It's All in the Details

In an attempt to make a house feel more inviting, we may focus our attention on the "big picture" - the furniture, the window treatments, and the area rugs. While these are key components and they do work in tandem to create a sense of style and cohesiveness, there is another element to consider when creating that feeling of home...details. From the meals we make to the gifts we give, details enhance our efforts, so they seem more intentional. With that said, curating the details in our home doesn't have to break the bank. It's more about finding unique ways to fill the otherwise empty spaces around us.

I just did this over the weekend with a non-descript space in our living room. Our home was built in the 1940s, so it has certain details that were indicative of that time period. One of these includes our mailbox, which is built directly into our home. The metal flap releases the mail from the shoot on the outside of our house.

Realizing that not everyone who enters our home will instinctively know what this door is, I decided to add a little detail to remove the mystery. My immediate thought was to hand-paint the word mail on the white metal flap, but I soon came to my senses.

While my skill set in this area is rather limited, Etsy is a great resource for those ideas that are a bit outside the box. This was certainly one of those projects. I searched "decals" on the Etsy site and found a company (stellarandstarkdecal) that could easily give my mailbox some much-needed panache.

I am thrilled with the final result. This decal completes the look, providing just enough detail without becoming the focal point of the room. It also clarifies what the flap is for, adding purpose to the nostalgia of feature that no longer exists.

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This was a small project by comparison, yet it illustrates how perfectly the little details can pull a room together, so it's more than just furniture, windows treatments and area rugs.