| Love Where You Live! |
Loving where you Live
by Dani Jacobs
by Dani Jacobs
I love my house. I love the pewter handles on my kitchen drawers. I love the soft taupe color of the quilt in my bedroom. I love the
vivid blue of the walls against the white woodwork in my family room. I love that when people walk into my daughter and son’s
bedrooms that they can tell instantly who they are, but, most importantly, I love the way my house feels; I love that when I walk in the
door, I feel I am home.
When I first made the choice to quit teaching and become a designer, I thought I was making a terrible moral decision. I felt I was
choosing changing a room over changing a life. What I’ve realized in these last few years, is that by changing a room, by making
people’s homes into their places of solace, that I am, in fact, still changing lives by making my clients’ worlds, their homes, a more
beautiful place for them to be. What a wonderful gift I have been given to be able to offer someone that sense of comfort, that sense of
serenity.
I’ve learned some valuable lessons through my designing, lessons that I had no idea I would discover, but the most vital lesson wasn’t
one I expected because it’s so basic. It is purely that it is essential for each of us to love where we live. We feel better about ourselves
if we are really “at home” in our homes. We all need a place of solace, a place where we can find peace and comfort simply by walking
in the door. This place may look differently to each of us, but it is not a superfluous need; it’s a necessity, a requirement for our well-
being.
We spend part of every day in our homes. We entertain, laugh, eat, dream, sleep, play, LIVE in them. Our homes deserve to be places
that convey all that we are. We shouldn’t keep our houses picked up in case someone may stop by. We shouldn’t decorate for someone
else to see. We should do it for ourselves, and for our families. We should do it so that when we look for a paper clip, we know where
to find it. We should do it so that when our sons want to be alone with their baseball cards, they have a safe haven to play, surrounded
by the sports they love. We should do it so that when we finally do sit down to exhale, we have a comfortable chair, a lamp that gives
out a radiant glow, a wonderful person, or not, on the couch next to us, a breeze flowing through the open doorway, and beautiful
things that we love surrounding us.
One of my clients told me once that before we decorated her house, she used to go out way too often, not because she wanted to be
out, but simply because she didn’t want to be home. Another one told me that she rarely had friends over, not because she didn’t like to
entertain, but because she was embarrassed about the state of her home. Another one said that her house just didn’t “feel right” to her,
that it didn’t embody the loving, fun family that they were. Our houses should be all these things to us- our comfort, our pride, an
extension of ourselves. If not, how do we find relief and tranquility in it? The answer is obvious, we don’t.
There can be no better place to find serenity than in the space you live. Create it for yourself; you deserve it. We all do. We just got
back from a week-long vacation, and even with the 400 loads of laundry I still need to do, I am just so happy to be at my own, neat
desk in the quiet sanctity of this room. And as I lay in my warm bed tonight, with my soft, velvet quilt, and the gentle sounds of the
night surrounding me, I am assured I will take solace in knowing that I truly am home.
Dani Jacobs is home interior expert and co-owner of Solace Design. She can be reached at
(612)210-9343 or through e-mail at Danielle@Solace-Design.com. Her web address is www.Solace-design.com
vivid blue of the walls against the white woodwork in my family room. I love that when people walk into my daughter and son’s
bedrooms that they can tell instantly who they are, but, most importantly, I love the way my house feels; I love that when I walk in the
door, I feel I am home.
When I first made the choice to quit teaching and become a designer, I thought I was making a terrible moral decision. I felt I was
choosing changing a room over changing a life. What I’ve realized in these last few years, is that by changing a room, by making
people’s homes into their places of solace, that I am, in fact, still changing lives by making my clients’ worlds, their homes, a more
beautiful place for them to be. What a wonderful gift I have been given to be able to offer someone that sense of comfort, that sense of
serenity.
I’ve learned some valuable lessons through my designing, lessons that I had no idea I would discover, but the most vital lesson wasn’t
one I expected because it’s so basic. It is purely that it is essential for each of us to love where we live. We feel better about ourselves
if we are really “at home” in our homes. We all need a place of solace, a place where we can find peace and comfort simply by walking
in the door. This place may look differently to each of us, but it is not a superfluous need; it’s a necessity, a requirement for our well-
being.
We spend part of every day in our homes. We entertain, laugh, eat, dream, sleep, play, LIVE in them. Our homes deserve to be places
that convey all that we are. We shouldn’t keep our houses picked up in case someone may stop by. We shouldn’t decorate for someone
else to see. We should do it for ourselves, and for our families. We should do it so that when we look for a paper clip, we know where
to find it. We should do it so that when our sons want to be alone with their baseball cards, they have a safe haven to play, surrounded
by the sports they love. We should do it so that when we finally do sit down to exhale, we have a comfortable chair, a lamp that gives
out a radiant glow, a wonderful person, or not, on the couch next to us, a breeze flowing through the open doorway, and beautiful
things that we love surrounding us.
One of my clients told me once that before we decorated her house, she used to go out way too often, not because she wanted to be
out, but simply because she didn’t want to be home. Another one told me that she rarely had friends over, not because she didn’t like to
entertain, but because she was embarrassed about the state of her home. Another one said that her house just didn’t “feel right” to her,
that it didn’t embody the loving, fun family that they were. Our houses should be all these things to us- our comfort, our pride, an
extension of ourselves. If not, how do we find relief and tranquility in it? The answer is obvious, we don’t.
There can be no better place to find serenity than in the space you live. Create it for yourself; you deserve it. We all do. We just got
back from a week-long vacation, and even with the 400 loads of laundry I still need to do, I am just so happy to be at my own, neat
desk in the quiet sanctity of this room. And as I lay in my warm bed tonight, with my soft, velvet quilt, and the gentle sounds of the
night surrounding me, I am assured I will take solace in knowing that I truly am home.
Dani Jacobs is home interior expert and co-owner of Solace Design. She can be reached at
(612)210-9343 or through e-mail at Danielle@Solace-Design.com. Her web address is www.Solace-design.com
| About Mom on the Go ~ Contact ~ Media ~ Advertising ~ Privacy Policy ~ Copyright © 2008 Mom on the Go All Rights Reserved Reproductions of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom on the Go. Mom on the Go Eden Prairie, MN 612-309-0407 Last Updated January 2008 |