The Inspired Room

“Our dwellings—both our home and body—are intricately connected.
Each has the potential to inspire the other to be its very best.
Our dwellings will impact our overall wellness and sense of well-being, each like a vessel that can be filled or depleted by our daily choices and habits.”

— from the brand new book Dwelling by New York Times Bestselling Author Melissa Michaels

Self-care is a popular topic these days, isn’t it?

Some people tell us that we cannot find well-being (or personal success and fulfillment in) the every day aspects of making a home. In fact, it’s even implied that getting away for more “me time” is the only way we can really care for and nurture ourselves.

I have a slightly more holistic perspective.

I don’t believe that self-care is something we can only experience when we escape our home or day-to-day routines. I think the opposite can also be true. Caring more deeply for our home and how we feel in it IS an act of self-care.

Becoming attentive in our home, more mindful in our daily actions and making healthier choices right where we are is an opportunity to show love and grace to ourselves and positively impact those we love and the world around us.

As a homebody who loves adventures, “escaping my real life” now and then to care for myself can be necessary and so wonderfully refreshing. No doubt about that. Yet, a greater sense of well-being is also something we gain by slowing down to nurture ourselves in our surroundings. How we care for our dwellings, both home and body, will impact generations.

Learn more about my brand new book Dwelling: Simple Ways to Nourish Your Home, Body & Soul + preorder your copy here!

Dwelling Releases April 2!

Get my 7 Simple Steps to Better Well-Being when you sign up for a one-week email series featuring simple tips and easy steps toward making lasting change in your life. Click here for details!

Learn more about my brand new book Dwelling: Simple Ways to Nourish Your Home, Body & Soul + preorder your copy here!

Hall Cabinet - Battery Library Lights and Removable Wallpaper

I love to find manageable and affordable ways to add more character to a space. This past weekend we made two more new fun changes to our little hallway that I think took it to a whole new level of charm!

This built-in cabinet is in a small but well-used area between our kitchen, bedrooms and other rooms of our home. Kind of like a butler’s pantry…if you want to pretend with me that it is a little fancier than a regular hall. ;-)

When we moved in three and a half years ago, we had all kinds of grand (and expensive) ideas for how we could update this hall! But over time we’ve found that making progress in the simplest ways has actually had a big impact on how this space feels.

Besides the previous updates such as fresh paint on the walls and cabinet, removing the sliding cabinet doors and new black hardware, this past weekend we added two battery operated library-style wall sconces and some peel and stick paper to add the feel of wall planks to the back of the open shelving in the cabinet.

Both items were SO simple to install, I’m so happy with how it all came together!

I’ve been looking at library-style wall lights for a long time, but they are usually far more expensive than I want to spend.

I happened to run across these little battery-operated lights and did a double take at the price ($30????!!) and then rushed to place them in my cart.

Bonus, the lights are DIMMABLE so they truly help create a mood.

When I opened the newly delivered box to take a look, I questioned them. I didn’t love the not-brass finish or size, but decided that for this purpose and price, they were worth a try!

The lights were easy to install (just like hanging a picture). Once we hung them, they created just the overall mood I was hoping for! It’s easy to get stalled or become too fixated on “one element” you aren’t sure of right away. What really matters is the overall look or mood of the space. Give changes a try and then step back to look! You just might be surprised how good it might look as a whole.

The same thing happened with the peel and stick wallpaper. I just wasn’t sure if it was what I wanted! But since it was a low-risk update, it was worth trying. Once it was up, it just felt right. But both of these elements would be super easy to remove if we ever decided to make another change, too, so we could enjoy getting creative without a lifetime commitment or major expense!

For awhile we used this cabinet as a “catch all” space and it worked great with baskets on all the shelves, but now I’m loving the open functional shelves for my cookbook collection and plenty of space for large bowls.