The Intentional Home, Week Three: Monday

For an Introduction and Table of Contents for The Intentional Home, click Here.

Week Three: Monday

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

You are now on week three of transforming your home into a haven, way to go! We worked hard last week getting those bathrooms clean. I was thinking we needed to do something fun this week, how about the living area(s)? In my house, we only have one living area. If you have more than one, let’s focus on the one you live in the most first.

Go ahead and fix yourself a cup of tea, coffee or whatever your pleasure and plop down in your favorite chair in that room. How does this room make you feel? Do you feel comfortable and at peace or do you feel more stressed in this space? Do you like how it’s decorated or is it not to your taste anymore? Now, think about how you want this room to make you feel. This is the place where you gather with your family or friends. The living room and the kitchen are the heart of your home. Let’s work on making it an inviting space.

 As you sit, look around for things that add beauty to your room and look for the things that detract from the beauty and add clutter to the room. You will want to remove anything that you no longer find beautiful or useful. 

One area that I know many of you struggle with is toys in the living area. When we had a baby or toddler in the house, I often had a basket of toys in the living room. But, as the kids have gotten older, I require all toys to be put back in their rooms after they are done playing with them. We generally pick up the main living area before my husband comes home from work and again at bedtime if needed. If you still have little ones and need them to have access to toys in the living area, I suggest that you have a basket or some type of storage and only the toys fitting into that basket should stay in the living room. You may have baby swings and things of that nature in your den as well. That season passes so quickly, so don’t worry about those things at all. But, with that being said, once your child has moved to the next stage and is no longer using the swing or bouncer it needs to be moved out of the den.

We will take much of the same approach as we did with the bedroom. You will want to only keep the things that make your space inviting and beautiful. Begin by removing anything that doesn’t belong in the room like toys, shoes or anything that belongs elsewhere. Now that all of those objects are removed, take one piece of furniture at a time and remove anything that you do not find beautiful, meaningful or useful. This might also be a really great time to dust, hint hint.

Here is where you need to loosen up and have a little fun arranging the things that you like the most. Remember one larger item or groupings of three look nice when dealing with accessories. Also, the fewer the things you have, the fewer you have to dust and keep clean.

You may even want to change up the pictures on the wall. I find that most people hang their pictures way too high. They should be hung about eye level for an average size adult. I like groupings of pictures and I think mixing and matching styles is fun. 

Once again this may not be your area of expertise, but I’m guessing that you have a friend who enjoys decorating. If she enjoys decorating, then she will love to come help you and be flattered by the invitation. I’ve been asked by a few friends to help them style their homes and I love putting holes in their walls!

The main goal of today is to get your living area clutter free and only have the objects that you find beautiful. Beauty and meaning is different to each of us. For you it may be a picture that your seven-year-old painted or a vase that belonged to your grandmother. Everything does not have to fit into one category or style. I find house to be most attractive when styles are mixed. Accessories don’t need to be new or fancy; they should only add warmth and beauty to make your space more enjoyable for you. Don’t stress over this at all, because you’ll have three days to work on this living room and any other living areas that you happen to have.

While you’re hanging out sipping tea, why don’t you go ahead and grab your vacuum cleaner. Vacuuming the house will be your weekly Monday chore.

Daily Chores: 

One load of laundry from start to finish

Make your bed

Unload the dishwasher in the morning, load and run it at night

Wipe down the kitchen counters and sink 
Wipe down the bathroom counters and sinks