February is the shortest month but a very impactful one. It’s both the LOVE month as well as the celebration of Black History. One of my favorite films starring Sidney Poitier was “To Sir With Love”. A 1967 movie about a well-educated black man with an Engineering degree who couldn’t find a job in his field. He took a job in a rough London East End school populated with troublemakers who were rejected from other schools for their behavior. In a nutshell, his calm, mild demeanor changed their attitude and earned their respect. He was so eloquent in his poise, calm and focus, the LOVE exemplified won them over and ME also. I became a Sidney Poitier fan for life!
LOVE. Let’s talk about how it relates to your home and how to create a loving atmosphere. How can I create a LOVING home you ask? I have
quite a few suggestions for you. I just moved into my new apartment a few weeks ago, contemplating what theme, color palette, furnishings, etc. Like all of you, I visit different showrooms, decor magazines, Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration. Most recently I visited a store I’ve heard about here in Nashville. My focus was accessories and wall art. What jumped out at me were these pictures with LOVE quotes and actual love spelled out, 2 feet high wood framed beautifully written! Boom that’s it, my theme. I wanted my bedroom decor and en-suite bathroom to reflect a quiet beach, soft pastel color palette. SO I looked for colors that were soft that may not always go together, but complement each other. Sky blue, lavender, sand (true linen color), and blush as an accent. These soft pastels set a romantic tone and a relaxing atmosphere to any bedroom and bathroom.
Design Tip: Make sure your bed linen, duvet covers, accents, and accessories coordinate with the adjoining room. The bathroom towels should be the softest and most absorbent. The Gordian knot is one of the best towels EVER but can be on the expensive side. Hydrocotton works well for less. Concentrate on things that touch your body consistently to be your go to’s for softness, decadent things you love to smell and look at. Involve all your senses.
Surround yourself with family pictures and heirlooms. Growing up my Mom kept a book of my Grandmothers. It would be what we call today a journal. In her handwriting, it had all her children listed. Their names, birthdays, favorite quotes, etc… What I remember most was the condition of the pages. They were no longer white or even cream, they were light brown. The outside was a tattered black leather. When my Mom told me it was hers, I held on to that book for dear life. I would pick it up when I felt sad and it would transform me. I would see through my Grandmother’s eyes and imagine her life during the late 1800’s. The mementos she kept, thoughts, dreams, and visions she wrote about took me away. Thinking about it now brings happy tears to my eyes. Years of change, moves and the 
like, caused me to lose that book but the memories are priceless. Now I have pictures of my Grandmother in her 20’s. Also pictures of my Mother as a teenager, her holding me when I was 6 months old. These vintage pictures I hold dear and close to me! This is what you should surround your home with, your favorite things. Those special hand me downs that bring back good memories of family and friends that cause you to feel warm and fuzzy inside. When you open those doors you feel the love of being home SWEET home!
What are your favorite things that warm your heart?
