marthatass Thank you for this lovely article. It is very authentic, genuine...and just what I needed at the end of a long week!

susanintoronto What a fantastic article!

Sonja Dunbar This is wonderful article for we Americans, because so many of us are never satisfied with our lives in so many areas - our homes are never up to our specifications, our bodies are never perfect enough, our kids are never ambitious enough and on and on. We need to be more satisfied not only with our homes, but our families and our lives in general. Our media drills it into us that nothing in our lives is good enough - you have to work to make it better. This is very destructive.

Lori Howe What a refreshing perspective!

Madison Modern Home Thanks, Laura, for including our design in your article. That was a very small space to configure, and using a small table with a drop-down leaf just made sense. It allowed us to create a dining space for two (or more, once both leaves are open and the table is pulled out from the wall) where -- at first -- it didn't seem there would be enough room.

Terri Thompson It takes a lot of time to organize a house to this perfection.

Pamela Bateman Garden Design Very nice article. Sometimes when we look at all the possibilities on Houzz it gives you the 'wants'. 'I want this' , 'I want that'. How important it is to look at what you already have. How many houses have we seen in Design Dilemma where we thought it was so beautiful just as it is? Often all a house needs is for the homeowner to add their own personal touches. When I design a garden for my clients I often tell them that the garden should tell us something about the owner. I encourage them to think of gardens that they remember from their past ~ their parents or grandparents garden. Houses and gardens should have part of our past present and future woven into the design. Grandmothers dishes, dad's garden gnome, mother's wind chimes. These are what makes a house a home.

Terri Thompson I sell vintage and antique dinnerware online and there are many who want to keep heirlooms that have been passed down or to start a new collection from flea market finds. It's really hard to find a true style with all the varieties available.

Dana Veach This was a wonderful article, Laura...I used to suffer from major clinical depression. Cultivating the habit of gratitude helped to transformed my life and outlook.

Patricia Pelgrims Nail on head.
I love my house/home in Belgium, but we're about to move abroad to Ireland. Our new home is situated right by a sea inlet. I am not in love with the house yet, but that will come as soon as we have all our own furniture and the sentimental stuff that surrounds us daily moved in there.
At the moment it is very grey, beige, black and chrome and shiny surfaces as the previous owners loved 'glamour style' - they left their furniture behind. For the first time ever I'm having a hard time imagining our eclectic style in this new place.
The views from the house are stunning. A large plot of land and the cottage style new build is lovely from the outside. I WILL make it work.
We've just arrived back in Belgium after a week stay in the cottage in Ireland and when I opened the livingroom door I gasped at the serenity and beauty of our own interior style. I really don't want to boast about my impeccable taste - haha - but it's just the feeling of what exactly makes a house into a home. It's the personal stuff, isn't it ? The stuff that has lived with you for decades and moved house with you umpteen times.

Ach ! I'd better get on with packing as in two months time the move is planned to happen and there is no turning back !

catheshome such a good article to remind us of what we DO have

summilux As a member of the Church of the Perpetual Remodel, your article was much appreciated. In a consumer culture, your emphasis that a house and its accoutrements are a means, not the end, to having a home.

anitavcosta So true...I need to be in love with my home again...

Nbbj So good- I've been focusing to much on what I want my new home to be, vs what it will be with everything I have and am already bringing to it. I need to focus on the psychology of it.

Nbbj So good- I've been focusing to much on what I want my new home to be, vs what it will be with everything I have and am already bringing to it. I need to focus on the psychology of it.

comfy by design In the past few decades people have had a more is more attitude. One must have more than the Jones' next door. Since the recession people are starting to see the value in downsizing. Many lost their homes and others were forced to sell and buy a smaller home to survive the damage done by the recession. I love this article because it explains clearly how to appreciate where you are and what you have in a sensory way. Thanks so much. This is such a timely article and much appreciated.

halleycomet Very nice perspective--as one who DID have to "downsize" from a large farmhouse to a small pre-built house that we planned on fixing up and selling--due to the economics of our lives and the industry my husband was working in at the time going belly-up---I do find it hard to "Love the house you're with"!

After 23 years we are unbelievably still in the "Tiny House". And kids grew up and moved out--and several of them moved right back IN again! One brought a husband and a baby and then had ANOTHER one! We now number 7 people in a house that barely held 5 when kids were small.

Well we do NOT have a mortgage--where all that money I was going to be SAVING goes to I dunno---well I lie! Taxes have skyrocketed; gas is killing us. we don't heat with cheap wood anymore do to health issues so we are paying a huge price we never thought about for kerosene-and of course there was tuition for those kids! -BUT we do have an AMAZING view. Which I HOPE will be one of the SELLING points of the house!

Moving SOUTH is very high on my bucket list and we will be doing this in the next FEW years. Already shopping for a new place to LOVE. Because whatever we buy this time--we have vowed to LOVE IT. No buying a place just because it is cheap and we need a roof! IN the area we are in housing is getting more and more expensive and the amount of open real estate is less than the rest of the country---we are extremely lucky that we were not hit as hard as some of the states in the foreclosure crisis. So selling should be no problem!

Open to suggestions on WHERE to move--Florida and Texas are out of the running. We have gone and looked at NC; Tenn; Kentucky; West Virginia--and are looking into going to see Missouri (I have been and I loved it; husband has not been yet)
Mixed views all around on these!

Good topic!

caromck Great article forcing us to put things into perspective!

Iyare I I need an article on how to fall in love with your home when your payments are going up faster than your property is appreciating.... Now that is a challenge LOL

jsls This is one of the best articles comparing to the others who post houses and ideas that only few people can afford - genuine and authentic.

pauli12 Thank you for this, so much! How authentic and loving.

readbetter I love my tiny Cape Cod style house but often get bogged down by the 9x9 ft rooms and deep pitched ceiling in the upstairs bedroom. When I browse through Houzz or magazines, I wish I had purchased a lighter colored bedroom set and moan because the little back beddroom/office/TV room can't be accessed to deliver a big comfy sofabed. And I wish I had another bathroom. So, thanks for the reminder to think of the positive. If I never changed another thing, I love my little house more than anything!

typingn This is a lovely spiritual article on learning acceptance being grateful for what you have. 20 yrs. ago we chose this house because of its country atmosphere (decoration) and location (walking distance to town). We love the privacy (right on a main road). Since buying the house, a sidewalk has been added. From this location, I enjoy that I can take a peaceful walk to the center for the library, coffee with friends, or just plain relaxation. I can walk the baby to the farm to see the new-born cows and chickens or to have an ice cream. This year one of my children bought the house and we added a small in-law. I have everything I need--a full kitchen, a sunny living room, a nice bedroom and bathroom, all on one level. I do still need to reduce though. Right now it is snowing and I am watching the birds. About 30 have flow into a tree--must be some kind of union or HOA meeting going on.

Mandi Smith T Great article and so true. Even as a decorator, I try to use what people have to make their spaces great. No matter the budget, you can learn to love your home! Wonderful tips here on how to do just that. M.

silverlining By today's American standards, we live in a small home (1800 sq, feet), but when we came back from a trip to Europe during which we stayed in other people's homes, we realized our house is quite large! We all need to quit comparing ourselves to the super wealthy because most of us already live better than the majority of the people on the planet.

snagd I really needed this..thank you!

bettygothere Live simply so that others may simply live. (Ghandi)
Love the house you're in !!

trell Thank you for this refreshing article. Home is a reflection of ourselves. If we always need bigger, better, more, perhaps we have lots sight of what really creates "the good life."
Sometimes a few nights away, is all one needs to appreciate being home, wherever one lives.

patricia beharry Numerous times I have walked into my house, turn to my husband and say "I love my house" His response, "I hope so" People have walked into my house and say "It feels peaceful in here" This is a home filled with furniture and colour. I sometimes don't want to go out when invited because I love being in my house.

Elisa Edkins_Proctor Last November I purchased a home for me and my 2 children our first home as a single parent. The house is of an unknown age, I am pretty sure it's 100+ years old that is for sure.
It's a bit of a fixer upper but with a full time job and 2 full time kids the decorating is taking forever! Yes that can make me a bit down but every time I come home from work or perhaps shopping I am driving up to the house and thing wow I love it ......that is my home!!!

Dar Eckert Contentment is a very rewarding feeling that is stolen by keeping up with the Joneses. It is the backbone of happiness. Thanks for reminding us.

woolylam I'm reading this as my husband is cutting yet another hole in the floor (redoing electrical and putting in floor outlets). Even when the house is in disarray from holes for electrical I love the house. The woodwork, old house charm, I've even gotten used to my 30" high original counters. It is home and we love it. Thank you for this article to put things into perspective. Sometimes it feels like we are constantly working on it and not enjoying it. This year we vow to take more time to take breaks. :)

echristian Come to Louisville, Ky if you like 4 equal seasons, friendly, cultured folk, and good food. We are in days drive of 75% of country east of Mississippi river. Just no beach, but lots of lakes. I am a realtor here, let me know if I can help. echristian@semonin.com,

t3tanya I love to look at the photos on houzz.. And I also like to look at the photos on my favorite home exchange website. This is where you see photos of common homes that real people live in. Of course, The photos have been taken when the homes are polished to their best, But they still represent a real lifestyle for so many people. Keep in mind that people who can afford home exchange, flying across continents, taking long vacations, etc. do tend to have a higher income than many middle-class families, even when they are restricted and choose the cost savings of a home exchange.

The article about contentment was absolutely wonderful. I appreciate the author for setting forth so many Great and practical action points to move into a spirit of gratitude.

janehommel "Greening your lifestyle" - what a great expression. We must all try to do that all the time!

fscarlett I am extremely grateful or my home. That's why I like to tweak it all the time. It's an outlet for my creative juices to flow.

lisastockwell Perfect sentiment. I was hoping that this might be the year to do some remodeling, but have had to accept that other expenses take priority. I love my small house for all the reasons you mentioned and it's nice to be reminded to stop and feel gratitude when something else is out of reach. Meanwhile, I'm collecting ideas for the future in my Houzz Idea Books. There are always small improvements we can make with ingenuity and our own two hands.

debswett Great article. I was so pleased to find it. I've always known that I am not alone in my contentment of my home and my possessions that are so special to me. It seems a very artificial world that we are living in......mine is very real, with a home designed for a couple and now a huge family has taken it over.....and we make the best of it. I am very fortunate in many ways.......houzz has improved it. What fun I am having.

corrieg I agree with point 5, especially, After receiving numerous compliments on my home when hosting a bridal shower, I started looking around with new eyes. It is so easy to focus on what what I would like to update, redecorate, repair, organize that I become blind to our abundance. Deliberately trying to see my surroundings through new eyes and refocusing on what I'm grateful for in my home and life in general has brought a great sense of contentment and gratitude for what I have. Would I still like to a bit more square footage or a kitchen remodel? Sure. If it's meant to be at some point, I wouldn't object. :-) But those compliments opened my eyes to how blessed I really am.

partychristianson So glad to be home! thanks!

Carol Lynch This is a wonderful article. You are right - those furry family members, my big comfy chair, plus my gorgeous view from the side of a mountain make up for many things I don't especially like about my house.

designdiana Thanks so much for this - very genuine. When I start feeling negative about my hunble abode - I remind myself - it is SHELTER!! Which many people in this world do not even have.

nooneycat So many people trying to move from their huge, expensive "Mc-Houses" these days, and find a home. "A house--does not--a home make." It's the life inside that makes it a home...one that should be a warm haven from the world--a place where comfort, encouragement, and understanding live--and memories are made and preserved. It's a feeling of love not a design!
Must be practiced and created in our hearts, not our hearths.

julietviney Thank you. My moto for this year is: simplify. At age 54, Finally I am learning to be grateful for what I have!

webber custom woodworking I have been a builder for over 20 years and occasionally feel like I shouldn't take on a job to change something because it is perfectly fine. This article does a great job emphasizing how we can appreciate what we have got.

maddecorator Thank you!

rdmommycc Thank you!! I needed this! What a wonderful article!

rickyahobbs I thought this was a nice article, certainly a welcomed change from always being told what I need to buy and spend money on!

lindaqdesigns Thank you for this article. It truly is important to have gratitude for what you have, something that is hard to do in a society that values more and bigger stuff. Sometimes I hate my small NYC apartment, with its ugly view of brick buildings, but then I remember I have a great view of the Empire State Building, or rather, it's reflection in the window of an adjacent building. It puts a smile on my face. Tonight it is lit up in red, white and blue!

wantsideas Great suggestions Laura. Very practical.

tupper69 I have recently purchased a fixer-upper in a beach area of SW Ct I live 4 miles away and every time I can I mention to friends how I would like to haul my present house to that plot, I love my house, but I hate the location, big traffic, main road, lots of trucks, the train ugh. But I can't forget when I HAD to buy this foreclosure because I was living in a real nightmare, and I would come peek through the windows everyday, like a child, and my first day as owner in the one chair dreaming where my beautiful "stuff " was going to be, I felt I was the luckiest person in the world. And i was.

I agree with many who thank here for the article, I have been in many places and I know that we, in the 1st world live unimaginably better than too many, but many are content sharing a glass of wine on their table.

While it is good to look for inspiration in the designs of the pictured homes, is like any art, beautiful in its own. but I could not imagine someone choosing my sofas and curtains for me and wallpapering my walls in pink and green herringbone.

The fixer upper is coming along, and I'll start all over again with the garden, I'll be moving in and making it My Home, on my budget. Wish me luck!

swastling I pray for the gift of contentment and sometimes it's just enough to be thankful for shelter and warmth. This is the most down-to-earth article I've seen so far....thank you!

audi9 I agree with swasting and tupper69..I recently bought a "gift" very small condo townhouse that only permits me to make the mortgage payments. It came somewhat furnished -1980's light pink walls kitchen and livingroom, low stucco ceiling and dark stain 80's copy of coloniel or country type triple dining room 2hutches and round table with 4 armed chairs. Sounds and is drab BBut can you imagine that this is a gift who would have thought I would have my own roof, garden and car port..I am constantly checking Houzz and other decor sites and magazines as well all the possible free items people are recycling..This gift is a adventure in creativity.

CAROLE MEYER Excellent article. It is hard to get over "the grass is greener" feeling when looking at the photos of very high end homes....but there is something to be said for being thankful for what we have. ....warmth, comfort, coziness, safety.....if we have all this, plus beauty....we have much to be thankful for!

shawnimota I recently bought a 40 year old home that appears to have most of its original design decor. Rarely does a friend walk into my home and not begin to make "suggestions" about how I should update the space. I have fallen in love with my home, just the way it is. It's really funny to see the look on my friend's faces when I tell them that I do not "plan" to change a thing, ha.

henhouzz this is really whats its all about, loving what you have and creating the space YOU love.

WilShauna Thank you for reminding me of what attracted us to our home in the first place. Cozy cottage for empty nesters! I had found myself browsing houses for sale until I ran upon this article. Now I feel very grateful for what we have. Not perfect but can be.......

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Instead of spending money on remodeling/redecorating/expanding your house, it's very rewarding to go room by room and clear it out, then scrub it clean! Getting rid of clutter--papers, knick knacks, unused furniture--and then cleaning floors, windows, furniture, rugs, etc. and perhaps just rearranging everything will make it feel new again!

audi9 Great idea, just pamper my home,,,fits my budget!

traceyg Thank you for the wonderful reminders! Sometimes what really needs remodeling the most is our attitude!

jeneeng Thank you! Wonderful points to remember. :)

Elena Vega Now when I trudge up the three flights of stairs to my apartment, hauling groceries and whatnot, I think "amazing views and one block to my daughter's school." Now when the enormous windows let drafts in, I think "abundant natural light." Thank you for reminding us to focus on the positive!

patricia beharry @tupper 69------Good Luck.

typingn I am enjoying the comments. This article has helped people look at their homes from a completely different view. Elena, apparently not only do you have a view and it is near your daughter but it sounds like there is another positive--you also get your daily exercise for free.

mindyngalvan16 This really made my day! We are always focused on what we don't have and rarely appreciate what we do. Thank you so much for writing this, it really blessed me.

frenchdecor @Elena Vega, you are doing fitness with weights for free, how much money you save and how much healthier and fitter you are!!! I always look at physical chores as extremely positive thing.

amyrae34 Thank you Laura, what a refreshing reminder!

reginacucina We are currently reviving a 140-year-old home. The original house had a Craftsman-style stone walled front porch added on sometime in the 1920's and another homeowner in the 1950's closed the porch up with windows.
On close look the Craftsman pillars were terribly rotted out and the structural integrity of the porch was compromised.
Now as we are finishing up the remodel, with exterior painting coming up and beginning landscaping tomorrow(!) the porch is now nicely opened up, it is structurally sound and the Craftsman style was maintained.
We are looking forward to spending many hours on the newly opened up porch starting this Spring and in the years to come. (I hope the photos attached are in order!)

Bryn Butler A different take at appreciating at my little house. Thank you...

lindarhanson Perfect reminder of what makes our homes, home. As a creative designer, I always have more fantastical ideas than can be executed. Our home is smallish, old and always something needs repair, but our front door is constantly opening to more family and friends than we ever thought would enter. They all say it is happy, warm and welcoming. I guess I will take that as the best result/compliment ever, of being a home owner.

rebeccajstone I love this. More please

Gerry Brown This was wonderful to read. Due to my husband job, in the 16 years we've been married we have moved 3 times. we've been in our house now for 6 1/2 years and get the moving bug every now and then. BUT we keep coming back to "this is the perfect house on the best lot in the best neighborhood in a great town! We are happy here and your article reinforced that! Thanks!

tupper69 @patricia beharry... thanks for reading me and for the wish

Elena Vega @typingn and @frenchdecor: Absolutely--thanks for the reminders! :)

nanaanne It reminded me of the wonderful saying "love the one you're with". Great article.

Monarch Stone International We received a housewarming gift, after four years of a tear-down, re-build. A simple framed saying::
"A home is built with peace and love, and not of wood or stone, a place where happiness lives and memories are sown." (author unknown)
Helped us to put the experience in perspective!

edna66 Great article! I totally agree, it is hard to make a house into a comfortable home. I have moved around so much in the past few years. Whenever I want to get comfortable in a new city, I start with the bed. I get my favorite pillow, my vintage bed stand, and my favorite sheets ( from https://www.thomasleeltd.com/ ), and I am set. House=home

tigereyes Great article. Although I'm not thrilled with my home because of repairs to be done and the aesthetic that I like, the biggest issue is that when I improve one thing, ten more come to light and it can get frustrating and $$$. My home is a four level split contemporary built in 1971.

floatsom What a refreshing article. One of the most beautiful homes I visited is a tiny 2 bedroom with a pull out sofa in the living room. Owners are most loving, giving people. They do not apologize for their modest home but just keep giving & sharing with others. They are happy & content.

Mustapha Hadam and more pictures in www.pdecor.net

Deanya L Ohhh I want a way to put pieces of articles into my Ideabooks! I love this one, when thinking about how to decorate in a home: "Contrast it with not-home. Imagine you've just been on a long trip, and you are arriving home for the first time in weeks. You close the door behind you and take a deep breath. What are you most looking forward to about being home in that moment? Think about the ways your home comforts and supports you." Thanks, Laura Gaskill! :)

lisa14895 Love this story. I'm going to think about this. Very inspirational.

Maryl Hershelman Thank you....being a slave to your home and all the newest trends can be so tiresome at times....I do walk thru my house every now and then and think, "I really love this place".

confederation Thank you for saying what I wish I could feel. Media tells us; change, bigger/better and just enjoying is the best...the article is very grounding! Thanks for words to live by.

Burns and Beyerl Architects Thank you for including us in this insightful article!