Give Your Home a History by Telling Your Story

Great interior design has nothing to do with the amount of money you spend. It has to do with how well your home tells your story. Successful design inspires curiosity and makes your family and guests feel nurtured. It makes them want to say, "Because I've been here, I feel I know you in a whole new way."

One way to accomplish this is to use items from your family’s history — furniture, textiles, art, even everyday objects — in your interior design. Don’t just think a hundred years ago (although it's wonderful if you have such things). Think 10 years ago or even yesterday. If you don’t have any family heirlooms, start now and create some “instant” history!

These fantastic paintings hark back to the tradition of family portraits, but with a new and whimsical spin. You can't help but grin when you see them.


My husband, Mike, and I have seven grandchildren, who are without a doubt the most beautiful and talented children on the planet. Their favorite thing in our last home (next to their grandfather's cooking) was the wall where we measured their growth. Every time they came over, they wanted to see how much they had grown.

The measuring chart in this entry is a simple but priceless way to delight the children in your house, even after they are grown and gone. Give it even more of a family history by building it yourself.


Pets are a slam dunk when it comes to your home's telling your story. This painting of the family dog immediately draws the eye, revealing this pet's importance to the family while balancing the busyness of the bookcase. You can turn a photo of your favorite pet into an oil painting, a pencil sketch or a watercolor at Milltownart.


An old steamer trunk struts its stuff in the center of this otherwise contemporary living room, bringing interest and texture and nodding to family history. It may have been purchased yesterday at a yard sale, but now it's part of this family's story (especially if there's an interesting tale behind its purchase).

Look around for old family objects you could repurpose. How about making a side table out of a stack of well-traveled leather suitcases? Or turning Dad's old wooden toolbox into a wine caddy?


Don't these swimsuits make you want to dig out some of your mom's old clothes? I especially love how they go from smaller to larger — a knowing nod to the unfortunate consequences of gravity.

If your mom's attic is empty, try thrift stores. They're a great source for instant history, and they're probably where your mom's stuff went anyway. Think about replicating this idea with family sports jerseys, military uniforms or even shoes.


I was amazed to discover a few days ago that my daughter-in-law did not even know what a typewriter was. Old technology — like typewriters, rotary telephones and cameras that use film — provides a compelling link to our recent past, while offering a great way to share family history.


Lamps are one of the basic necessities of any interior. But they can be much more than that when they are fashioned from something unexpected or repurposed. Family keepsakes, like the pair of buckets on this table, have instant appeal — especially when the lampshades are crafted from old linens.


Using children's artwork in your home is not only affirming for the child, but it creates a history for them — as well as for you. Not to mention that kids' artwork is often so exuberant, so colorful, and so much fun that it is an instant hit in any room.

Make it even more special by having your kids' pictures made into wallpaper (find out how here). No worries: This wallpaper is easily removable, so you'll never have to leave it behind.


What if you don't have kids? Consider breaking out a canvas and some acrylics (these are readily available at your local craft store) and making art yourself.

For a budget-sensitive birthday last year, Mike painted this picture for me. He took the theme from that fabulous gospel hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." Every time this catches my eye, I break into song.


Don't forget that things you pick up on your travels, near or far, can add wonderful dimension to your home. We were in Samoa a few years ago with our grandchildren, who were all younger than 5 at the time. Every morning, before it got too hot to breathe, the children would toddle along beside me at the water's edge, collecting shells that had washed up from the reef the night before.

These shells now serve multiple purposes in my home: They are soap dishes, salt cellars, mantel decor, pots for succulents and towel holders. And each one is an organic, tactile memory — a personal story to share and a firm connection to my family.

I love the way the shells in this picture are displayed en masse. Their texture adds great variety to the tablescape. A candle could even be inserted into each hurricane for additional interest.


While we are talking organic ... rocks, like shells, are a textural and tactile marvel. I heard of a family who collected rocks on their vacations and wrote the date and place where they were found in permanent marker on them. Then they integrated the stones into the chimney of their house when it was being built.

Rocks can also be made into stunning lamps — but more on that in another story.


How cool is this? Simple handprints in simple frames, with words that say it all. Quote the Walls turns whatever you want to express into vinyl decals.

If you happen to be building, remodeling or pouring a new sidewalk, make some family history by preserving family handprints in the wet concrete. This can be equally great with paw prints.

More: How to give a garden soul

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