What makes a soulful home?

Matt and I went house hunting this past weekend and I'll tell you that I thought I would be the picky one. I wasn't. I was wowed by white kitchens, walk in closets and and pleasant rooms...mean while he was standing by seeming unimpressed. My husband is the ever practical one, keeping track of things like money and re-sale value, but when I asked what he thought about the homes he said:

"They are ok I guess....it's just that I fee like they have no soul."

My love, they have no soul because we don't live there yet.

photo via Mary Ruffle 

We were looking at recently built town homes. They were not totally without character...but I suppose that they were lacking the echo that is left behind in older homes by owners past. I love that about older homes...they are full of enchantment....

But so are white sparkly new kitchens. 

Oh, new vs. old. It's quite a dilema. Your stuff might get soaked in the basement with that stone foundation in this old house, but with the new you know your neighbors are sitting at 8pm watching TV in a living room that looks just like yours a la Truman show. I don't know which is scarier.

Regardless, I have a hunch that it's a lot more than the age of the foundation that makes a house a soulful home. Here are somethings that I think help make a home soulful whether it's built in 1900 or 1999.

*Use. Inviting people over, having a party, dancing in the living room, enjoying a romantic evening in. Creating adventures inside the home. Making the home a destination.

*Show and tell. Where'd you go, what did you do, who did you meet, who do you know? Some decorators diss decorating personal photos. Ok. Good for them. Personally, I like having evidence around of all the people and places I love. I guess you could go overboard...but it's your home so you can if you want too!

*Bring the outside in. Fresh flowers. Sand in a bowl. A Pile of Rocks. A twig or two. Nature makes us feel so good when we are out, why not bring it in?

*These are a few of my favorite things. Write a list of things you love (I love lists). Then, walk around the house. Are those things there? If you love skiing...why not hang some vintage skis in the hall? If you love pink, how 'bout a display of framed pink fabrics in your powder room? You get the gist. Sure we'd all like have a spontaneously personal and beautiful home...but sometimes the business gets in the way. A list helps you make something you want to do---happen!

*Books. Open. Closed. Stacked. Piled. Layered. Lots of them.

*Original art. By you. By a friend. By a child. By a lady in the thrift shop. Art is soul baby.

*Laughter. Enjoy your home and all that is in it.

So...what else????