Design your Domain {on defining and designing your space intentionally}

 One of the number one questions friends ask me when they visit my home is, "will you please help me decorate my house?". What a humbling thing to hear them ask, because truly, I'm not a designer. And  do you know what my answer usually is? "I'm not sure I can". Because the truth? I can decorate MY house - I've got my own style down, but I'm not sure I can decorate someone else's home. I'm not sure I can pin down another's style and reflect the vibe they long to create within their walls. Helping others design their homes? That scares me. I do, however, have a tip that I often use to help friends better define their own style, and that's what I want to share with you today! 

I believe that designing your space is about first defining how you want your home to feel and look. It's about creating a space for you and your people {and even your guests} that fosters the feelings you want to evoke. It's about first doing some foundational work, not just going shopping. I believe one of the biggest mistakes people do when they are designing (or redesigning a space) is to just start moving furniture around, hanging things, and heading to the store.  I believe design should first start at the foundation -with building an intentional plan and vision. We must first define what look you are longing to create and that's where we will begin. 

So how do you do that?  You first spend some time in reflection, you ask yourself and journal through these questions...

What feelings do you want to evoke in your space?
How do you want your people and your guests to feel?
What do you value most in your home? 

After you've journaled a little, spend some time daydreaming about what that space would visually look like. Even spend some time browsing Pinterest to begin to give you a vision of what you like and what you don't like; what you want to feel in your space and what you don't want to feel in your space. 

Once you've spent some time in reflection and enjoyed a bit of dreaming about what you want your space to feel like, I believe you can begin the next step - defining your filter. You create a filter by choosing 3-5 words to help articulate how you long for your space to look/feel. What 3 - 5 words would you use to describe the space you want to create? These words will help you define your space more clearly. They will become the filter through which all of your purchases and changes are sifted through. 

Here is a list of words to help you get started. 

Warm
Cozy
Farmhouse
Chic
Classy
Formal
Casual
Rustic
Natural/organic
Clean 
Bright
​Energizing
Cute
Colorful
Classic
Modern
Eclectic

There are SO many other descriptive words you can add to this list (what would you add, share in the comments!)

What words stood out to you? Which words defined how you want your space to feel and look? For me, I know that it is important to us that our space reflects these words; warm, cozy, casual, rustic, and natural/organic. These words have become my filter. I filter ALL purchases and ALL items that come into my home by these words. So, if I see a pillow in Home Goods that I like, I first ask myself, "Is this warm and cozy? Is it natural or rustic? Is it casual?" If the answer is no, then it doesn't go in my home. If I look at a pillow and think, "aww that's cute", that most likely wouldn't go in my home (unless it would go in my daughter's room :) because "cute" isn't a word that I want my home to reflect. {Zero judgement if that's your word, to each his own, right?!} These words become the defining words of your space and they help you to zero in on whether or not something belongs in your home or not. 

By having a consistent filter you will  better be able to design a home that has a consistent feel and that evokes the feelings you long to birth in your people (and your guests) when they are within your walls. 

It's easy to want to grab your purse and run to the store when you're ready to design your space, but I would encourage you to do some intentional focused reflecting and defining work before you run out to the store! 

What words do you want to use as your filter? Please share in the comments!