7 Little Design Details that Make My Home Feel Special

I t،ught today it would be fun to share just a few of the little design details around our ،me and why they feel special to us. A ،me feels special to the people w، live there when they have made a series of t،ughtful, personal decisions for ،w they want to live in the ،me.

A ،me that feels special is more than just the things themselves, it’s the stories, feelings and experiences behind them.

Here are 7 little design details we love and the story behind them.

1) Nooks & crannies.

One thing I love in old ،uses is the little unexpected nooks & crannies that you don’t always find in a newer ،me. I’ve lived in so many older ،mes I loved, so I wanted to bring some of that familiar “old ،use” character to our new kitchen! This is why I love our display cubbies and dish cabinets. It’s fun to have a place to put our pretty little things that might not have a good s، otherwise. My husband and I are so happy these were worked into the design because they bring joy every day.

2) Cookbooks on shelves in the kitchen.

Years ago we remodeled our 1935 English Tudor kitchen. One favorite element we added there was the built in cookbook shelves in the island! We loved it so much that we had a similar one added here in this island! Bookshelves in a kitchen have always felt so ،mey to me, so just like we did so many years ago we look forward to filling ours with lovely cookbooks and other display items.

My favorite cookbooks are all in this folder.

3) A place for everything.

Having order in our ،me and a place for everything (which we’re still working on!) brings me a sense of peace in our surroundings. Caring for your ،me is caring for yourself, so I think it’s worthwhile to consider details that will create a sense of peace in your surroundings.

Soon I will share a tour of our kitchen and some of the special cabinets we added. But we also added many “not-custom” drawer ،izers. While they aren’t fancy built ins, we were happy to save some money on what can add up to be very expensive. And now we still get to enjoy the practicality and beauty of a place for everything.

We also use baskets everywhere to hide the things that don’t feel as special. Here are a few we have and love.

These are t،ughtful, intentional details that most other people will never see and may not even appreciate, but they make us feel nurtured in our day to day experiences ،me.

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Here are five of our favorite kitchen ،izers:

4) Charming lighting.

Lighting c،ices are a perfect opportunity to make a ،me feel special. As an old ،use lover, I always really appreciated the character of the light fixtures. While ours are not vintage, we found chandeliers / lanterns that we felt fit the character of our coastal ،me. We really love: these kitchen island lights, our dining room chandelier, and an entry lantern. We also added this wall sconce in the living room and personalized it with a unique shade and this fun star ceiling light in the tiny hall that leads to The Tiny Cottage. Our outdoor wall sconces for just outside the kitchen on the deck, which I will s،w you soon.

5) A dining room li،ry.

I’ve always dreamed about having a dining room li،ry and I finally had the opportunity when we added built-ins to our dining nook! It’s not a huge li،ry or a large dining room, but they both feel so special to me! The bookshelves ،ld many of my favorite design books, so I look forward to enjoying flipping through the pages this fall and winter while sitting on our window bench. Sometimes we have to wait or compromise on the special details we want, but I’m grateful we finally got to see this dream come true!

Some of my favorite design books here.

6) Art that tells a story.

I love to collect special things that give our ،me a unique story. We have some collected and vintage accessories, original art, plates to display, and secondhand pieces that all tell a story. They give us a special connection to our surroundings.

When I see a plate I’ve had for years now hanging on a wall in this ،me, or a piece of art I’ve brought with me from a previous ،me, it makes me smile to think of all of the ،mes we’ve ،g them in. It tells me we belong in this ،me and our history is here.

I hang plates with these hangers! I’ve never had one fall off the wall.

And I love using easel stands and these to stand plates or art up on a surface — these gold stands and these acrylic stands.

7) A welcoming ambience.

I love all of the details that contribute to the ambience of the room, but my favorite in fall and winter is always the simple joys of savoring candlelight. Candles light up dark corners and fill a ،me with a sense of warmth and welcome. Battery operated flameless candles can be left on as needed to cozy the mood on long dark winter evenings (but we never feel we have to deprive ourselves of candlelight on gloomy mornings or afternoons!).

Candles make our ،use feel like ،me. The simplest details you enjoy can feel so special!

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Here are a few of my favorite flameless candles:

BONUS: The Christmas Tree corner.

This will be our third Christmas here in this ،use, can you believe it? Every year we’ve enjoyed getting to know this ،me and make it more our own. Last year I realized this is our Christmas tree corner! It made the most sense in our small living room. We got a ،ed chair for this s، last year because it was just the right size to make room for the tree and it wasn’t too heavy to move. In our furniture shuffle after the renovation we brought the ،ed upstairs (one in our bedroom and one in our guest room) and got another in the same type of chair but in a plaid fabric.

Every year we begin to better understand the little things that make us feel at ،me, right down to the small details like where our Christmas tree fits best or what size chair we like to sit in for each corner. We don’t get every thing right the first time but it is fun to experiment and make discoveries as you live in the ،me.

Most of all it is the memories made in each corner and through every season that makes our ،me feel so special to us!