Redecorating Has Been a Constant In My Life—From Childhood to Now

For as long as I can remember, making my living space feel refreshing and reflective of my lifestyle has been something deeply rooted within me. I’ve always rearranged rooms and corners of my home almost monthly, if not more often. If you’ve lived with me before, you’ve experienced this—and reaped the benefits if I do say so myself.

Even when I was younger, I’d beg my mom to take me to IKEA for new décor or furniture, and insist on putting it together myself, spending a whole weekend making my bedroom feel new again. I once created a sitting area in my room at age 14 that featured a table I bought from Goodwill and painted myself in the basement, which is both comical and the perfect foreshadowing of what my decorating tendencies would forever be.  

As I grew older and started living on my own, I quickly learned that always buying new décor and furniture was neither cost effective (especially living in NYC) or necessary. My new joy became making my home feel new and improved with what I already had and the occasional new purchase I just couldn't live without. Visualizing a new layout for a room using its existing contents comes to me easily, and I’ve actually grown to prefer it over designing a space from scratch. Giving my home a makeover using things I already own evokes such an invigorating sense of creativity sprinkled with challenge. 

During a human design reading a few years back, I was told that my environment is very important to me, and that I should take inventory often of what's working for me within my spaces and what isn’t. Of course, I wasn’t surprised by this in the least, but the confirmation was a welcome realization that this was truly something that is a part of me, a self-care ritual if you will, as well as something that I love to do for fun.

If you tell me you have a room you plan to rearrange or that you feel something in your home no longer belongs, there's a strong chance I'll not only ask to help, but to take over the project entirely as well, and hope you say yes. 

Some of my recent endeavors include turning what was my coffee table into my nightstand, rearranging my bedroom to have more open floor space (you know, for dancing), and turning a jute rug that once lay in a corner into a super chic, textured wall hanging.

What I love most about making over my space with pieces I already have is the new light I get to see my belongings in, and seeing them live their best next life. Unexpectedly, this ritual has also leant me more awareness about my position as a consumer. While it affirms that I can achieve that “new” feeling with my well-loved furniture, it’s also inspired me to be more mindful of what I do choose to purchase, and where I purchase from. 

If you opt to bring new items into your home when redecorating or re-designing, the key is—in my opinion—to always select things intentionally and collect pieces that have meaning. After all, new things turn into “old” things with time and will become a part of your home and pieces that you’ll re-design with. If you love each item that you buy for your home versus purchasing something just to fill a space or out of impatience, the energy of your place is going to reflect that. Surrounded by only things that you love and that hold emotion, you will always feel right at home.