What is a Wholehearted Home?

EHD_McFeely 13.jpg — Sharing my secrets today!

April 19, 2019

From the ancient concept of Feng Shui to today’s modern psychology, their is widespread support for the idea that our environment significantly impacts our lives. According to the UK Health and Wellbeing in Homes report, “In the USA and Europe we spend around 90 percent of our time indoors, with 65 percent of this spent at home. Our homes are where we eat, sleep and relax, and where our children have many of their most formative experiences.” Our homes improve our well-being, give us a sense of security, elevate our mood, and create connection. Our homes are a gateway to wholehearted living.

Wholehearted at Home is a design philosophy that transforms homes and changes lives through intentional interior design. It creates an environment that fosters our commitment to living authentically, strengthens the relationships most important in our lives, and expresses our values through our style. It’s about using design to connect us to what’s most important in our lives. But, how?

There are 5 core elements I work with in creating a wholehearted home. Think of these as ingredients in a recipe. My spaghetti recipe and your spaghetti recipe are different, but they all contain the same core ingredients. It’s all how you season it though that makes it yours, right? Anyone else use an entire bottle of red wine in their sauce? Things like color, texture, and form are the spices, which we’ll discuss in future posts. But for now…

FIVE ingredients to creating a wholehearted home:

1. Style – Cultivate your look and don’t be afraid to take some risks. Your style reflects who you are and what you value. Just like an outfit - Your sofa is like your favorite pair of jeans, your rug is like a cool pair of shoes, and lighting is like a piece of fun jewelry.

2. Connection – Encourage connection through thoughtful space planning, use your home to bring your family together, and create a welcoming environment.

3. Joy – Marie Kondo anyone? Spark joy - every item you purchase for your house should make you smile. Get rid of the things that don’t. Your home should inspire your creativity and delight your senses.

4. Comfort – create a place that you want to come home to, that nourishes you, that is your sanctuary. Design spaces that give rest and spaces that give energy.

5. Meaning – Make it special with furnishings, artwork and accessories that tell a story and have meaning to you. Choose authenticity over trend every time.

Interior design has power to impact your life.

As you are hanging out at home this weekend and next week, ask yourself a few questions and see if you are surprised by your answers. Use these as a starting point to identify what’s working and what’s not. Share your responses with us below, or shoot me an email in the “Say Hello” section of my website. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Does my home feel like me, like my family?
Is it a true representation of our values?
What could I do to bring more joy into my home?
What area of my home most inspires me and why?
What makes me happy in my home and why?
Is it welcoming and does it allow me to connect with my spouse and kids the way I want to?
Is there a place I can recharge? Does my home give me energy or zap it?
What am I grateful for in my home now?
What area of my home produces my favorite family memories? What is special about that area?
Do I have meaningful pieces that remind me of where I came from that I can showcase?
What should I get rid of that’s cluttering the space or steals my joy every time I see it?
What about my home makes it wholehearted?
Based on your answers to the above questions, what areas might need to change? Are there areas you love - how can you take what you love and bring it into another area?