inspired by | the things that really matter

what are the things in your home that matter?

it’s an important question because everything around you is always speaking, whether you “hear” it or not. and even if shui is not your thing, i know our lives are knotted together by our surroundings. when i’m on a consult, my interest lies delicately in those things that carry the stories. because a well-dressed home is almost always gushing with one good story after another. everything else is simply noise.

so, it is no surprise to me that over mother’s day weekend, i noticed a “gathering of women” in our home. until recently, i hadn’t seen any of it within the context of a matriarchal collection. but now as i walk through our home every day, the energy and presence of these things feels much like drinking in their wisdom and breathing out pure, holy love.

my mom bought the sketch above in europe in her early twenties. i’ve loved it for as long as i can remember and a few years ago, i asked if i could make a copy of it. she gave it to me instead. and sure as sugar, every time i see it, a surge of delight fills the room.

and on that same table is a burlap tablecloth. pottery barn uses them in their stores but doesn’t retail them. which is devastating news if you get locked into wanting it right now. while i was on a trip a few years ago, my mother-in-law made this one for me. i adore its simplicity and color and charm. and that fact it was custom-made for me, well, that makes me swoon.

i can’t explain my fascination with these huddled nuns, but even as a young girl, i was drawn to this watercolor in my grandmother’s home. and never once in the lapses away from her did i forgot about it. during our last visit, she gifted the nuns to me. and my heart still feels a thrill seeing them and wondering what conversation could possibly be spilling from their mouths. . .

my other grandmother began oil painting in her sixties. words became paint strokes, and her liquid streaks of love became masterpieces. i am blessed to own a few, and this one hangs on the wall behind my desk. the mountains + the purples and greens + the memory of her all makes me feel well with my soul.

the silverware came from my mister’s grandmother. and while it is has never been a complete set, each piece nourishes us with love. we are reminded of her and this gracious time-honored ritual of gathering family and food. when we married, it was one of his favorite things in our home. and that remains just as true today.

while our lovelies are never short a blanket, this one (and there are two!) was knitted by my mister’s other grandmother upon the lovelies arrival. it’s one of the blankets that travels from bed to bed, and room to room. each stitch a testament of her enduring love.

the BIG story here is our homes are a gift, a blessing, a treasure. and everything in them should speak a truth about us lovingly. maybe it’s not about letting go of all the miscellaneous chatter today, but learning to connect with those things that really matter instead.

xo