Everything Beautiful: Revitalizing Your Home for Fall
It had been almost seven months since my husband left. I stood in my cramped two- bedroom apartment, shared with two tiny little roommates, feeling overwhelmed by the space we lived in. Everything around me reminded me of him and the walls felt like they were closing in. It didn’t help that we were in the middle of a global pandemic in the midst of this drastic life change and we were stuck between those walls day in and day out for months. Something had to change, but I didn’t have the creativity or energy to do anything about it.
After several failed attempts at revitalizing the space, I decided to change my scenery entirely. I went on a mini retreat to Arizona for one week to take in God’s beauty abounding in Sedona. During that time, my dear friend and her daughter, who are decorators by nature, took my keys and asked for a whole lot of trust. While I was away, they took over my apartment and began to prepare a special space for me and my daughters to return to. When I got back, I was amazed at what they accomplished. They took a space that I had fallen apart in and created room for me to rise up again. This experience taught me a lot about the importance of how our spaces are decorated.
As we near a new season, in life and in weather, leaves will begin to fall, and they will remind us how important it is to let things go in their right time. How incredibly essential it can be to making it into our next season. Crisp air will fill our lungs and we will soon forget the scorch of the summer sun. This change of seasons can be a great opportunity to change our spaces, to make them a place of refuge and beauty that inspires, leading us closer to the Lord.
What my dear friends taught me in their mission to make my space new is that what we surround ourselves with in our homes truly does have the potential to keep us either Christ–centered or distracted. We get to decide which. If you have found yourself in a lull with the Lord, or feeling overwhelmed at home, there are tangible ways you can redirect that energy and feel revitalized in autumn.
Here are 5 things that have made a difference for me, that truly have me excited to enter this new season:
May Williams, @creatingtolove.
1. De-clutter. I know everyone talks about “Marie Kondo-ing” their homes, but really, there is a lot of joy found in having less. Clutter leads to chaos, and can overwhelm our senses making our homes feel like a curse and not a blessing. Besides, getting rid of things allows us to bless others who may need what we do not. Having a space that is clutter free and organized frees us to focus on more important things.
2. Fill your home with God’s Word. If you look around my house there are bibles open everywhere, scripture in artwork, images of saints, rosaries. Every room I walk into feels like a quick connection with Christ just because of those visual reminders.
3. Add greenery. You don’t have to have real plants to experience the joy that comes from having greenery in your home. I do not have a green thumb, so I keep fake plants in my house and they still bring so much life and joy to my space, making it just a little extra special.
4. Create a space to pray. It’s true that we can pray anywhere, but having a space that is set apart in your home, that is decorated well and has your favorite books, prayers, journals, and pens accessible will inspire you to spend more time there. Because my apartment is so small, I have a rolling cart that has my favorite prayer items that I can roll into whichever room or seat I want to pray in. If you have more space, create a nook that is cozy and inviting.
5. Don’t spend a fortune. Use what you have and don’t feel like you have to hire an interior decorator. As I mentioned above, my bibles and rosaries are all over my house, and instead of just being on a bookshelf or in a drawer, they are set out as décor making the space more inviting and making them more accessible. The friends who redid my apartment are interior decorators but they did it on a dollar store budget (with dollar store DIY’s). You can too!
As we fall into autumn, I pray that these things will inspire you to revitalize your space to fit not just your needs physically, but spiritually. It is true that beauty draws our hearts closer to God—it’s why churches are so ornate and breathtaking, but simplicity is key too. It is in the balance that you will find yourself enjoying your space and connecting with the Lord more. Remember this from Ecclesiastes 3:11 as you tackle your space, “He has made everything beautiful in its time” so begin by asking the Lord what he wants you to do in your home and then go from there. Happy decorating!
If you would like to see my apartment makeover you can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN68c9DI7KU
Meet Eileen Perez
Eileen Perez is a joy seeker in the everyday and mundane and lover of all things Jesus. She loves to try all the Whole30 or Paleo recipes, cries over everything (good and bad), talks about Dave Ramsey, she loves a good IPA and lengthy conversations with friends, and reads as much as possible. When she’s not doing those things, she’s chasing after her two little ones or spending time at work as a high school Campus Minister. If you want to see a hodgepodge of non-perfected posts from a modern day working Catholic mom, who will never get the lighting right for a photo, follow her on Instagram @franciseileenperez.