Barn, but I love that I have one that is unique that my mom made. We also have a kids’ table and chairs that Ben had as a child, which I featured in this post. Before we were married, Ben’s family was moving out of their Dallas-area home and they were going to sell this table and chairs in a garage sale. I asked for it and hoarded it for 10 years before using it! We definitely had to paint it and give it a little TLC, but it’s something Braden uses every day, and I hope we can pass it along to other family members or our own kids one day.

The maps I have framed that line my stairwell are also sentimental to me, as we’ve picked up maps on most of our travels together from places like Italy, Croatia, Belize, Kauai, St. John and Puerto Rico. Many of them are large and framed, but we have a few smaller ones around the house, too. We recently framed one from Grand Cayman for Braden’s room. We took our first international family trip here and it was the first time taking B to the beach. I love that they remind me of the memories we’ve had over the years.

In summary, my key takeaway is that creating a home that makes you happy is a marathon not a sprint. More power to you if you can make a lot of decisions fairly quickly, or you’re working with a decorator who can help you cross the finish line faster. I am not opposed to the latter, but I think the home decor process is something I want to tackle myself. I’m not an expert by any means, but I’d like to think I have a good eye, and I like a layered, curated look.  It’s satisfying to me knowing I was able to concept and create something for my home. And, I do have to be mindful of budget, so I have to take time with things, as I’m sure many people can relate to this.

I hope this was helpful, and if anyone has any questions or other tips to share on how to make your house feel like a home, please pass along! Or, if you have anyone you follow when it comes to home design interiors, share them with me! I am always on the hunt for inspiration.

If you’re in Houston and need someone to make custom bench cushions or roman shades, let me know and I’m happy to share the name of the person I work with. I have had her make several roman shades for various rooms in our home, including these pictured. She’s also made our breakfast nook bench cushions that are in a L shape. The store she works at has great fabric selection at a pretty affordable price point compared to other places I’ve been to. We’ve installed the shades ourselves, and we have had to do the measuring as well, but since Ben is super handy this is no problem for us. It’s actually not that bad to measure and install, and she provides tips for doing so. I’m currently making some custom shades for the baby’s room and will be reupholstering a chair just as soon as I select a fabric.