The Intentional Home: Leveraging Design to Redecorate Our Lives

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Interior design is about more than aesthetics — it’s an opportunity to reveal and heal our authentic selves and our homes

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I bought my first home in 2014. It was a complete gut job. Along with the help of my contractor dad and realtor mom, I soon designed a work of art. From custom cabinets to designer flooring, no detail was spared — the house was impeccable. People would regularly remark how it looked like something straight out of a décor magazine. And I was truly overjoyed with the outcome.

But as the years went by, I started to realize that something was off. 

I’ll never forget the day my first intuitive mentor walked into my home and asked me if it was mine. I said yes, but she said the energy didn’t match up. She was right. This home I bought and rebuilt was not ‘mine’. On paper it was, but in my heart, it wasn’t reflective of me.

Cue the Pandemic.

Like most of the world, when the pandemic hit, I was relegated to my home — suddenly seeing things I hadn’t seen before, feeling things I had rushed by previously. I no longer spent long days away at work or weekends out and about.  Like everyone else, I had to sit in my house and experience what I had denied. The realizations came fast.

The truth was that I had given away permission and ownership of my home years before. In fact, I had never truly claimed the space.

True, I paid for the home. True, I picked out most of the design. True, I lived in it. But even more true, I did it all as a child would — by asking permission from my parents. I required their stamp of approval for everything that transpired in the home. I couldn’t even hire a plumber without running it by them first.

I was now stuck in this place I had helped build and felt trapped. I had allowed the outside world and the opinions of others to dictate my moves. I didn’t listen to my heart when it begged me to move on. Instead, I pushed it all aside telling myself it was a great investment and I should stop complaining, I was lucky to have such a beautiful place to live. Still there was quiet unrest within me.

But a truth once acknowledged is hard to ignore.

Unable to escape these internal realities, I appealed to my husband. Together we ultimately decided that the best course of action was to move on. And move on, we did. Across country far from the forces that were holding me hostage. This decision would free me and simultaneously open a tumultuous emotional journey of healing and reclaiming that I was ready to face. Within two years, we moved from California to Tennessee.

Finally, away from the crushing realities of my old home, I was able to gain some perspective.  Ownership and self-agency were not the only things missing from this previous home. What was missing in my home was me,my innermost self. And I had to accept that I had been complicit in this. What I had created was the outward expectation of what I was ‘supposed’ to be, and in doing this, I had silenced my spirit. 

Now free, it was not to be silenced again.

The mere act of buying our new house in Tennessee was one of pure intuitive guidance. I tuned into my spirit and turned off all outer influences. No one even knew about our purchase until it was signed, sealed and a moving date secured. The fact that the home was bought sight unseen was negligible. 

With two kids two years old and under, plus our dog, we drove across country and straight to our new home — and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Now that didn’t mean there was not work to be done, paint to be freshened, carpet to be installed, but it was perfect in the fact that it gave me and my family freedom to flourish…to express who we were and to become. 

My husband and I had one motive in our move, to start OUR life. Not the life anyone expected us to live or wanted us to live, but the life WE wanted for ourselves and our children. We set that intention and we never once wavered in it.

Come to find out, the power of intention is remarkable. So remarkable, in fact, that our move, our new life, and everything that has transpired in between led me to start a company that is designed to help others find truth in their own homes and their hearts.

Where there is discomfort in our lives, there is also a path being illuminated. I created The Intentional Home by Courtney Meyers to help build intentional interiors for inspired living.

What does that mean?

It means, crafting homes in a way that’s as beautiful and unique as the people who live in them so that they can live an authentically comfortable life in style. The most important part of the whole equation is the individual — not the design choices; the fabrics, finishings and furnishings.

When it comes to intentional interiors, it’s important to start with the person you’re designing for.  We all carry a history, a story, a past with us (as my story so clearly demonstrates). We hold onto objects from these times in our lives. We cultivate the energy around us. And we find ourselves believing what we’ve put out into the universe, or even worse, allowing ourselves to be guided by ideals other than our own.

So, what I find is that when someone wants to change up their surroundings, whether it be their décor or entire home, it stems from something much deeper. What they’re currently living in doesn’t serve them anymore. And more often than not, it’s their innermost self — pushing to be recognized; something needs to be heard.

By doing an intuitive deep dive, together, we get to the heart of what needs to change so that one’s true spirit can come alive and thrive in a supporting environment. This unique design approach combines coaching, home healing and intention setting to create an inspired living plan.

One client of mine came to me with a desire to ‘freshen up’ her kitchen. But what she didn’t realize was her kitchen wasn’t the issue. It was all the stuff she had squirreled away inside it, and even more so, her reasons for keeping it all. Not only was the mental load weighing on her, the actual physical space and the items in it were creating an anxiety-inducing environment. The walls were literally closing in on her. 

Once all the stuff was removed, it was as if my client could finally breathe and her room and life were filled with oxygen. She could examine her space with fresh eyes and begin to take more control over her surroundings…and her life. She could decide what stayed, what went — what worked, what didn’t. Our work is not yet done, but we’ve cleared one major hurdle, and we’re one step closer to the fun part…décor. 

Buying new lamps or painting a wall is definitely the simpler route to take when you think of redecorating. However, I have found, from my own experience creating a beautiful façade only gets you so far. The truth finds a way to emerge through the cracks. Until you allow your spirit to come forth, you will not be at peace in your home — and you will constantly be looking outward for ways to make it better.

A home truly comes alive when its occupants are honest, real and open. When they not only honor their own truths but also those of the home. It’s a symbiotic relationship that allows for a beautiful flow of energy and intentional living — one that will be felt by you and anyone you welcome through your doors.

When we bring intention back into our homes and our lives, we give ourselves the permission to live at our absolute best, I am living proof. This work is living proof — and getting to help others reconnect to their spirit and environment feels like the best job in the world. Is your home speaking to you? If so, lean into its whisper and listen to your spirit. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

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You may also enjoy reading 4 Tips for Designing a Positive and Calming Home, by Laura May