This week I read the book Home Made Lovely by Shannon Acheson , creator of the Home Made Lovely site
This book was right up my alley as I’ve been on my own journey, and coaching women on theirs, to create a home I love to be in.
For us, that has looked like decluttering our spaces and taking time to create spaces our family can use that also reflect who we are and what we love [Simplify Your Home Page].
Creating a space that serves you and your family
This book has a heart for creating a lovely home that you and your people can use and I love that message. Especially as we moms are turning to little squares and curated photos to tell us what a home ‘should be’. Rather than creating a space that looks like everyone else’s, a home should be one that serves you and your family in living the life you value. Shannon points this out in the first couple of chapters.
Home is the place where relationships are nurtured
As a minimalist, I appreciated the chapter on decluttering. I have read entire books on this subject, but sometimes it is nice to have the process distilled into some simple steps.
The book was more eclectic than I expected. I thought it would be a deep dive into the heart and mindset of creating a home you love – and it touched on that but also urged you to take action with practical tips and ideas on creating a lovely space that is home to anyone who comes in your door. As Shannon points out, homes are the grounds where relationships are developed and nurtured. And we often hold back from using our homes for this reason whether we are overwhelmed by clutter, turned inwards to be alone, or wishing our home looked differently.
Our space impacts how we feel
A couple of things I already changed in my home since reading this was adding up some more art. I had some old health posters that were being tossed out of my office when I was an Environmental Health Officer. I hung this one in the bathroom and then my daughter told me she didn’t like it and asked me to take it down.
I’ve spent years learning and sharing how our space impacts us, especially how clutter does. But I can underestimate the final touches, the art, the keepsakes. I laughed at the emotion this art elicited in us, it felt so punitive and heavy.
So I hung this one instead and my husband told me he thought it was humorous.
I also added scripture to more rooms in my house. I loved the chapter on committing your home to God in creative ways. In a couple of spots, I just hand-lettered a verse that I love right on the wall, in a tucked-away little spot like the inside of a closet or door jamb.
Learning some decor lessons
Since the author is an interior designer there is some helpful info on how to create a decor plan for your home. I appreciated the steps as they make sense! and they are ones I have never paid attention to. Rather I just buy random things as I go along and try to make them all work together.
This helpful information reminded me of my teen years watching House and Home on tv and learning that there is such a thing as appropriate rug sizes and curtain height. This makes all the difference between me seeing a photo of a space I like and buying ‘things’ that are similar but they are off in scale or how I display them.
There were lots of DIY ideas in this book and I would have loved some pics along with them. There were some ideas and terms I wasn’t familiar with or couldn’t envision on my own.
Using your home for hospitality
The book wraps up with a section focussed on hospitality – which I think the whole book is leading towards. Creating a space that is hospitable and then making hospitality easy.
This isn’t a book you pick up to magically fall in love with your home again (because that is your own mindset work to do), but it does have practical tips on how to shift your thinking to be more grateful.
You might not have the home you want to be in, the home you like, but you can still make it A HOME and you can still open up your space to others to feel at home alongside you.
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