Why Taking Time to Decorate Your Home Is Important

In this post, I am sharing why taking time to decorate your home is important.

In my early years, when I was a young mom and wife, I had no idea how to create a beautiful home.

Nor did I think it was important.

But there was something that dazzled me when I’d go shopping at Pottery Barn and Ikea.

There were showrooms marvelously decorated with furniture, linens, dishes, and flowers, which delighted the eye.

And guess what?

If you buy these items, you can get the same look.

Or so I thought.

I would buy the beautiful decor and bring it home, and it wasn’t like magic.

My home didn’t dazzle like those showrooms.

And then there was the biggest hurdle.

How could I afford the continual purchases I had to make to get my home to look like the gorgeous displays at the store?

So, there were two hurdles I had to overcome.

One hurdle was not knowing how to decorate my home.

And the second was not being able to afford new furniture or linens, plus all of the things that make a home feel like a home.

So, I went on a journey teaching myself how to do it.

One of my favorite things to do when figuring this all out was to go to my local library and pull huge decorating books off the shelf.

I would study the photos of magnificently curated homes that took my breath away.

I studied what they put on their nightstands.

How they decorated their kitchen counters.

Looking at all the details to learn how they placed their lamps.

How they placed the everyday items on all the surfaces.

I mean, I was serious about getting my home to look like these wondrous, delightful decorated homes.

Once I gathered the know-how, I had moments wondering what to do next.

I mean, decorating isn’t easy.

Something happened that changed my way of thinking.

I no longer toil and worry because my solution came by the way of thrifting.

I didn’t know it at the time.

But this would be the change in my life that transformed not only my home, but also opened a door to this blog and my YouTube channel.

I mean, dreams do really come true.

And to continue this story, I wanted to create a gallery wall going up our stairway in our current home.

I priced what it would cost to purchase frames from Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Target.

It was well over $150.

Out of curiosity, I went to our local Goodwill to see if they had frames.

Lo and behold, not only did I find huge frames, but beautiful ones with a vintage look, just like the ones I had seen in my Victoria magazines.

I giddily put eleven of them in my cart.

At the cash register, I waited to see how much they cost.

They rang up to being $54.

I was shocked!

I brought them home and began my decorating adventure.

My other discovery was finding prints on Etsy and getting them printed at our local FedEx print shop.

My original thought was that the only way to get oil paintings was to purchase them on eBay or at an antique store.

They were $20 to over $100 at these stores.

That was not doable.

But when I found out you can get old vintage-looking oil paintings as a printable on Etsy, I was overjoyed.

On Etsy, they are between $2 to $7.

And to get them printed can range from .95 to $18 per print, depending on the size.

I still have this gallery wall to this day.

Now, what happened next was so inspirational that writing this post about taking time to decorate your home has a definite meaning.

With care, I curated every room by going to thrift stores and finding furniture on Craigslist, OfferUp, and Facebook Marketplace.

Little by little, as I could afford it, I would purchase candelabras, white ironstone dishes, transferware, baskets, end tables, and chairs from thrift stores.

Slowly, my home took on a look.

And what happened to my heart was the reward.

I finally felt like I was home.

My life was now enjoyable because my home reflected who I was on the inside.

It was a masterpiece I created over time, giving my family and me a sanctuary to rest during life’s ups and downs.

A safe place to land that can easily be put back together quickly after those moments when all you want to do is fall apart, watching TV, and not do anything else.

I mean, our house can get messy when we’re in that I don’t care mode.

I’m sure we’re not the only family that does that.

And that’s why it is so important to decorate your home.

It’s a reflection of the beauty that is in your heart.

Putting your own stamp on the home you love and slowly developing each room over time, into a home you can be proud of.

Not just for you, but for family and all those who will enter through your front door.

And that was the biggest reward of all, not feeling embarrassed to have people over.

What a pleasure it is to open our door and feel proud of our second-hand decorated home.

80% of the things we own in our home are from a thrift store.

They are pieces that were on my dream list of things to own.

And you can imagine when I found them at Goodwill, mostly, I was screaming on the inside because it was affordable.

It brought tears to my eyes and joy to my soul to keep finding things over and over again.

Here is a video sharing a Summer tour of our thrifted home.

I’ll tell you, our family home has come a long way since those beginning years.

I hope this encourages you not only to see why it’s important to take time to decorate your home.

But the whole process can be affordable and, with time, create the home of your dreams.

Thanks for coming by Victorian Lane Farms.

For more decorating tips, go here.

And if you want to know more about how to put up a gallery wall, go here.