I recently joined in on an initiative with Casper, providing a few “move-in essential” tips for turning a new house into a cozy, home-y space. If you haven’t heard of Casper, they are a cutting edge mattress company providing affordable mattresses that are absurdly comfortable, and they also make moving easy since they simply arrive at your door in a box! They even offer sheets and pillows too for added coziness! We all know having a good night’s sleep is #1 in a new home, so it makes sense that they are trying to help people who are moving into a new home feel comfortable and happy! Even as I work on my own house – endlessly renovating and trying to furnish – I feel when I add my smaller, personal touches I actually start to capture that warm & fuzzy feeling you should get when you feel “home”.
Casper suggested tips #1-#3 and asked me to chime in for #4-#6:
Let’s get into it!
Great Bedding:
Is there seriously anything better than new, luxurious, super soft bedding to make you feel like you are HOME? Definitely not. But great bedding goes above and beyond thread count – your bedding can transform a room and should always be considered as a part of the larger design scheme. Check out how some of these bedrooms were totally rocked out by their bedding alone:
While I am a huge fan of the all white bedding situation, adding pops of colors and patterns through throws and pillows can turn any ordinary bedroom into a wow space.
Blush sheets? Genius. They give this super simple bed design a little something extra.
Tying in antique textiles can bring a bedroom to the next level. I love the boldness of the bedding on these twin beds in an otherwise quiet room.
This custom dyed green bedding makes a huge statement against the white walls yet feels so calm and serene. Love it!
I have always dreamed of having an all white bed, and after years of yelling at my husband for eating in bed, obsessively cleaning my dog’s paws and our recent bout with Brady’s stomach bug, I am hanging up my hat and flat out giving up on that dream. Our bedroom is certainly not on the priority list in our house, but once I get to it I will definitely be considering new bedding options.
I recently got to attend the Parachute Hotel in Venice and see their new lines of bed linens and was totally wowed. I love their subdued colors and organic, natural vibe. They just came out with a tan color that seems to be speaking to me (please don’t tell me tan is as easy to get dirty as white UGH):
I am also a big QUILT person, as is my husband. We both tend to wake up super hot and sweaty when using a down comforter, so we use quilts year round. Love these patchy options from Parachute: 
Now that looks like something that would take my family quite some time to destroy.
I was also recently introduced to Coyuchi home, which has amazing organic bedding and more. I love their Strata blanket as an accent piece over a neutral bed:
For something more whimsical, I have always loved Serena & Lily’s ever growing bedding collection. Here’s a few I have had my eye on lately:
Fresh Flowers or Plants
Fresh greenery will literally add life to your space. From a small arrangement on a bedside table to a fun statement tablescape in the dining room, flowers and plants definitely add to a cozy, lived-in home.
I have about the exact opposite of a green thumb, but can give you some pointers on easy things to keep alive (and why I am so excited to be seeing faux plants on the rise!).
I have always found orchids SUPER EASY to keep alive and that they always look super chic and styled all on their own. This one on my current kitchen table I have had for 2.5 months, have watered probably 3 times, and it is currently making my house look amazing (the cute little geometric vase from Dwell studio isn’t hurting either):
The next venture I plan to take in my living room is getting a faux potted plant, likely a fig tree. I recently advised my clients in Malibu to get themselves a fig tree, and a few months in they are struggling to keep that beauty alive 🙁
Enter the amazingness of the faux plant. Lots of options these days – I am likely to splurge on this beauty from Pottery Barn:
Bam! Place that bad boy in a fab basket and call it a day. My son/dog/husband can try all they want but there will be no dirt to throw and I will not have to strain myself to keep yet another person alive in this house! There are more faux plant options at Target, Home Goods, and World Market 🙂
Personal Photo Wall
Last but not least, there is nothing that brings more of you into your home than YOU! Personal photos displayed in a tasteful way are a must. I am of course a fan of the gallery wall, but am always looking for new ways to show off my cool family and friends.
Here is what I had in my old townhouse, which was limited in wall space so I fit what I could:
Hi family! I kept things streamlined by using all the same size black frames with white mats and varied on horizontal vs landscape direction.
Now that I am a big girl and have humungous, endlessly empty walls, I have goals to add to this collection and span an entire hallway of photos:
I also have a nice little built-in in one of my hallways that I will probably re-arrange and re-decorate for the rest of my life that I think could host a whole bunch of leaning family photos. See said space below:
I saw this image of leaning images on a shelf that definitely left me feeling inspired:
I love gallery walls period so will just leave a few more here to admire:
So that about wraps it up, the AE guide to making a new house feel like a home. I’m still working on that over here, but will keep my own advice in mind as I continue to transform my own house.
xo, AE
