By Megan Willome
My favorite house to visit belongs to my aunt and uncle who live in Hamlin, Texas. Their house is a small, ’70s-era, three-bedroom, two-bath. Baylor head football coach Art Briles used to live behind them when he coached the Pied Pipers. Their house would never make it into Better Homes and Gardens, but each year, the weekend after Christmas, it holds a family reunion for my dad’s kin. We come from four states and even a foreign country (Italy) to eat, watch football and exchange silly gifts. The house is a mishmash of family heirlooms, school pictures from three generations of kiddos and the most memorable food anywhere. That house is a home. You can make your house a home, too, and you don’t need 30 years to do it. The whole idea is to personalize the space in which you live. So whether you just moved or are sprucing up what you already own, put a little of yourself into the mix.
{1} Collect yourself.
If you collect something, show it off. Don’t worry if it’s socially acceptable or not. A collection shows that you care about something other than yourself.
{2} Line your shelves.
Small things can add personal touches. One friend does not feel settled until she has put down shelf-liner on every surface. Then she feels like she’s home, even if her boxes remain unpacked.
{3} Salvage something old.
When we moved, we brought along our front porch swing, a gift from my father to my husband. Although this new porch is not as spacious, seeing that swing lets me know I’m home.
{4} Throw a party.
Nothing makes a place yours like opening your doors to friends and family. It also forces you to clean.
{5} Take a trip.
Someone recommended that we spend a couple of nights away soon after moving. When we were forced to unpack in an unfamiliar place, it made the new house seem like an old faithful.
{6} Fall in love.
Leave room to appreciate something unexpected about your house. One friend particularly hated the light fixture in her entry hall. When she eventually moved, she took the light fixture with her. What started as ugly became quirky, and a reminder of five good years in that house.
{7} Book the rooms.
“Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house,” said Henry Ward Beecher. Your books say something about who you are. Find excuses to exhibit them in every room.
{8} Chunk the junk.
We are getting rid of a dresser I bought 13 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. It doesn’t match anything, and it’s cluttering up my daughter’s room. Adios!
{9} Find the fine.
Come up with an excuse to use the good stuff. Your fine china, good silver and sparkling crystal can’t breathe in that closet. Throw a bridal shower or a tea party. If you determine that you absolutely will never use it again, help your fine dining ware find a home where it can be loved.
{10} Flaunt your photographs.
Photographs tell the story of your family. Don’t just feature the professional ones. Buy some cheap frames and insert photos from your most recent vacation.
{11} Clean it out.
Three years ago we moved boxes into the storage building out back, thinking this house would be a temporary rental. Now we own the house and the boxes are still in the storage building. What’s in them? Who knows? They’re outta there!
{12} Know your knickknacks.
Can you explain the origin of the tchotchkes currently standing on your shelves? Are you trying to impress your friends? Lose them. Are you trying to commemorate your beloved first-grade teacher? Dust off the curio and remember her with a smile.
{13} Work around favorites.
If you love that rocking chair you bought when you were first married, then work the room around it. Center the room with furniture that holds memories.
{14} Deck the halls.
When I decorate for Christmas, I feel like my house has become a home. It takes a couple of years to figure out where the tree should go and what kind of lights look best outside. This past year was Christmas No. 4 in this house, and I finally got the decorations looking just right.
{15} Pick it up.
A home should look reasonably clean but not immaculate. Can you walk through the living room without tripping? Good! Have you dusted the top of the refrigerator? Who will know?
{16} Record your vacation.
The next time you take a trip, buy something and put it out for everyone to see. It’s a great conversation-starter and a way to identify places significant to you.
{17} Be art smart.
You are not furnishing an art gallery; you are hanging art that means something to you. Our paintings reflect places that are dear to us: the Rocky Mountains, an 1859 map of Fredericksburg, the Singing Hills dam, Blue Hole and a poster of London. Does it sound boring? It’s not your house.
{18} Paint a room.
Paint all of them. Paint is the least-expensive way to renovate a home. If you’re stumped as to color, white paint attracts light.
{19} Conceal the technology.
You don’t live in a cubicle. Only techno geeks will be impressed to see your multiple remotes and little white wires.
{20} Fly a flag.
One friend proudly flies not only the U.S. flag, but also the Marine flag to honor her son, who is a Master Gunnery Sergeant in the USMC. If I drove past this friend’s house and her flags were not out, I would immediately call her and ask what was wrong.
{21} Freshen your windows.
New window treatments make a big difference and don’t have to cost big money. Blinds or drapes finish a house.
{22} Make good smells.
Food makes a home smell good — not plug-ins or room deodorizers. It doesn’t have to be fancy, either. Slice-and-bake cookies are wonderful. So is chicken in a crockpot.
{23} Live open-door.
Lived-in homes have people over. This year, friends dropped by on Christmas Day to bring tamales and fudge (yes, we have good friends!). We still had wrapping paper on the floor and muffin crumbs on the table, but no one cared. Our kids taught our friends how to bowl on the Wii. Home sweet home.
{24} Keep snacks handy.
If someone dropped by unexpectedly (like our friends in No. 23), could you find a cookie to serve with coffee? Would you have something in the pantry or freezer that you could serve? Planning for hospitality turns rooms into sanctuaries.
{25} Junk it up.
A junk drawer in the kitchen is an organizational tool, not a problem. If all your drawers are junk drawers, you need professional organizational help.
{26} Show your faith.
Even if your religious tradition does not make the home a center of worship, your faith should be obvious to visitors. Some of the limestone bricks at my in-laws’ home are carved with Bible verses. No doubts there.
{27} Specialize your bedroom.
The bedroom is always Ty Pennington’s secret room on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” It’s the one door you are allowed to shut. It’s OK if that teddy bear you still sleep with is smushed between the pillows. He lives here, too.
{28} Hide it away.
A little organization goes a long way. Two shelves in my pantry are designated as a baking center. They are completely cluttered, yet when I want to bake muffins, I can find everything I need in one spot. When I shut the pantry door, no one is the wiser.
{29} Take it outside.
Make the most of your outdoor space. This is Texas, after all. Keep an outdoor table and chairs that are in reasonably good shape. You never know when you’ll want an impromptu picnic or dinner hot off the grill.
{30} Save your swag.
Recycle those cute little bottles of shampoo and lotion from hotels to use when guests visit. It’s also a good excuse to put out the nice towels, the ones you keep away from the children.
{31} Light the lamps.
Whenever we have people over, my husband turns on every lamp in the house. At first I thought he was nuts, but lamps add warmth. A dinner party is not the time to save electricity.
{32} Keep it warm.
Keep logs around so you can build a fire on a chilly night. It’s your call whether you use real wood, starter logs or install a snazzy gas fireplace.
{33} Pull it out.
New drawer pulls from the local home improvement store allow you to personalize your kitchen and bathrooms without much expense.
{34} Work with white.
If you need to replace towels or dishes, white never goes out of style and is easy to clean. I have been using the same white eyelet shower curtain for 16 years. Judicious use of bleach keeps it beautiful.
{35} Quality always matters.
When you remodel or renovate, use only high-quality materials. You have to live in this place, so make your best effort.
{36} Develop signature food.
One friend always serves the exact same food every time I visit: her famous cheese ball with cut-up veggies and homemade buckeye candies. Her food identifies her Ohio roots. If she served me Whole Foods, I would swear I was in my mother’s house.
{37} Know your neighborhood.
Your house is not an entity unto itself. You live next to other houses, and together, they create a neighborhood with character. Keep that in mind when you landscape or paint the exterior.
{38} Dig it up.
Getting your hands in the dirt makes the yard your yard. So whether you want a salsa garden or native perennials, start digging.
{39} Don’t muzzle Marley.
Your pets are part of your family. After moving, one of our first dilemmas was deciding where the dog would sleep. Once we got her settled in a corner of the living room, everything else fell into place.
{40} Blanket the house.
Do you have a handmade blanket or quilt that you inherited? Set it out. It’s so much nicer to be able to say, “My grandmother made this afghan for me” than “I bought this afghan on sale.”
{41} Light the night.
A little light goes a long way. Candles can create memories by making even ordinary occasions special. Keep a stash handy.
{42} Green your home.
Put plants in the windows or buy flowers for your dining room table. The green keeps your house from looking sterile.
{43} Get a grip.
Chill. Not every room needs to be beautiful. A kid’s room can be kid’s room. Roll your eyes and move on. A house is not just a building that you live in and owe money on. It is a reflection of you. The more you personalize it, the more it resembles my aunt and uncle’s home — a place everyone knows as yours.
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