We believe that your home is an outward manifestation of your inner experience—a reflection of yourself. Look around your home. What are your surroundings saying about you? How you choose to live, how you decorate (or don’t decorate), pictures and objects you display, and what you choose to surround yourself with, tell others about who you are. Your home tells your story, what you enjoy doing, how you are feeling, and who you spend your time with.

Whether we’re aware of it or not, our homes are one of the few places where we have the creative freedom to express ourselves. For example, if you’re feeling sad, you might find yourself unconsciously creating a depressing atmosphere by closing curtains or not cleaning. Or if you’re happy you may choose to decorate with brighter colors, buy fresh flowers, and open windows to allow sunlight and fresh air into your home. It may also be more specific—let’s say you love your job, you may demonstrate that by displaying reminders of your work around your home. Or perhaps you’ve been dreaming about a career change or taking a big vacation and you have displayed objects that remind you of your new career or the place you’d like to visit.

What is your home saying about you? Take a moment to “interpret” your home by witnessing your surroundings as if you were a guest visiting this home for the first time. What does this home say about the person who lives there? Do the objects you have chosen to surround yourself with reflect your interests, hobbies and habits? If the answer is yes, then go one step further and ask yourself if you are happy with that reflection. Is this the YOU you want to be? If your home doesn’t reflect your interests, then ask yourself why not?

We believe it’s so important to be aware of your surroundings because your home has the ability to influence your life. Just in the same way you influence your surroundings, your surroundings influence you. For instance, imagine spending time in the depressing atmosphere we mentioned earlier… closed curtains, not clean. By being in that environment for a period of time, you will start to feel more depressed. Then imagine walking into a sunny, bright, cheery room and how your mood would be uplifted. Or perhaps you want to make a career change, but haven’t done anything to move that dream forward and have nothing in your home that reflects that desire. Imagine placing objects that represent your dream career around your home—chances are you will feel more motivated to take the steps necessary to make it happen if you’re reminded of your dream everyday.

Once you understand the powerful influence your surroundings can have on your life, you can use this new awareness to arrange and decorate your home so that it supports you in creating the life you desire. If you haven’t done so already, create a home that reflects your best self and highest aspirations. As we like to say… as you design your home, you have the opportunity to design your life!