How can you decorate your home intentionally – when you walk through the aisles and there is just SO much to pick from.

Have you seen those golden pineapples? Have you bought one? Why are they everywhere? Why are people buying these as décor? I mean… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want one. But I don’t even know why I would want it. Or where I would put it. Or how it would fit into my Idaho home. Maybe when I was living in Florida and we had pineapples growing in our back yard it would make sense.. but even then. It’s still weird!

I used to be queen of buying golden pineapples.

But now, the overall theme of my life is “less is more” I am known for being quite the minimalist in comparison to my friends, and while that is true, there is a big misconception that I would prefer to live in an empty house than buy home décor that will just “clutter it up”. This is not true! I love making a house a home and I have learned how to decorate my home intentionally. I have had a lot of experience in this as we have lived in more houses than I can count on one hand in the last six years.

But if we’re being honest here, it’s how so many people decorate their homes! They have an “eclectic” style of décor that is code for… I have shiny object syndrome and bought things that Target displays masterfully in the Joanna Gaines section. I have learned that my home is like an art piece – its my place to create something pretty and inviting and make it a space that truly feels good for my family to be in. Shifting my mindset in that way I think has been most helpful, but I will also give you a lot of practical and easy to implement tips as well.
While I really love having a minimal amount of “things” I absolutely LOVE having a home full of pretty décor and accent pieces that make our home feel cozy and inviting and peaceful.

I love making our home our sanctuary and retreat from school, and work and life. That happens for us through intentional décor.

I also really struggle when we have a décor piece or furniture that just doesn’t fit with our home. I know it sounds like a total first world problem but there have been times over the years where we are gifted furniture or given hand me downs that I just don’t like. While I will never balk at being gifted something, I have learned how to graciously say no instead of having our house full of things people didn’t want any more and pawned off onto us.

Now that we are in a more permanent home we have been very selective in the furniture that we buy. It has been so much fun! We find the pieces we love and make sure it goes with the theme and look that we want and I truly love how functional and pretty our house is now. Because we have taken the time to find the things that make us happy, and purchased them. I can be pretty impulsive so this is huge for me! Because I used to just go to a store and find something that looked nice on the shelf or the display and buy it, bring it home and then have no clue what to do with it. I spent $100 on something that was shiny and pretty basically, and didn’t fit my house or style.

So how do you actually decorate your home intentionally?

Declutter First
I just have to say it – you need to first clear the clutter so you can see what you’re working with! I know I always say this, but it’s true. Before you can organize, you need to declutter. Before you can decorate, you also need to declutter! Otherwise its just piling stuff on top of stuff and hoping that it works.
Think of it like a canvas. If you wanted to paint a picture you wouldn’t go out and buy a canvas painting. You would get yourself a blank canvas and go from there!

Get To Know Your Style
I suffer majorly from shiny object syndrome. I LOVE walking through Home Goods and Target and scouring pinterest for home décor ideas. I love so many different styles.. and it’s because stores and pinterest are literally professionals at staging items so that you want to get them for yourself. That’s not a style though. And its not helpful for learning how to decorate your home intentionally.
I love to start with pinterest because I can actually save what I like, unlike when I go to Home Goods and just bounce around holding and touching all the pretty things and forgetting them as soon as I leave.
Make a board and start pinning all the things that YOU love. Search for color schemes and save images and pins that represent the colors you love and want in your home! Go pin CRAZY!! Accent pieces, major pieces, colors, bedrooms, kitchens, shelving, styles, all of it.
Then go back and review that board. Remove the things that aren’t standing out to you any more and keep what you really love and would want in your home.

Buy The Big Things FIRST
Couches, kitchen tables, and beds FIRST. I say first because they are the things you decorate around. No one buys a golden pineapple then looks for a couch to match. You buy a kitchen table then decide if a golden pineapple would look good on it.
When we moved into our most recent home – that will be our permanent home for a while! We searched for a bed that we really wanted. It’s gray and sleek and I knew it would be so easy to find accent pieces to complement it. However it turns out that its so pretty on its own, I haven’t felt the need to add much to it! So while we spent a little more all at once on a pretty bed and comforter set, its saving us in the long term because I don’t feel like it needs a lot of accent pieces to spice it up and make it our own.
The same can be done with most of your large furniture pieces – they can actually BE your décor.

Be Smart About Your Purchases
Like I said, I used to be queen of just buying things I thought were pretty on the shelf on in the display. I spent a lot of money on things that I would turn around and sell or give to Good Will. Just because it’s pretty, or trendy, or on sale doesn’t mean you should get it. Just because you have the money to spend also doesn’t mean you should buy something!
Also – just because a friend or family member is giving it to you, and you aren’t technically buying it, doesn’t mean you should accept it. One time I filled up my entire car, trunk and attached a bed frame to the trunk because my friend was giving away so much of her home décor. None of it was my style or anything I would have bought for myself. But…. Free stuff so you know. I took it. That’s not serving your home! It’s not making your space what you want! You CAN graciously decline these offers. And you probably should. Unless its stuff you would have purchased for yourself.

General rule for me is that if I wouldn’t pay full price for it, I don’t like it enough to have it in my home. If it’s on sale though, SCORE!
I hope this helps you, and I hope it inspires you to treat your home like a masterpiece because it is! Our homes are where we make our memories. It’s where we spend the bulk of our most important time. Its where we shape our children into the future adults that they will be. Make it purposeful and intentional and exactly what you want!