We’ve lived in our house for almost thirteen years. When our family first moved in, we’d only been out of college for 2 years and had two children, 2 and under. So naturally, our possessions were insufficient to fill the space we had purchased. Not that I minded.
I took my sweet time decorating the space. My innate frugality and my husband’s love of white space lent itself to being deliberate about what went up on the walls.
By the end of our first year, we might have thrown up a cherished wedding photo, our most recent family picture, a framed copy of The Family: A Proclamation to the World and a sketch of the San Diego temple my aunt and uncle had gifted us for our wedding.
The space was left wanting, as one would imagine a 2500 square foot home with only four pictures on the wall.
Time marched on. Over the years, we’ve added ample decor-from practical solutions like wall shelves to house the kids’ artwork and prized trophies, to sentimental ones like a shadow box housing all the sand dollars we collected on a family trip to the Oregon Coast.
My favorite(and really only) type of wall-adornments are customized. They have to carry meaning for me. Though outfitting my entire home all at once (and inexpensively) by shopping at a discount store tempts me, I’d rather stare at bare walls than ones laden with generic housewares, no matter how classy.
So, in my quest to make my home reflect who we are, I’ve slowly but surely racked up a few items of note.
- PEOPLE. Most recent family photo on the fireplace mantle and an assortment of oldies but goodies arranged on the wall by the stairs.
A clock that my grandpa(now deceased) crafted and gave us for our wedding seventeen years ago.
A print made by my mission president(a former art teacher) for each of the elders and sisters who served under him in Taiwan. The scene captures a town(now city) that he served in as a young elder in the 1950’s. He passed away this past year so this has particular significance to me now and I’m delighted to display it in my home.
2. WORDS. A word cloud of principles upon which successful families are built as found in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.
Repurposed tiles painted with a beloved teaching of Jesus Christ.
A chicken wire quote board that can be used interchangeably as a Christmas card photo holder during the holidays.
My personal favorite: a cozy corner housing enormous printed copies of The Living Christ and The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Said corner has special meaning to me because the blue Barcalounger once belonged to my grandmother. And it’s the most comfortable seat in the house.
3. Places. Places we’ve been, places that have special meaning…
For example, as a cornerstone of our home, a vintage picture of the San Diego Temple, where Tim and I were married.
Or a painting of my childhood hometown of Hong Kong.
As we prepare to add on to our house, additional ideas rest on the back-burner until I find the perfect spot.
One of them is a bulletin board map, which Tim and I are DIY-ing. I searched high and low for a map to match our space and decor, cut a particle board and cork board to size, and glued the map on. Last step: build a custom frame. Should be a snap.
Another is a gallery wall of name art. In my parents’ home, each child’s name along with its meaning and a corresponding scripture from the Bible is framed and housed on a wall along with his/her senior picture. I remember feeling a sense of pride in my name and a desire to live up to the scripture that accompanied it.
I hope that my kids feel the same way once we slap these suckers up on the wall.
How does your home reflect what you value? In what way do you decorate to create that type of home?