OLD HOME NEW LIFE - Designing A New Chapter of Hope & Healing

After caring for my mother with grace and honor through Alzheimer's and cancer, I discovered during a doctor's appointment that I had neglected my own self care. Here's how I created a new chapter of hope and transformation.

After mom climbed the thread that connects earth and heaven (her last words to me), my Mr and I agreed it was time to begin a new chapter of hope and healing by breathing new life into our old storied farmhouse. This was not a renovation but a refresh, inspired by our landscape and memories with the aim to revitalize, recharge and renew us and the world we want - our future hope realized right here and right now.

Because here's what I learned after a season of care-giving for my mother:

• Presence offers peace in chaotic places - there's something powerful in quiet moments

• Everything is a beautiful gift - when you find the beauty, you'll find the treasure

• Believing in the power of your dreams to create beauty & inspire good isn't wishful thinking, it's a lifeline to renewal.

• Forgiveness creates freedom where rituals once ruled

• Understanding means offering grace instead of judgement & connecting changes everything

• Action becomes an opportunity to make the invisible, visible - changed people change the world

• Trust in my intuition by thinking through and establishing boundaries - communicating what I need does not make me difficult, mean or unfair, it protects my time and energy

• It's not about perfection it's the process - creating beauty is more 'heartwork' than artwork

Karen Savage Design's sky Blue Living Room seamlessly brings the outside in.

I believe we should always be prepared to explain the hope that is within us so here's the result of our hope revealed . . .

A prioritized mix of our vintage collections and heirloom treasures curated with strategic new pieces that celebrates the past with a nod to the future.

Hope abounds in the idyllic countryside where we live, which includes Amish-style architecture, flickering gas lanterns, horse-drawn buggies and heritage barns which have stood for generations. And our historic century old farmhouse, barns and outbuildings fit right into the countryside. But the interior of our farmhouse has never quite reflected the typical farmhouse predictability. Don't get me wrong - we both love simplicity, practicality, nature and history but couldn't come together on what it looked like. We also believe our home should tell our own story based on choices that reflect our values, our faith and unique authenticity. I believe this is God’s purpose for every home today - to create a place that mirrors our Creator's unconditional love for us.

Therefore, this was more than a typical interior design farmhouse style makeover because it is our refuge, our sanctuary - a place that is more than a mood or style aesthetic - a place where we've loved, lived and raised our family. A place we love to come home to.

We also wanted something that was both practical and livable. So, we respected its history, reconfigured the floor plan to support our lifestyle and used interior design concepts as a tool to test and translate intentions and aims in a way we both agreed on (see bottom of post).

With mutuality agreed on, and because we could not find the furniture and furnishings we needed at our local stores, I designed the perfect furniture & furnishings to fit our unique needs and complete the whole story in a way where we can constantly curate the decorative layer with flowers #godslovebouquets, and collections inspired from our gardens, nature walks and continuous, curious and creative pursuits.

Karen Savage Design's Sky blue Open Concept Room presents a better, present-day version of itself.

The result is a layered, modern traditional aesthetic, but in a way that is fresh, fun, comfortable and inviting - a cozy, casual, and elegantly charming peaceful place to recharge, renew & reconnect - a sanctuary where we belong and long to come home to.

Our great room interior displays a selection of heirloom antique pieces pieces from both sides of the family which we love because they remind us of the care we received when we were young from those we respected. Mixed appropriately with the new furnishings and furniture, it becomes an unexpected layer - there’s tension created throughout the space by mixing old and new together in a fresh new way that actually works.

Karen Savage Design's sky blue open concept room celebrates the past in the here and now.

Besides the antiques we've inherited, we also repurpose found items to express our creativity, grow our faith, save money and steward our resources well.

Colors, flowers, pattern, texture and sacred moments from nature walks inspire me and give me hope.

So we began with the perfect sky blue performance fabric because it reminds both of us of mid-morning Summer skies here on the farm. This hue grounds the whole house to create movement and a thread of continuity. Then I added an unexpected layer of texture and pattern using blue and white fabrics for the custom window treatment, dining room chairs, ottomans and pillows. that schemed well with Grandma Nellie's blue willow collection.

Special consideration was given to our precious pup too. Since she is part sneak thief & part princess, I selected finishes with durability and cleanabiity in mind which included an ivory performance leather for the bespoke English roll arm sofa.

Sweet Bella even tucks in at night on a custom dog bed slip covered in the same fabric remnants leftover from our project.

All of these elements including our collections, communicates a cohesive story based on our character, values and aesthetic and creates that thread of hope that inspires us each day. A cozy, casual, and elegantly charming enchanted space that reflects our values, faith and lifestyle—for both two-legged and four - nestled in the middle of Amish country where we've put down our roots and are nurtured by a visual reminder of God's goodness and grace.

The result, is an interior that lasts without sacrificing out faith or out values defined by a powerful yet balanced sense of color, texture and pattern that's not quite traditional and not quite modern yet always timeless.

This old house has breathed new life into us and those we share it with for over three decades and is now ready for a new chapter of creating beauty and inspiring hope.

I believe that is the purpose of home.

Designing a Home For Wellness Interior Design Success Checklist Karen Savage Design

Interior design is so much more than following trends, copying others, blending in, playing it safe, compromising, reacting to pretty, creating a vibe or following predictable style themes - it's your story, your values, your message, your legacy and your opportunity to embrace your God-given uniqueness, thrive at home and make a lasting impact without compromise as you practice the world you want and the hope within you.

And when done thoughtfully & intentionally, interior design stops room envy, comparison, reactive shopping & returning, over spending, regretful reveals, expensive do-overs and the feeling that something is off. Instead it's a way to create a place we all need - a place that transforms us, the way we live and the people around us. A place that reminds us of God's goodness and grace each day while providing us with a sense of well being and hope.

That type of home changes us so we can change the world.

Designing for wellness

There comes a moment in everyone's journey when the path forward feels foggy. Don't mute your message, don't retreat - rise and rebuild with presence, intention and strategy in a way that breaths new life and hope into you and others.

Karen Savage Design's Custom Furnishings Designer Made Program

How would it feel to step into a home that truly supports your well-being? Are you curious about how to transform your home and begin a new chapter of hope?  I'd love to help. Schedule a free 30 minute consultation, and let's explore how we can bring these ideas to life and how I tell stories and transform homes, health and lives through interior design.  

And - If you'd like to short-cut to simplify your design experience by using my #nothingbyblueskiesdesignconcept as your beginning design strategy to save time, money and elevate your results, just let me know during our design conversation.

Karen Savage Design's Full Service Experience - Designer Made Program