When it comes to decorating their homes, most people I know tend to think of it at best as something fun but low on their list of priorities, and at worst, as something inessential—and maybe even shallow. Personally, I know I’ve put off investing time and effort into decorating or really settling into my home because I felt like I didn’t have the time or resources, let alone a “decorator’s eye.”

That’s why I’m so excited to share my conversation today with Myquillyn Smith (a.k.a. “The Nester”). Myquillyn, who has written two books on decorating, The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful and Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff, has given me such confidence about making my home a home without feeling like it has to look like someone else’s, or like some magazine-ready, designer home.

Really, the titles of her books say it all: Myquillyn looks beyond the surface of just making your home look pretty or impressive, and considers the deeper importance of making your home feel like a home. She emphasizes that the beauty of “home” is about so much more than things being perfectly placed or having the perfect color scheme; it’s about how people feel when they enter, an atmosphere of hospitality, and you being happy with what you have—even if it’s hodge-podge, mismatched, or handed down.

Join Myquillyn and me on this podcast to hear more about her philosophy on decorating as well as some quick, practical tips!

Highlights from Today’s  Episode:

  • How your home influences your emotions

  • Tips for creatively decorating your home

  • Learning to be content with your home

  • Making a home as a single

Quotes:

Resources From Today’s Show 

==> General Links 

Have you taken the staying awake assessment? Find it here.

Did you catch last week’s episode on balance?  Listen here or watch here. 

Grab my latest book, She’s Still There!

Take a look at Kingdom Woman by Chrystal Evans Hurst and Tony Evans

Let’s Talk!

After you’ve listened to the podcast, I’d love to continue the conversation. Be sure and leave a comment!

  1. Are you allowing the way you feel about your home (that it is too messy or doesn’t look nice enough) to get in the way of far more important things like fellowship and hospitality?
  2. Are you allowing excuses—”I’ll decorate my home when I’m married,” “I’ll do it when we finally move out of this apartment and get a ‘real’ home”—to keep you from decorating and getting settled into your home?
  3. On the podcast, Myquillyn admits: “shopping secondhand and finding deals became a habit—no, a lifestyle for me. I didn’t know when to stop. My thinking went something like this: ‘I can always work in an extra lamp. It’s only thirty-nine dollars. What a deal. Look at all the money I’m saving. But was I really saving? I wasted time I didn’t have thrifting, [spending] money on things we didn’t need.” Does this sound like you? Would you and your loved ones benefit from the minimalist approach Myquillyn suggests?

Connect with me…

How to Listen to The Podcast

If you’re new to podcasts, think of them like little radio shows that you can listen to at your convenience. They are perfect to listen to and learn from as you workout, fold laundry, wash dishes or conquer the world.

1. Listen right here on the blog. Click the little play button at the beginning of this post.

2. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play! – Be sure and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Also, if you would be so kind as to leave a rating on iTunes and/or write a 2-3 sentence review there or on Stitcher?  Your commentary or rating helps make the podcast more “findable” by others who might not know it exists!

3. Share today’s show –   Email the link to a friend or share on social media. Just click on the sharing buttons at the bottom of this post!

You have been so great to join me on the journey here on the blog, I hope you jump right in and do the same on the podcast!