Brad and I have (slowly) been prepping our new home for a January move-in (quick back story: my fiance and I closed on an adorable home in Minneapolis back in late October but have been taking our sweet-ass time moving in). So, we’ve been putting a lot of time, money and effort into the whole process and I’ve been feeling kind of overwhelmed about decorating it. I mean, of course that’s the fun part (the part I absolutely ADORE and always have adored since 7th grade), but the pressure for everything to look just so has been driving me mad. And of course, all this pressure is coming from Brad and myself and the impossibly high standards we set for ourselves.

And then, I was gazing through Design Sponge this afternoon and noticed a lovely nugget of advice/wisdom by Josh Vogel of Blackcreek Mercantile:

More than a specific decorating “style,” our house reflects the attitude of our lives. My girlfriend and I live in the forest of the mid-Hudson Valley. In the summertime we love to keep the doors and windows open, we cut flowers and herbs from our garden and take showers outside. In the winter, we keep the fires burning and a kettle on the stove. Nothing we own is so precious that it can’t get dinged or scratched; in fact there is a softness and warmth we enjoy that can only be created through use and a simple beauty that is inherent in basic functionality. Our home is a work in progress and as we grow into it, we seek to simplify, support and create balance.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TOO! How elegantly put! Granted, our house in the city so I’m not sure about leaving doors unlocked all day long…but still. I love the idea of having a relationship with your home, with your lifestyle and with your community. I love the idea of not being obsessive about all of your material things. About just accumulating crap. About getting rid of items that do not speak to you any longer.

I am so going to keep this nugget in my mind during the rest of our move-in and design process for the rest of my life. What a fabulous way to live. I always find myself getting to swept up in stuff. In new boots and new clothes…blog culture just feeds my WANT list. I see cute hair clips. WANT THEM! I see a cute scarf. WANT IT! In reality, I don’t want to be one of those people who just wants stuff. I want to live a simple, meaningful, pretty life that, although art directed and crafted with care, still is not overdone. Overworked. Over obnoxious.

More than anything, I want people to feel warm and welcomed in our home. I want to create a quiet, safe space filled with beauty and comfort for both Brad and myself and for any guests (and, one-day <gasp!> children) we have in the future. This is what I want. I’ll pass on the Fabrege eggs