I’ve been passing on some lessons about keeping a home from my mother, who owned Custom Interiors in Alexandria, Virginia and invited clients into our home as a showroom for beautiful interiors.
I grew up in beauty–the kind of award winning beauty featured in magazines and in historical places that wanted my mom’s special touch and ability to create a welcoming interior. Her style was more French Country with a mix of Mount Vernon Colonial, so imagine majestic window treatments and beautiful fabric patterns and rugs. We’d come home and feel welcomed by sights, sounds, and smells. Everything was designed to welcome us home.
She taught us to leave a room so it welcomes you back. We’d leave the home and make sure beds were made and rooms were tidy so when we returned, the rooms welcomed us back. It wasn’t just about making a bed or cleaning the dishes before leaving for errands; it was also about cleaning the house before we left on longer trips. We’d want to return to peace, order, and beauty.
I tell my daughters what it means to leave your bedroom for the day so it welcomes you back that night. Does it feel welcoming–peaceful, orderly, and beautiful–or does it feel like when you enter the room you’re entering chaos?
Leave in such a way that you’re welcomed back–in rooms and in life.
I’m planning to interview my now retired mom on some of her greatest lessons for beautiful interiors–and beautiful living– to gather a collection of gems to pass on. I’ll post more in days to come.