Your Home, Your Story

There are some people we meet, and we instantly become great friends. While I have never met Stephen Thompson in person, what began as an introduction of designer parallels quickly become a friendship across the miles. Living in Tupelo, Mississippi, Stephen is the owner of Designer Connection, and a writer for the North East Mississippi Daily Journal; his article this week was so beautifully done, that I asked him if I could share it with you.

STEPHEN THOMPSON: Use the power of story to change your décor

Much like a voice constantly whispering in your ear, your décor’s story can either make or break you. You may not be listening to it but, day and night, your décor is talking to you, and it’s influencing the quality of your life.

You may think your story is a secret, but it’s out there. It’s in the color of your front door, the style of your shutters, whether paints are faded or peeling, cracked or in good repair. Listen and you’ll hear its aliveness or tiredness echoed in your upholstery fabrics as you sit or stand. Your sink, stove, refrigerator and microwave speak volumes through their age, size, and, especially, their cleanliness. And subplots abound on countertops, bookshelves and tabletops throughout your home. Is you story clear and well spoken, or is it cluttered, confused and broken?

Broken stories can be fixed. This is especially true when the story being heard isn’t yours, but one you’ve inherited. Hand-me-downs and well-meaning gifts of furniture – the things others gave you that echoed their story, not yours – may be ill fitting and holding you back from living the life you want. Here are nine ways to fix your décor’s broken story.

• Listen to your spirit. Marie Kondo, author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” writes, “When we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.” Keep only things that speak to your heart.

• Clear out the clutter. Methodically removing meaningless mishmash will cancel the background noise and let your story be heard. Discard everything that does not spark joy.

• Speak up. If your hand-me-downs are despised and not prized, reclaim the right to set the tone of your own décor. Don’t keep things you don’t like. Why would you?

• Learn to embrace change. You aren’t the same person you were a decade or so ago; perhaps your décor shouldn’t be either. The place where you live should be for the person you are becoming now. It’s much easier to live in the beauty of today’s story than to continually relive the past. Surround yourself only with things you love.

• Choose the right way. If choosing what to discard scares you, then listen to Mother Theresa, “The more you have the more occupied you are. The less you have the more free your are.” Choose what you want to keep, not what you want to get rid of.

• Be your own BFF. How would you talk to your best friend if he or she were in the same decorating dilemma as you? To revitalize your story, muffle your inner critic.

• Don’t bring home crap. The surest way to ruin your décor is to bring home items that aren’t in alignment with your core story. Be on guard when you shop. Quality trumps quantity every time.

• Cultivate an eye for beauty. To have a beautiful story, you must first know what beauty is. Step out of your comfort zone and discover the many worlds of beauty found in nature, in cultural events, in books, movies and theater. Let their inherent beauty capture your heart.

• Tell an authentic story. It matters not whether your family room rug is a beautiful yard sale find or a Persian antique. How does it fit with your values? The story of what you want to own is actually the story of how you want to live your life. Let your décor be a reflection of the one that’s in your heart.

About the Author: Stephen Thompson has been creating tasteful interiors in north Mississippi since 1975.
For questions, comments, or consultations contact Designer Connection, P.O. Box 361, Tupelo, MS 38802 or stephen2816@mac.com