In my home, we loooove to change up the energy in our space. And what better time to do that than the new year – right?! We have been known to change our decorations, furniture placement, and colors with the seasons, with our moods, and with the energy that we feel we need to create.
So, last night, right on cue with the beginning of a new year, Lina and I started discussing when to take down the tree and all of the other holiday decorations. Just that would create a whole different vibe in our space. But, soon when to take down the tree became how to rearrange the entire living room.
Since I’d already booked laundry time for today, it seemed only natural to take down the holiday decorations, do some deep cleaning, and move the furniture. We decided that this was a brilliant idea and then chatted for a bit about a few ways to redecorate the living room.
Part of the “need” to rearrange the furniture was to create a whole new feel. I mean, we have spent a loooot of time at home and things have been getting pretty damn stale here. Totally cozy, but just feeling a bit stuck. And, since we have now released 2020, we felt that it was only right to change our living room space.
In fact, Lina has been at home pretty much non-stop since March. Minus 2 weeks of traveling in our car in Sweden this summer. I’ve been at home way more than usual also. All of last spring, the summer (minus those 2 weeks), some of autumn, and these holiday weeks. Needless to say, we’ve grown tired of seeing our living room in the same way its been during these past intense 10 months. So, a change to the space was exactly what we needed. To help us let go of all of the old energy + welcome in the energy of newness, change, and possibility.
Since we do this quite often (I do it at work too – poor co-workers!), you might wonder if we just have an endless supply of money. Well, we don’t. The thing is, sometimes we do buy a pillow or decide to buy a piece of furniture, but most often these changes to our space happen with the stuff that we already have. And, mind you, we really don’t have that much stuff. Moving across the ocean from country to country a few times will definitely teach you to scale back + keep only things that really mean a lot. We’ve also gotten really good at giving stuff away or minimizing on a regular basis. That’s another perk of rearranging often… you go through your shit all the time and can purge those things that, “don’t spark joy”, as Maria (Marie?) Kondo would say.
In any case, today we did make a purchase. We bought some shelves in order to create a desk area in the corner of the living room. They’ll be delivered next week and then our living room will be complete. We decided to add a desk space because… well…. we’ve got a whole new perspective on the work-from-home thing. Other than the shelves, we just moved stuff around. Furniture, lamps, wall hangings. We got rid of some blankets, changed the look of the tv cabinet a little, and moved my altar space. Of course, we took down all of the holiday stuff… the whole reason we got started with this spontaneous redecorating session from the beginning.
It took all damn day to do everything – in fact, I’m still waiting on some laundry to be done – but the end result feels amazing. And our space looks so much bigger, and not just because our big, glorious tree is gone. Shifting the sofas really opened up the space. I can’t wait to snuggle down + settle in. For now, I’m sipping a bit of wine and beginning to slowly wind down. I think I’ll really feel the newness tomorrow, when I can sit + relax + enjoy it all.
Speaking of tomorrow, in order to let the new energy take hold + to welcome the new year in our new space, I’m thinking that sometime tomorrow I want to do a little blessing + cleansing ceremony with some sage + rosemary + fire. I’ll open the windows, light candles, and bless the space with a few prayers… to let go of all of the stagnant energy + open up for all of the new energy that comes with the new year. There will be many more days spent in our cozy little space and I want to take a little time to mark this sacred change with a simple, homemade ceremony of giving thanks + recognizing the importance of the space in which I live.
Ok. The laundry is buzzing. And my glass of wine is almost empty. Wishing you all the good vibes in your space as you enter 2021.
xoxo. liz.
I have always admired your decor and arrangement of furniture. I love it so much that I’d hire you to do my own space if I was able to do that. I relate to you two wanting to rearrange and change the look of your living space. I grew up with my mother and I rearranging our homes a lot. I have been slacking on it but after reading your post here and looking at your gorgeous home, I think I will start on mine too. What a great idea to change the look of our homes especially since we’ve been staying there much more over the past year!
how sweet of you tracy! oh my gosh… that would be so fun! 😉 i hope you do rearrange, if you still feel like it. it really is an energy booster. share a pic somewhere, if you do!! i’d love to see. you can even just email me if you’d not like to post it publicly. good luck and have fun! 😘