An ordinary apartment.  But after being homeless for the first time in my life, the word HOME means a whole lot to me.  So this rug spoke to me.

We started with a blank space.  Cream colored walls and cream soft carpet makes the sunlight that pours in the many windows soften and glow and the aura is light and sunny.  Hand me down furniture works beautifully.  But how can you make it go from plain to wow and homey?  Just a few simple tricks can transform an ordinary place into a HOME.

Color- I didn’t realize that was the main thing missing!  Boy, the moment I hung up some paintings the whole room started to dance.  I painted these paintings (they are for sale) but any great painting or framed poster does the trick.  The special paintings came from my granddaughter, Maryjane Rose.  The first one was painted a year ago.  The new one she instructed me on how to hang it and what it is.  “It’s the Dark Side,” Emily noted.  Uh…I don’t really want a picture of the dark side and what is a two year old….  “Starwars,” Emily clarified, reading my mind.  Maryjane confirmed it was Starwars and told me which side was up.  Priceless.

Flowers- Doug snuck out at 11:00 at night after I went to sleep Valentine’s Day eve to pick me up beautiful raspberry colored tulips.  They look lively on the fireplace mantle.  Each piece infusing more life into the space.

Pillows- and creativity.  We received kind sized mattresses from a friend when she bought new ones.  Our bed that had been given to us before is a double.  I had the mattresses in the living room to dispose of.  But then Maryjane and Emily spent the night instead of driving an hour plus home one night.  They will likely do so each Friday since Emily closes and then opens Saturday morning.  So, I have a spare bed in the living room.  Not real magazine ready.  But, with Maryjane’s painting of her farm (after all, she was named after the magazine, Maryjane’s Farm) that she has claimed as her own and her Mother Earth News magazine, and piles of comfy pillows, it is now more of a respite and calling place to read or nap or lounge.  Books and my guitar nearby add to the vacation-like atmosphere and the fake moose head adds whimsy.  Board games await.  Sunlight streams in.

Blankets- blankets add texture and color and invite warmth and comfort.  A few change the whole look of the living room.

Rugs- the front door rug, the rug as you enter, and the rug by the chairs by the front door hint to take your shoes off!  Whitish carpet needs slippers.

Beauty- using what pleases you, what makes your eyes open a bit more, catches your breath.  For me, this Laura Ashley-ish comforter called for me.  Paired with two side tables, one old crate, and one cat carrier with a floral curtain wrapped around it, makes a lovely place to read and end the day.

Any way you decorate it, there is no place like HOME.