How I Approach Decorating My Home (and How You Can Too)

When someone asks me about "home decor," I always smile because it's such a beautifully broad question, and also the heart of everything I've built Interior Delights around. After starting with one piece of refinished furniture and growing this into a business that helps thousands of people create homes they love, I've learned that the best home decor isn't about filling every surface. It's about choosing pieces that make your heart lift every time you walk through the door.

Let me share how I think about building a home, room by room, layer by layer, in a way that actually works for real life.

Start With What Anchors a Room

I always begin with the pieces that ground a space. In my own home, that means thinking about the largest visual elements first: what's on the walls, what's underfoot, and what defines the architecture of the room.

Wall decor sets the tone faster than almost anything else. I'm drawn to pieces that feel like they have a story, whether that's a large vintage-inspired mirror that reflects light and makes a small room feel twice its size, or a collection of smaller frames that build a gallery wall over time. The mistake I see most often is hanging art too high. Your eye level when you're standing in the room is your guide, and in my experience, slightly lower always feels more intimate and intentional.

Rugs are the other anchor I can't live without. I've learned the hard way that too-small rugs make a room feel choppy and disconnected. In a living room, all your furniture should sit on the rug, or at least the front legs. In a dining room, you want at least 24 inches of rug extending beyond the table on all sides so chairs stay on the rug when pulled out. Our hand-tufted rugs have that lived-in, heirloom texture I come back to again and again, the kind that only gets better as they settle into a space.

Layer in the Details That Make It Yours

Once the anchors are in place, this is where home decor gets really fun. I think of this stage as layering in warmth, texture, and moments of surprise.

Vases are my secret weapon. I keep a rotation of them in different shapes and finishes because they let me change the feeling of a room with a single stem or branch. A tall ceramic vase on a console table, a cluster of smaller vessels on a kitchen counter, a vintage pitcher holding eucalyptus in the bathroom. What I love about vases is that they work hard even when they're empty. The sculptural ones, especially, become little works of art on their own.

Textiles bring softness and coziness in a way nothing else can. I'm talking about throw blankets draped over the arm of a sofa (not folded, just loosely draped), pillows in a mix of textures and patterns that make you want to sink in, table runners that frame a dining table and make even a Tuesday night dinner feel a little special. I rotate these seasonally, and it's one of the easiest ways to keep a home feeling fresh without starting from scratch.

Don't Underestimate the Power of Greenery and Light

Two things transform a space faster than almost anything else: living (or lifelike) greenery and thoughtful lighting.

I fill my home with greenery, and I've gotten very good at mixing real and faux. The high-quality faux stems and branches we carry look so real that guests genuinely can't tell the difference, and they let me have that lush, layered look in corners that don't get enough light for real plants. I drape eucalyptus over mirrors, tuck olive branches into tall vases, and change out seasonal stems to mark the passing of the year.

Lighting is where I see the biggest missed opportunity in most homes. Overhead lighting alone makes everything feel flat. I layer in table lamps, floor lamps, and candles to create pools of warm light at different heights. Dimmers are non-negotiable. And candles, real or flameless, add that final flicker of coziness that makes a house feel like a home.

How to Choose What's Right for Your Space

Here's the advice I give in every design consultation: start with what you love, not what you think you're supposed to have. Walk through your home and notice what makes you feel calm, happy, energized. That's your guide.

Pay attention to scale. A tiny vase on a large console table will disappear. A massive piece of art in a small entryway will overwhelm. When in doubt, go slightly larger than feels comfortable. It almost always works.

And please, give yourself permission to build slowly. The homes I love most, including my own, were layered over time. A few beautiful, meaningful pieces will always feel better than a room that was decorated all at once from a catalog.

Where I'd Start If I Were You

If you're standing in a room right now wondering where to begin, I'd start with one anchor piece (a rug or a large piece of wall art), one textile that makes you smile (a throw or a set of pillows), and one bit of greenery in a beautiful vase. That's enough to shift the entire feeling of a space.

We built Interior Delights to be the place you come when you want home decor that feels curated, warm, and genuinely timeless. Not trendy, not disposable, just beautiful. I hope these pieces find their way into your home and make your everyday life just a little lovelier.

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