FEELING AT HOME

Find meaning in your home through the style and décor you choose.

Find meaning in your home through the style and décor you choose.

You open your front door and you’re met with smells of food from the kitchen or the old wood of an heirloom dresser. The atmosphere of a home should be nostalgic, safe and comforting. The feeling of your home should cater to your needs and lifestyle. The experience of being in a home that is loved and inspires love gives way to a beautiful, meaningful life.

When asked about the emotional effects of home design, Lauren Liess, author of the upcoming book Feels like Home: Relaxed Interiors for a Meaningful Life, has an honest response. “It’s a physical thing, a place, and most of us understand that material goods aren’t the path to happiness, so why does home matter so much? Because it makes us feel,” she writes. Here are a few ways you can cultivate this in your own home.

BEAUTY VS. PRACTICALITY

There is beauty in practicality. Add to your home in ways that will make your life easier as well as more aesthetically pleasing. After all, it’s not clutter if it sparks joy. Find elements that best reflect your life. “To appreciate what matters, we need clear minds and mental and physical space that leaves room for the important things in life—our passions and people,” writes Liess. “Subscribing to your own form of minimalism,” you have the power to decide how much you want in your home.

DESIGN AESTHETICS

You want your home’s design to focus on what you love the most. Cultural and historical aspects add depth and a sense of belonging, whether that’s personal or the physical area your home is placed in. Implement colors, nature and architecture. Liess writes, “This completely raw and honest way of living—to simply ‘be’ without any pretension and an embracing of who you are and how you got here—allows us to go out into the world as our very best and truest selves.” Use your home to tell your family’s story and inspire the emotions and environment you want to live in.

Liess worked on an original 1860s log cabin for a client and turned it into a family-friendly space. The natural elements of wood and mismatched chairs make you feel warm.

Liess’ Cape Cod colonial home had space in the front for a garden. Her priorities became nature; like her garden, her family and home elements grew to better things.

In their first family home, Lauren Liess and her husband transformed their kitchen from an outdated space to a bright and airy one. Her son is pictured doodling on their fridge that Liess painted with black chalkboard paint.

This mudroom is one of the best representations of beauty and practicality. The simple design has storage for shoes and clothes. The incorporation of brick flooring is beautiful yet easy cleanup for kids tracking in mud. (opposite, top) Liess and her whole team worked on an equestrian-style home, the moody library creating a cozy space for reading and conversation. The dark gray walls and a lot of light shining in adds character to the room.