How To Think About Designing (And Living) More Intentionally
Our New Apartment Design Process
My boyfriend and I moved last weekend, and I’ve been reflecting on what it means to design and decorate a new space:
Where do we start?
What’s our “style”?
What pieces go where?
What do we need?
Will this faucet match the kitchen backsplash?!
And while all v exciting, it’s also started to feel a little overwhelming (!!) (my past-life architect and home perfectionist has for sure been activated 😅). UNTIL, I realized we’ve just been asking the wrong questions.
When I work with my clients to help them launch or reposition their brands, we always start with INQUIRY, asking them (so many!) deep questions to ultimately understand their WHY and purpose. We then use this “purpose statement” to drive and influence every single decision with their brands (from mission, vision and values to logo, website & social).
If I can give brands a purpose statement, why can’t I do the same for our home? (And its individual rooms too?) Foundationally, I then realized the questions *have* to start here. It’s not what do we do or buy but WHY does this space exist? And: What does home mean to us?
For me, it’s connection & belonging. My home memories are my BEST memories. Growing up, they were always filled with Polish traditions, time spent with family, home cooked meals, joy and informal togetherness. For Luis, it’s peace. Home means warmth, comfort and feeling safe with loved ones.
When we blended our meanings together, our home purpose statement became simple and clear: To feel connection 🫂 Whether with Self, one another, or family / friends / guests, to feel connection means to be home.
With this home purpose statement now top of mind, we can use it as a lens to guide our design process and decorating decisions. Here’s how:
🔎 We’re using it as a decision filter.
Before buying or choosing anything, we can ask ourselves: Does this cultivate connection, or take away from it? Is it rooted in intention, or are we just trying to follow a trend (or have shiny object syndrome!)
🐢 It’s helped slow my buying / decorating impulses down (a lot lol)
A reminder and permission slip for quality over quantity. And that choosing intentionally can take time (and that’s OK). Embracing more space and blank walls for now can allow more thoughtful choices to emerge without any self-imposed urgency.
🏠 We’re zooming in room by room.
If the overarching purpose of home is connection, that feeling can translate to each room that also shares its individual purpose:
Kitchen: (more connected) Gathering
Living room: (more connected) Expression
Bedroom: (more connected) Rest
Office: (more connected) Creativity
Whether you’re designing your home (or honestly, ANYTHING in your life), try starting here:
What does “home” mean to you?
What do you want to feel more of?
What’s the purpose of this space?
Let that lead and allow everything else to follow ❤️
