Hiring an interior designer

Have you ever considered hiring an interior designer?

Well I have, almost weekly.

In fact, I have a friend who is amazing and she has helped me tremendously over the years. But my home is still not worthy of a Southern Living spread. Mostly, because it’s 1980’s style needs more than my budget and skill level. I am completely lacking Joanna Gaines’ talent for sure.  (Though we did take down a wall!) So I settle for clean and tidy.

What I have figured out over the years though, is what I imagine my future home would feel like if I had a magic wand. There is a tangibility that escapes me in design but I know exactly how I want my home to feed my soul.

All my life (until children) I spent most of my time outdoors.  Home to me consisted of grass, trees, dirt, and horse hair.  Those things don’t go inside easily.  Working from home and raising my children around a stove has felt stifling at times.    Each year my home does move closer to feeling like a place my soul will settle, yet, there are times I get impatient and want it in a fell swoop.

This soliloquy began when I was writing down what I wanted to tell a real live professional designer.   Upon reading it back to myself, I realized, I may actually need to be medicated to function properly in society. But, I digress.

So I want to invite you to sit back and enjoy a little bit of my brand of crazy.  And maybe one day visit me in my real home to see I am not all that crazy really.  Most of the time.

I want my home to be specifically beautiful. Not in the “morning dew on a rose” kind of beautiful. But, the “sunrise over a weathered bluff” kind of beautiful. Wild, free, rich in color but masterfully combined in a seamless expanse. Just as the creek carves beauty into a landscape, I want our life to carve out footprints in our home. As we grow and reflect through the years, I want our home to become weathered with love and the marks of love.

In my home, I wish to look across the room and see the backdrop of life. I want the walls to fade away and the warmth of the living, breathing souls in the room to be prominent features.

I crave light. And space.

But I do not want the size of our home to separate us from the outside world or each other. Just be enough to meet our needs. Not big enough to make us stay inside or apart. I want our home to inspire us to dance in the rain and explore more than our own walls.

I want those walls to be rooted in tradition though. Supported by mill work and materials that will last beyond our lifetime. My house should be timeless in more than just design but in build also. To weather the storms of life gracefully.

I want a home that is a refuge, a sanctuary, and an adventure.

The colors choices should bring clarity. Warm, but not hot. Cool, but not cold. Fresh, but not thick. 

I want it to be beautiful in function as well as, form. Organization and storage throughout, so everyday life can exist without clutter and unease. 

I do not want home that feels boastful, or arrogant, or grand without purpose. But I do want lines that are soft and welcoming, like a child’s hug. A space where we are close in proximity sharing life in an unencumbered place without harsh lines.

Above all else though, I want a home for God to feed our souls, to receive and comfort others, and a place that could lead us too and through our Purpose.

No wonder it has taken me 4 years to pick out a paint color, right?  Whether this can be accomplished or not, I am happy in my home.  I am grateful for all it provides and that my sweet babies will have fond memories of living here.

How would you describe your perfect home to a designer?

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