Making your house a home is a process - it doesn't happen overnight, and it shouldn't happen overnight. In a world that often demands instant gratification, it can be difficult to be patient and take your time when putting together the rooms of your home.

As a designer helping others renovate and decorate their homes, I find it difficult to accept the imperfect and unfinished state of my own home. I'm a designer, my house should be perfect, right? We purchased a 1950's ranch in 2014, and although many renovations took place before we moved in, our house is a never-ending project - which happens to be one of the reasons I love it so much. I follow many talented designers on Instagram, and I love browsing through the beautiful photos on Pinterest and Houzz - mainly to gain business knowledge and inspiration - however I'd be lying if I told you that I leave these Social Media platforms feeling completely satisfied with my own home.

I'm reading Phoebe Howard's book Room by Room, and she addresses the importance of taking your time. "Always keep in mind that decorating is a complicated process that takes time, planning, and money. It is an expensive undertaking, and it is easy to make costly mistakes. The more planning and thoughtful collaboration that you allow, the better the result will be. Be patient and take your time - it should not happen overnight. Let your house show who you are, what you like, and where you are going." Well said, Mrs. Howard.

So now I want to (very hesitantly) show you some photos of unfinished spaces in our home - as an effort to accept this perfectly acceptable imperfection. Gulp. First up, the Dining Room: We opened up 4 rooms in the center of our house by knocking down walls - leaving a walk-around, see-through fireplace. I've only posted photos of the kitchen and what's on the other side of this fireplace because the dining space is so very unfinished. The table, parsons chairs and china hutch are from our last house, and like many couples our age, my husband and I are in the process of replacing our "newlywed furniture" with more lasting furniture. I do have a plan for this space which involves buying new chairs, painting the china hutch and the French doors, installing wainscoting on the walls and wood beams on the ceiling, addressing the mantle decor and replacing the table with a rustic trestle table in a lighter wood finish. But until we find the time and save the money to do all of this, the room will look like this:

And here are 2 other areas of this large open room - the Foyer and the "Clock Corner." Both spaces contain furniture that I found at the Nashville Flea Market, and these pieces are in need of some TLC. The mirrors need to be hung on the walls, wainscoting needs to be installed on the foyer wall, and the pair of lamps on the Jackson Press need more appropriately sized shades. The seagrass chair is also from our last house, and I'm saving up for the perfect sweep-arm slipcovered chair & ottoman. Oh and that picture frame needs a family photo asap... the list is long, but there is a plan so I know what I'm aiming to accomplish.

Hopefully, this blog post will encourage you to be patient and take your time when decorating your home. If you need help forming a plan to follow, I'd love to work with you... Nashville area residents can view my In-Home Design Services page, and all other clients can view the Virtual Design Services page. However long it may take, I hope you find contentment in the perfectly imperfect process of making your house a home.

We've had the most amazing weather the past few days here in Nashville, and I'm loving the cooler temperatures with lots of sunshine! I'm seeing a small glimpse of the upcoming Fall weather, and I can't wait for those pumpkin spice lattes, hot apple ciders, colorful leaves, and of course football games!

I had coffee this morning with my wonderful friend and talented business pal, Molly of SimplyMPhotography. Molly has been one of my longest, dearest friends, and I've been blessed to share a lot of life with her by my side. We schedule regular coffee dates to discuss business, life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. I cherish these talks so much, and this morning led to yet another good chat!

We shared that we both desire to live more intentional lives... making time for the most important things and cutting out all the "unnecessary." As I was driving home from our coffee date, I reflected on how I've been living each day and how I want to change some things so that I can live more intentionally. As a designer and entrepreneur, I'm always thinking of ways to build things, improve things, and beautify/make-over things - it's in my nature, I just can't help it. And while this is a good trait in many ways, it sometimes leads me to feeling discontent with the way things currently are. I want a bigger house with big closets and big bathrooms and a big studio for my business, I want a new wardrobe, I want to lose weight so I have more self-confidence, I want more friends, I want more work functions & events to attend, I use to want more retail stores to carry my stationery line, the list goes on. This world constantly tells us that more is better. But what I'm finding to be true is that I actually want less.

Don't get me wrong, some of these things are not all bad - especially when they are held at a healthy level of importance and when they are used to glorify our Father. But these desires become toxic when they totally consume our thoughts and make us ungrateful for all that we already have. I've been praying a lot to find peace and contentment in the here and now. I want to soak up these moments and appreciate these times and give thanks for my blessings without asking for more. I really want to simplify my life and my business in order to make time for the most important things and the most important people. I don't want to be complacent, just content.

So I've started making a list of the ways I want to simplify my life. A few action items include going through drawers, closets, the attic, my office, and other areas in our house to de-clutter and get rid of the unnecessary "stuff." Do some overdue yard work and touch ups around the house to better love the home that we are currently blessed to own. For my business, this sparkly new website is one of the ways I've attempted to streamline and simplify, but there are other steps I need to take that will allow me to better serve my clients and spend more time with my family and friends. I guess better get to work!

I've been developing my professional and personal growth by attending conferences for creative entrepreneurs, and while I don't wish to spill my guts or over-share on my blog, I do think it's important that I give you a taste of the real Beth Hart from time to time. I'm far from perfect, and my business is far from perfect... and hopefully I can connect with you and inspire you by being transparent and confessing my struggles. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing more "real life" with you!

I'll leave you with a few lyrics from a song that I consider to be a really good reminder of how to find contentment...