7 Things Every Home Needs

A simple method for finding the story hiding in your space

Some of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen... feel off.

They’ve got the right sofa, a statement light fixture, and well-appointed built-ins, and yet they feel more like an expensive showroom than a home. I’ve spent 6 years as a decorator, and what I can tell you about the difference between a beautiful house and a beautiful home is this: houses are always missing a story. They’re pretty, but not grounded in reality. There’s nothing to say about them other than they look nice and everything is technically... right.

I don’t want that for you.

I want you to have a home that feels so “you”, a stranger would match y’all together in a game.

That said, my experience as a design guide has taught me how overwhelming the design process is, so to help you avoid decision fatigue, I present an easy-to-follow framework to get the home of your dreams without a breakdown: 7 Things Every Home Needs.

This works whether you’ve just moved into a new apartment and need to decide where to start, or if you’re finally committed to making the most of the rental you’ve been in for 3 years, the method to start with just seven things needed to give your home soul, life, and the feeling of a really cool woman living there. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Something You Made

Doesn’t have to be perfect. Just has to be yours. When designing a home, it’s easy to think you have to look to someone else’s talents for it to be worthy of being in your space, but none of that is true. If you took rug-tufting classes during the pandemic, I’d better see it in front of the bathtub. If you saved a desk from the landfill and gave it a banging paint job, it better be the desk you work from every day. If you’ve written something, a book, a zine, a poem, anything, you damn sure better have it framed up real nice and displayed with a gorgeous picture light to illuminate your greatness.

photo by Amanda Archibald for Apartment Therapy

Imani’s Thing: My pottery. I use my pieces every day as a reminder of my own talent and everything I’ve accomplished.

2. Something Thrifted

Secondhand pieces are essential to making a house a home because thrifting lets you grab incredible or over-the-top decor at a price you can actually afford. My quick tips:

• Set your Facebook Marketplace/eBay/OfferUp location to a ritzy area with a 250+ mile radius.

• Create a list of terms and designers you like, then search for them using misspellings. (ex. Someone who doesn’t know the value of an Eames chair might list it as “Earnest chair”)

• Check your sites several times a week.

This ensures when someone passes (RIP) or starts a renovation project, you’ll be there to scoop up the good stuff.

In-person thrifting guides by city: DC, Paris, and Copenhagen.

photo by Amanda Archibald for Apartment Therapy

Imani’s Thing: I grabbed this gorgeous brass light fixture (plus 4 others) in a warehouse in Copenhagen. It’s the perfect addition to my dining area.

3. Something Stolen

Whether you “borrowed” it from your momma or slipped it in your bag on the way out of a relationship with a man who had good taste, life ain’t worth living if you’ve never gotten into a little trouble, and your home should reflect that trouble. So steal things…

P.S. If you’ve got a good paying government job that you don’t want to lose due to petty theft, I’ll also accept things you got for “a steal.”

photo by Amanda Archibald for Apartment Therapy

Imani’s Thing: My vintage coffee table was “technically” stolen. I tried to pay the woman 3x, but it kept getting rejected. She stopped answering my FBMP messages, and eventually I just... kept the table. And it looks damn good!

4. Something Gifted

You know that warm, gooey feeling you get when you hold the blanket your grandma knitted and wrapped you in after birth. That feeling should have a place in the home you’re designing even if it doesn’t fit your aesthetic. Those one-off items that aren’t like the rest cause people to pause, and then it’s your opportunity to share how this blanket/chair/rug/art/or whatever connects to a cherished memory or a bond, and how it earned a special place in your home.

figurine by potter Reginald Pointer

Imani’s Thing: My pottery teacher gave me this raku-fired figurine when I graduated from Howard. It’s a reminder for me not to lose my head when shit gets tough.

5. Something You Saved For

I was originally gonna call this section “something expensive,” but I realized the cost of the items isn’t what really matters; it’s about the journey from seeing to acquiring that’s really important. Saving for something teaches delayed gratification and dedication to achieving your vision, and I think that’s super important when creating a beautiful home. As much as I love a deal, there are some things in this world that are expensive and 100% worth it, and seeing them in my home after some sacrifices and budget adjustments feels like I was rewarded twice.

Amanda Archibald for Apartment Therapy

Imani’s Thing: I canceled a trip to Vegas and ate spaghetti for weeks to afford this $3,000 Uzo Art x Otto Studio peel-and-stick wallpaper, and it was the best decision I ever made.

6. Something Inherited

Having the money to buy all-new stuff is great, but a piece that carries the history of someone you love is better. Not only for the sentimental value, but also for the look. Mixing your mom’s painting from 40 years ago with art prints creates an eclectic gallery wall. That mahogany bed frame your great aunt left for you is truly something special because they literally don’t make ‘em like they used to. I know getting older and seeing the generations before us go on to glory is difficult, but before tossing out their stuff, go through it and preserve your family’s history.

Amanda Archibald for Apartment Therapy

Imani’s Thing: My grandma’s china cabinet is my prized possession, and also the reason I’ll be hiring movers for the rest of my life. This thing is too heavy for me to carry down a flight of stairs on my own, and I’m not about to try.

7. Something Earned

Decorating your home with something you have earned through your accomplishments, not because you bought it or were given it, is essential, since your home is the place to brag. So take that degree out of the sleeve and put it in the big, expensive wood frame with the brass letters of the university scrolled across the bottom, and every time someone comes over, point to it and say, “Yeah, that’s me.”

Imani’s Thing: The most expensive thing in my apartment: my Howard University degree.

The seven things I’ve outlined in this framework give you seven different ways of giving your home its soul, and together with the furniture you already have, they allow your home to tell a story no showroom ever could.

Now it’s your turn: drop a comment with your own seven things. I want to read about the story of your home.

If you want to see this framework play out in a real home, watch 7 Things, the show where I sit down with the coolest people I know to find the objects that give their home its soul. The first two episodes are live. Enjoy.

xo,

IK