MY 5 MUSTS FOR CREATING A LIVED-IN HOME
The Final Layers that Make All The Difference
It’s a common theme I see in client homes that are struggling to make their space feel “finished”: the furniture is in, the palette is cohesive, the layout mostly works, and yet the space feels a little cold. A little lifeless. It’s not that anything is wrong, it’s just that something’s missing. A lack of warmth or soul they can’t quite put their finger on. Like the room hasn’t fully settled into itself yet.
Over time, I’ve come to recognize the same gaps — the final layers that shift a space from feeling flat to feeling storied and truly lived-in. These are usually the things you don’t consciously clock, but deeply feel. And more often than not, it comes down to the same five essentials.
They’re small on their own, but together they completely shift how a room feels.