We’re excited to share an excerpt from the Invite Me In chapter of Divinely Designed: A Beautiful & Functional Home. Please read below!
“It was a perfect autumn afternoon: the warm sun choreographed a beautiful dance of golden and amber tones and the crisp air smelled as divine as hot-from-the-oven apple pie. As I walked up a stone path to one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen, I second-guessed myself. What could I possibly do to make this home any more beautiful? Who was I to bring anything of worth to this exquisite dwelling place? Sure, I have a gift in beautifying houses and making them feel like home, but this house was already what dreams are made of—stately and newly built, obviously with all the best materials. The grounds were luscious and perfectly manicured. Truly, it was a scene from a picture-perfect dream.
I was tempted to whip out my camera and snap a few photos for the world of Instagram to see. Instead, I pulled myself together and rang the doorbell. I said a quick prayer while I waited: ‘God, I do not know what I’m doing here, but use me today.’ The gorgeous Momma of the house opened the heavy front door and greeted me warmly with an excited smile. I stepped through the door and hugged her, just like I always do with new clients. Her posture softened in my embrace and that hint of relaxation settled my own nerves.
As I walked up a stone path to one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen, I second-guessed myself. What could I possibly do to make this home any more beautiful?
This scene has played out many times with new clients, and I’ve grown to love how quickly a gesture of affection shifts awkward barriers. I mean, let’s cut to the chase: I have been invited into your home, your most sacred place, to create a beautiful reflection of your family. To do my job well, I need to get to know you—the real you. The invitation is overwhelmingly intimate and I take it very seriously. Rather than approaching new clients with an air of La-dee-da, here I am, Miss Fancy Pants, ready to tell you how ugly your home is, my secret weapon is instantly winning the hearts of my clients by connecting with them and their realities. The majority of my clients are Mommas so the connection is incredibly genuine.
You see, we are sticking our heads up from the same trench where we are surviving the chaos of home and family. I love locking eyes with each Momma client in a way that says, ‘It’s okay to not portray perfection to me.’ In unspoken words I tell her, ‘I may not know you yet, but I bet I know you.’ Our homes may look different and our lifestyles may vary, but so much of being a woman and a mother is universal. We Mommas need a beautiful nest to put our birdies in and, in the midst of life’s chaos, we want that nest to be a shelter in the storm. This universal connection is why I love my Momma clients so much!
To do my job well, I need to get to know you—the real you. The invitation is overwhelmingly intimate and I take it very seriously.
The gorgeous Momma who resided in this particular dreamy house, was no different than others who live in less-dreamy houses. I recognized the familiar plea behind her eyes—she wanted her home to capture the special warmth and comfort she had seen in my work. I love making rooms look good, but it was for a greater purpose that God had me there.
We walked through each impressive room and I suggested creative designs that would make her house even more beautiful—that is what she was paying me for after all. However, the unspoken task at hand was to hear the desires of her heart. Her heart told me the same thing that I hear from the hearts of most Momma clients. She deeply desired her nest be beautiful and functional, exude warmth, overflow with love, and, more than anything, become a place where her family would find peace, joy, and purpose.
She deeply desired her nest be beautiful and functional, exude warmth, overflow with love, and, more than anything, become a place where her family would find peace, joy, and purpose.
It’s funny, so many of us are obsessed with the latest and greatest in home design and styling trends that flood Pinterest—those that change every other day. Yet this message, the one I consistently hear from the hearts of clients, has nothing to do with paint colors or furniture trends. It has everything to do with how they want their home to feel.”
