HWH Loves Bloggers | Claire Brody Designs

I hope one of the things you think about when you read Honey We’re Home or of the person behind the blog is that you know, above all, I like to share the love.  I try to be kind and supportive to everyone and I always truly appreciate the thoughtfulness shown toward me.  I remember starting my blog almost 5 years ago and feeling so excited to see that people were reading my blog and taking time to leave a sweet comment.  I still feel that way!  I know people are busy, have lots of choices for how they choose to spend their time, and that anyone makes a point of stopping here is not taken for granted.
I also know that bloggers benefit from being featured and promoted on other blogs (myself included!) and I like being part of that sharing community.  I’d love to feature other home bloggers who have great content, beautiful photos and a genuine voice.  If you fit that description and want to be featured on Honey We’re Home, tag an instagram picture #HWHlovesbloggers and I’ll be checking in and choosing some to feature each THURSDAY on my blog and instagram (@honeywerehome). For next week, since I just finished our neutral master bedroom refresh, I’m looking for your BEDROOM photos!  It doesn’t matter to me if you’ve been blogging for 6 months or 6 years, I’d be happy to showcase your talent here.

For my very first feature, I reached out to someone whose work and blog I’ve admired since the first time I saw it.  Claire Brody of Claire Brody Designs is a fellow Texan, sharing her love of mixing high and low, old and new in her home and the homes of her design clients.

She’s currently participating in Calling It Home’s One Room Challenge and is killing it with her bedroom design!  The wallpaper they just installed is stunning!  She’s been blogging for about a year and half and shared her Top 10 Blog Tips Learned in her first year here.  I’m even more impressed with her talent when she told me she lives in a 900 square foot home!  Having lived in homes that size myself, I know the challenge of decorating (and organizing) a small space.  I think you’ll really enjoy her thoughts below:  5 Tips for Creating the Perfectly Curated Home.

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Hey guys! It’s Claire from Claire Brody Designs, and I’m so happy to be hanging out at HWH today! When Megan asked me to guest blog I just about fell out of my chair. Seriously. Is it normal to be nervous typing a blog post?! Because I kind of am. Megan is so inspiring to me as HWH was one of the first blogs that I started following way back when. My husband even knows her by name.  
Megan asked me to share something Home Decor/Design related with you guys, so I sat down and started thinking about what it is we want out of our homes. The answer came easy because I think it’s pretty obvious that we all want to love our homes. When we move to a new house (or even if we have been in the same house for 10+ years), I really believe that we all have intentions of loving it. Loving it as in feeling good when you walk in the front door.

“Your spirit recharges itself in your home, so it’s important to feel good every time you walk through the front door.” -Amanda Ross 

Of all the quotes in the world, I have that one on my “about me” page on my blog. That means I love it. A lot. It’s so true though, right? We should feel good when we walk in our home, but why is that “ah I’m so happy to be walking into my beautiful home” so hard to achieve?!

I have answers for ya. I think the key is having the mindset of curating your home instead of decorating it. Yes, we want to “decorate” our homes, but what I mean is being more intentional about what we bring in our homes. Creating a curated home!

 

creating the perfectly curated home 

We moved into our little 900 square foot home a couple of months ago, and I promised myself before moving that I would be patient in decorating. Yes, I could have gone to a big box retailer and decorated our house in a weekend. But I don’t want that. I want a home that is unique to us and I know that will take time. Okay, so really I get impatient most days and just want a finished home, but I’m somehow hanging in there (by a thread) and doing this whole patient thing. I know I’ll thank myself later. 
So the question is how to achieve this perfectly curated home that I mentioned. And when I say “perfectly” I mean perfect to you and your family and your guests, not perfect for Pinterest. Ya know what I mean? I put together what I think are the 5 keys to successfully curating your home.

Creating A Perfectly Curated Home 
1. Listen to your gut. If you see something that makes you melt, buy it. If it really speaks to you, it’s meant to be in your home. I really believe that if you LOVE a piece then you should buy it and figure out the rest later. Those special pieces always find a way of working out in the home. For me, I found a vintage rug in Round Top, Texas (a huge antique sale) and HAD to have it. My husband said my face lit up when I saw it. I would have cried if I would have left without it. Oh, and our Scandinavian leather chair. I died when I saw that too.
 

creating a perfectly curated home 

Now I’m not saying “melt” every time you see something you like. 😉 That leads me to my next point… 
2. Know what you like. Use Pinterest as a tool to study what you like and what you don’t like. Design magazines are also a great tool for that. Literally stare at photos and decide what works and what doesn’t work for you. That will help with understanding your personal style. This will also help with self-control at Target. Target is obviously one of my favorite stores, but they’re a little too good at making you think you need the whole aisle. 
3. Have little moments. Details are what make a home to me. Let the little guys have their moments. You don’t have to cram all of the unique accessories on the bookshelf – find unexpected spots for them. These little random details in our living room make me smile.
 

creating a perfectly curated home 

creating a perfectly curated home 
4. Be open. This is partially a personal thing, but I think a unique space is created by mixing high and low items. If you’re on a low budget but can squeeze in a splurge here and *maybe* there (hi, that’s me!), then do it! PLEASE for the sake of wonderful thrifted gems, don’t rule out thrift finds even if budget isn’t an issue for you. Or just don’t tell me if you do!! Bottom line, be open to really figuring out what is YOU! PS – Can you guess which pillow from our sofa is high and which is low??
 

creating a perfectly curated home 

5. Let your home welcome you. Literally and figuratively. Let your home make you happy when you walk through the door. If you have a piece that you hate, get rid of it. I’m the Craigslist queen (buying and selling) and I’m not ashamed. Sell what you don’t want and replace with what you love. Filling your home with pieces that you love will in turn make the space feel complete and unique to you.
.creating a perfectly curated home 
For some people, “creating a perfectly curated home” just means changing their perspective – re-appreciating the pieces they have. For others it might mean reevaluating items in the home to see if they are a good fit or not. I think being intentional with what you place in your home is most important here. I can tell you first hand that it doesn’t happen overnight (unfortunately). If anyone needs moral support on that one, hit me up because I have to have so much self control it’s not even funny. Not giving in to impulse buys is hard, but I know I’ll be thankful later!

Thanks for hanging out today!! I hope this offered a little insight for anyone wanting to love their home but not knowing where to start. 

xo,

Claire      

Thanks so much Claire! – Megan

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

26 Comments

  1. Love this post, and its recommendations. Thanks Claire for such great tips! I have been following Claire for a few months, and am super excited to see the final reveal for the One Room Challenge! Great choice is your first feature Megan!

    Michelyn Cynthia
    brainsbeautybymichelyn.blogspot.com

  2. Yay!! So excited to see you feature sweet Claire! She's from my hometown and I have known her since she was a wee one (yep, I'm old)! So, so proud of Claire and so thrilled that you are sharing the blog love and featuring her! She is crazy creative! xoxo

    1. I didn't realize that! So excited to feature other bloggers in the following weeks! I hope you link up too! Are you going to Haven this year?

  3. Great tips from Claire!

    I'm so excited about the fact that you're looking for features Megan! I'm a fledgling but you are one of my faves. 🙂
    Visiting from LorimerLiving.Com
    XO, Jaclyn

  4. Claire has amazing style. So glad you featured a new to me blogger. Hope you are doing well my friend. Glad you had an amazing time in Dallas. Cannot believe our baby girl is graduating in 2 weeks!! ***sniff ***sniff Thanks for being such a sweet friend. 5 years…wow, the time has flown.

  5. Love this post Megan. Claire is new to me. Wow! What a beautiful home she is! Great taste and style and great tips.

  6. I’m so glad you featured Claire so I could checkout her blog and style! I love her tips and couldn’t agree more with them!

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