When I first moved I had one word on my mind: want. I wanted more home decor, a chair for my reading nook, a shelf to display my books—I had practical wants and not so practical wants. Being super picky, I didn’t end up purchasing a lot of those initial things, and over time I realized I wanted to be more intentional about how my home is set up. Being intentional is always a compromise because it means I can’t have everything at once—it’s a slow, steady process of curation. Through this process, I also learned that a lot of my wants fade over time. They’re really just that impulse brought on by an image on Pinterest or an online sale.
I’ve been committed to more conscious fashion for awhile now, but it’s settling in more and more with the home category. The problem for many of us is that it’s so expensive to choose furniture and home goods with intention. (I intend to have a much nicer sofa than the one I do now, but hey.) Luckily, to be conscious about your home purchases doesn’t come with an entirely unrealistic price tag—here’s how to do it:
3 Rules for conscious home décor
reevaluate current possessions
Like I said, I’m not really regretting not making those initial purchases that I wanted. Sometimes it’s all about seeing old things in a new light. I already have a perfectly good shelf for my books, and it’s really the books that are the important possessions here. So why do I need a fresh new one? Is that purchase really going to add meaning to my life? Asking questions like that helps you hit the brakes a bit when you want to splurge on something unnecessary. In reevaluating current possessions, you might find that what you wanted was just a want—all your necessities are taken care of. You might also find that you don’t even need all that you have, and can donate things. When I was forced to move most of my belongings due to an apartment problem, I was pretty happy I don’t own that much.
see if secondhand will satisfy
I love thrifting for certain things but it can put you at odds with intention. Simply put, a lot of thrift store gems don’t end up in my house out of necessity, but because it’s a damn good deal. Lately I’ve decided to rethink that a little. Instead of just heading to a thrift store, I also look at consignment shops and websites like Chairish. They allow you to be more intentional, yet still make a conscious purchase that isn’t bringing more into this world, but rather finding it a new home. Really, any time you choose secondhand, you’re automatically more likely to purchase a unique piece with a story and a history and reduce your impact. Going on the hunt for this type of décor allows time for reflection like I mentioned above—you might find in the search that you were just wanting something, not needing it.
purchase with intent
When you buy new items, do it with intent. It’s easy to think that every purchase you make has intent, but next time you’re knee deep in Target’s dollar section goodies, you’ll start to hear the crazy excuses that form in your head! Their décor section is just too good and basically always calling my name. Once you get in a routine to ask yourself, “what’s my intention with this?” you’ll find the cart (and the virtual cart) filling up a lot more slowly.
There are a ton of ethical home décor sites that I’ve perused and loved, but it still goes back to intent. There’s no reason to splurge on these products unless I really feel like the purchase will serve a purpose or fulfill me. Luckily, if you follow the steps above, you’ll have enough in the budget to splurge on some of the more conscious sites that you didn’t have the money to before.
Even though these are three separate rules for sourcing conscious home décor, I think of it as a cycle. By reevaluating your current possessions and purchasing mostly used, you automatically save money so that when it comes to make purchases, you can afford to do more consciously. (Based on the idea that most of us would probably make more conscious purchases if only we had the money to). And by purchasing with intent only, we give ourselves the ability to love and enjoy our current possessions, and ultimately don’t feel the need for impulse buys, cheap décor, or unethical products.
I really love this list! I’ve been trying to focus on more conscious decor and the items that I surround myself with. If left unchecked, I have definite hoarder tendencies, and that doesn’t mix well with a string of tiny apartments. Since I’m gearing up for a big move in the next year as I finish my undergrad, I’ve been working on getting rid of the things that I could really do without, and focusing on only buying more things that I really really need and love. Thanks for these tips!
Thanks Lizzie. That’s one of the things I always think of too–I’ve moved so much my whole life that by now I know I actually need to consider whether I’ll be in my current place within a year or two when I buy stuff! Especially living in the city, chances are a tiny apartment is always in my future–so I try not to collect TOO much stuff :).