If you’ve ever felt like your home is constantly playing catch-up with your life—you’re not alone.

When we moved into our current home, our kids were just 2 and 4 years old. We were deep in the days of sippy cups, step stools, tiny shoes, and toys everywhere. It was loud and messy and wonderful—and the way we used our home back then looked so different from how we live in it now.

But here’s the thing: I didn’t redesign our house every few years to keep up. Instead, we made intentional choices in each season—always asking,
“What does our family need from this space right now?” And little by little, that’s how we created a home that’s grown alongside us.

We invested where it made sense.

When we moved in, we bought a leather sectional for our family room. It was a splurge at the time, but I knew it needed to hold up to toddlers, pets, snacks, and all the wear and tear that comes with real family life. Years later, that sofa is still holding strong—and I’m so glad we made that investment.

Our family room circa 2017 when our kids were 6 and 4.

But not everything was a splurge. Our first coffee table? I didn’t spend much on it, knowing full well it would be the landing spot for trucks, blocks, and stray markers. Same with our rug—practical and budget-friendly, because let’s be honest… slime was absolutely making its way into that room at some point (thanks, Grandma).

As the kids grew, we made updates: a sturdier coffee table for teen feet and snack plates, and eventually, we replaced the toddler rug with a vintage one. That rug was more of an investment, but it’s been around for decades and is incredibly durable (and forgiving). It was the right piece for the season we’re in now.

Our family room now—after years of slowly making changes over time.

We gave ourselves permission to do it in phases.

Some rooms in our house took years to come together. The playroom, for example, started off filled with LEGOs, bins of toys, and a sofa we chose early on in a performance fabric. Now? That same room is a teen hangout spot with the same sofa, plus shelves filled with board games and books instead of bins of dolls and dinosaurs. We didn’t overhaul the room—we just let it evolve.

I think there’s this pressure sometimes to get it all done at once. But some of the best decisions we made were the ones we made slowly—after living in the space and figuring out what actually worked (and what didn’t).

We embraced flexible storage (a.k.a. baskets saved my sanity).

When our kids were little, baskets were everything. They’d bring toys downstairs to play in the living room, and at the end of the day we’d have our little “reset time”—everything went back into a basket. No perfect system, just simple rhythms that worked for us.

Even now, we still use baskets all over the house. I love that they make clutter easy to contain and clean-up a whole lot easier.

We let the house breathe.

This one might sound a little strange—but I’ve learned not to fill every corner just to fill it. Sometimes an empty wall or unused nook is actually a gift. It gives you space to grow—space for that unexpected need or change that might come in the next season of life.

It’s okay for your home to feel unfinished. In fact, it should.

Your home doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to serve your family well. The way your people use the space will change—and that’s the best reason to let your home evolve too. Don’t be afraid to make slow changes. To choose pieces that work for now, even if you plan to upgrade them later. To invest in the things that really matter, and let the rest flex with your life.

Designing a home that grows with your family isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what makes sense for your people, right now.

PS: If you’re in a season of wanting your home to feel more put-together—but don’t know where to start—Rooted at Home is filled with simple, practical ways to refresh your spaces with purpose. It’s not about getting it perfect. It’s about making it yours.