Downstairs Home Reveal + What Makes a House a Home?

Here are photos of our brand new Dining Room and Living Room, as well as a few thoughts on making a space feel like a “home.”
This post is sponsored by Article.

What makes a house a home? That, friends, is a very philosophical and seemingly-complicated question.

Today I’m partnering with Article to share a portion of my new house with you, as well as talk about all that mushy gushy stuff too 😉

Oscuro Dining Table // Oscuro Dining Chairs // Black Lamp

To be honest, it’s always been very easy for me to call places “home.” Even when my family went camping or stayed at a hotel, I would ask “when are we going home?” I realized that this is not the case with many people, though. I started to wonder…am I just weird, cold-hearted, and/or non-emotional? Considering I’m a sympathetic crier and get teary-eyed when someone else on TV starts crying (seriously), I don’t think that’s the case.

Ceni Loveseat // Vena Side Table // White Throw Blanket (similar)

As long as I feel comfortable, I consider any place to be “home.” To me, people and memories are the most important part of that! Obviously no home is complete without furniture, though. When I was browsing through potential home furniture brands with my good friends (and now housemates!) Jasmine and Chris, we all knew that we wanted to fill our house with high-quality, well-made, and vegan-friendly furniture. Which is why I am proud to say that we have teamed up with Article to complete our kitchen and downstairs living room! Article delivers beautifully designed furniture at fair prices — they are able to do this as they work directly with the manufacturers and you – that’s it!

Additionally, we all thought it would be fun to share 8 different things that make a house a “home.” Once you finish reading my 4 ideas, head on over to Sweet Simple Vegan’s blog post to see theirs!

Ceni Sofa // Mara Coffee Table // Cotton Pouf

1. Cozy Furniture

Personally, I don’t even know if I would consider an empty house a house. Everything looks empty and bland, there’s a weird echo in all of the rooms, and you never really realize how much you’d just really love to sit at a chair and eat at a table until you don’t have one. Ha! Luckily Article produces furniture that is not only cozy (and fully supports my Queer Eye binge-watching on Netflix), but the delivery process is incredibly easy! After packing all of my own moving boxes and building my own dorm furniture, it was really nice to have someone else deliver the furniture, set it up, and put it exactly where we wanted it to be.

*Pro Tip: Article offers three different delivery experiences at a few different prices. You can check out their delivery page for more information, but I definitely think splurging for the $169 assembly service was worth it — especially if you live up several flights of stairs.

Lignum Shelf // White Globe (similar) // Basket (similar)

2. Personal Mementos

Although I frequently travel and don’t live anywhere near my immediate family, I can honestly say I never get homesick. I’m not sure exactly why that is, but I’d like to think I (1) focus on living in the present moment, and (2) carry little pieces of my loved ones with me that evoke positive thoughts and memories. A used maté cup on the bookshelf reminds me of my cherished time studying abroad in Argentina, while the handmade lacy tablecloth my great-grandma made reminds me of my family in Tennessee. While I can say that I could be a bit better at letting things go, I am happy that I have saved certain family trinkets or other mementos to help remind me of other times.

Bar Cart // Big Berkey Water Filter // Avocado Portrait

3. A Little Bit of a Mess

Maybe it’s just the way I was raised (love you, Mom!), but I’ve always thought that those perfectly-clean-and-sparkly house photos look, well, a little bit sterile and uninviting. I want my home to be a warm and full of life; to me, a liiiiiittle bit of a mess comes along with that! I’m not saying I want to live in a space covered with dirty dishes and dust, but I love when a room has character. For example: an open laptop with a cup of coffee on the table, a magazine on the couch, or a pair of running shoes by the door. All of those things signify life to me and make me feel comfortable and welcome.

IKEA Rug // Round Mirror // Glass Vase

4. Laughter

As I said earlier, I think the people and the memories are what most help to transform a house into a home. I am so happy to be moving into this new space with my good friends Jasmine and Chris — they both inspire me in their own unique ways, and I consider them both to be some of my closest friends. I can’t wait for us to create new memories together in our new home, and I also can’t wait to branch out and meet even more new friends in the area!

Well, friends, I think that’s about it! Thank you for taking this little nostalgic journey with me while simultaneously checking out my new crib – I love me a good home makeover, so I know that’s primarily what drew you here in the first place 😉 Don’t forget to check out Jasmine and Chris’ blog post sharing their 4 house-to-home tips as well…and I can’t wait to share more of this home/life with you in the blog posts to come! <3

And because everyone loves a good home reveal…here are some before and after photos for ya!

*Also, here’s the complete list of products that we received from Article:

• Oscuro Dining Table
• Oscuro Dining Chairs
• Lignum Shelf
• Ceni Loveseat
• Ceni Sofa
• Mara Coffee Table
• Vena Side Table