Do You Ever Wish for a Cohesive Home That Feels Lived-In and Complete?

Even for the most experienced designers, a home is always evolving. The secret? Engage fully in the process to experience the ultimate reward: a deep LOVE for your home.

Making your house feel cohesive, cozy, and like a true reflection of YOU doesn’t have to be daunting. It’s all about thoughtful layering—a home that feels lived-in, personal, and loved, while evolving at your own pace.

Starting Point: Creating a Cohesive Home

A few years ago, I stepped into the home of Nicole Regan of the Chicagoland based Cedar and Rush lifestyle blog for the first time. This was after working with Nicole remotely on Designer Q&A blog posts and an inviting entryway project for her home!

The entryway was the first space that greeted guests in @nicolearegan’s home, so it was the obvious starting point for our design efforts. This space was mini but mighty and transforming it from minimal touches of character to FULL FLEDGED personality was the perfect first impression for a soon to be fully cohesive home.

The Goals of a Home Design Project

1. Identifying your vision
2. Taking your vision to reality
3. Bringing in your personality
4. Creating a cohesive home

Identifying Your Vision

We followed Nicole’s vision from the first time she walked into her house. It was the most charming home on the block with its white cottage, black shutters, and red front door vibes. Nicole knew the interior had just as much potential, but life gets busy and it was not a priority to fully refresh things until MMDH came into their lives 😉

Nicole’s growing family is the friendliest and most welcoming crew, so their fairly neutral and fairly nondescript surroundings didn’t quite make sense to me when I first walked in the door. There was SO MUCH potential and inspiration ready to come out 👋

Bringing Your Vision to Reality

We took their design room by room to make the process of creating a cohesive home more manageable. The Calico Corners team helped guide the process to make sure we were not only getting the most personalized cohesive aesthetic throughout each space, but also creating a highly functional end result for Nicole and her family with babes and a dog running around the incredible selection of textiles.

Pro Tip: Always use the experts! While I have become expert level on a lot of design elements over the past 20-years, I never underestimate the power of a team. There is a reason retailers of any kind take their employees through training. They become experts of their products and can then give you the ins-and-outs of where and when to use specific items. Utilize the experts who are already at your fingertips!

Infusing Personality Into Your Home

Nicole and her family are full of personality, even little lady Penelope, who all of a sudden started interacting with me after I shared a roll of painter’s tape with her 🙌

While we wanted Nicole’s room refreshes to pop on your scroll, we more importantly wanted them to make Nicole and her super inviting family feel AT HOME and INSPIRED every time they walked in the door. We fully utilized Nicole’s collection of artwork and antique treasures that she had acquired over the years, but had never fully found the perfect home. We took leaps into selections that were a touch out of their comfort zones but paid off ten-fold in the personality-filled surroundings that evolved.

The Process: Room by Room

As we worked through each project from their entry vestibule, to their breakfast nook, dining room, living room, and even Penelope’s room, we waned to give each space its own cozy identity, while coordinating with the adjacent rooms we had recently completed [sounds trickier than it is!].

We repeated some of the same textiles and/or collections between spaces, so we knew that any one piece could ultimately be swapped to another room with out question. We didn’t do this by playing it safe and matching every bit and piece, we went for it with pattern play and pops of thoughtful color that coordinated unexpectedly; knowing that if we kept our overall base palette, there would be intermixing capabilities by the plenty 🤩

Creating a Cohesive Home with Personality

These rooms were customized to Nicole and her family. They are eye-catching, because you have never seen these textile selections pulled together elsewhere, or her artwork collection grace this wallpaper pattern before. You have never seen her antique carved bow-back chairs painted white and pattern played to the extreme.

There is nothing about this home design that is predictable, and that is why it is so personal and “scroll stopping”. Nicole’s dining room even made the cover of Calico Corners’ window treatment catalog by Mary at Wonder and Awe Photography ! You can check out the window treatment guide here.

The message we hope you feel is to follow YOUR vision for YOUR home! That is the ONE key to giving your home PERSONALITY + function for YOU. Create a cohesive design by using some of your favorite textiles, colors, or prints throughout, while coordinating everything else along the way.

You Have Full Permission to Go For It!

Don’t be afraid to mix it up! Forget about whether or not you’ve seen it done before on Pinterest. The magic happens when you bring all of your favorite inspiration into one space. Trust yourself to create something beautiful and uniquely YOU.

Follow-Up: A Testament to Cohesion

Nicole and her family recently moved from that darling cottage to a larger home, and all of the pieces we designed have transitioned beautifully. Every element works together, proving that cohesive design stands the test of time and space.

When you choose versatile, personalized pieces, you’ll see how effortlessly they work across different rooms in your home. Now, go have fun making it happen!

xo,

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